Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-06

hn Fixpohttion, 1917.
natural, over IN invention which
threatens to relegate them to sausage
factory"
That was less than twenty years
ago. Today the New York Central
Railroad Company is expanding $50.
100000 in the electriflcation Of the first
fhirty-tlve miles OF It's system, and the
car horses were long ago relegated to
tine bopeyard, IL not to the sausage
factory"
''They" have done marvellous things
since the increasing knowledge of
electricity opened up new world of
achievement, and we have scarcely
crossed the threshold. In 1880 the cleo
trio car was dream; in 1890, an ex.
pertinent; in 1000, great and wonder.
ful fact which Is revolutionlzIng pms.
senger transportation and will enable
human beings to move from place to
place twice rs fast as they do ut pres.
ent.
Born In Old Vermont.
When in 1884 Thomas Davenport. of
brandon, VT, ran toy motor mounted
on wheels OH n small circular railway.
the modern electric railroad with Its
possible speed of over one hundred
miles an hour was born.
In 1888 Robert Davidson, Of Aber.
deem, Scotland, built an electric loco.
motive which actually reached n speed
OF four miles an hour on the Edin.
burgh-Glasgow railway. Nine years
later Professor Moses G.. Farmer on.
Grated m experimental car which ear.
T1ed two passengers ut Dover, New
Hampshire.
Then the United States congress he.
game Interested. BY special grants
Professor Page of Smithsonian insti.
fute was aided in the construction of
several forms of motors. One of them
was used MS locomotive and, driven
by battery of one hundred Grove
elements, was tried April 20, 1851, OIL
p railroad running from Washington
70 Bladenshurg. A speed of nineteen
miles an honr was developed, so great
tnat 1t destroyed the batteries.
Numerous other experiments fol.
lowed, all commercial failures because
fne motors were crude and the source
pr power, primary battery. The dc.
Kelopment of the wonderful modern
dynamo was necessary before electric
railroading could become commercial
silccess. The first great step was In
lStD, when al italian named Pacipot.
III invented Il continuous current dv.
namo. Three years later the frs,
practical commercial machine for con.
tinuous current operation was mn1o
by Gramme.
Still the modern electric car was in;.
possible. The "reverslbiIity of func.
ton had vet to be discovered. ,nyoJ.
wing electrical transmission of energy
Through two machines, one driven bv
l'ower and generating electricity. tho
other reversing the operation. receiv.
ing electricity and developing me.
cnanical power.
Like many other important dlscov.
cries, this is said to have been the ra.
suit of accident. A workman coupled
machine to live circuit by mis-.
take and was greatly astonislled to 500
1T begin to rotate. This reversibilltv
OF function was publicly demonstrated
for the first time at the Vienna exno.
sition in 1873
Not until 1870 was the first electric
railway put In operation, taking the
current from dynamo, using mod.
ern motor and carrying passengers.
TINS novelty was in Operations at the
Berlin exposition and was mile ana
two-tiirds. in length. The train con-
sisted of small locomotive aud three
small cars, capable Of carrying twe.i.
~ people. ltwnched speed OF eight
miles an hour.