The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-05-23
THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY.

Necessity is the mother of invention,
so it would seem. A Schenectady man,
who is an enthusiast about electric
heating and cooking devices, has dis
covered a new and valuable use for the
small electric water heater. Recently
he was suffering from rheumatism in
one knee and could find no relief until
he hit upon happy scheme; Filling
the electric water heater he placed the
vessel under the afflicted joint and
turned on the current. With wooden
cloths he draped the knee so as to con-
fine the steam. Now the rheumatism
is gone.
The General Electric Company re-
Gently closed a contract with repre-
sentatives from Japan to electrically
equip 81 ,0O0,0 900 paper mill for Toxic.
1t will be the largest paper mill in the
world.
A hundred years from now the Chin
ney will be thing of the past, predicts
Thomas A. Edison. He says that the
cities will be free from steam and
smoke, while the waste of coal and fuel
will be stopped through the use of cleo
tricity generated direct from the fuel
without the aid of engine, boiler and
dynamo. In factories each machine
will have its individual motor. Houses
will be heated by electricity and most
of the city noises will cease. He
prophesies steel and concrete sky
scrapers with bridged streets, wireless
communications of all kinds, and fast
er, safer and better transit from coun-
try to country.
An electrical substitute has been
found for the BARRIERS scissors. The
device consists of comb carrying
along one side of its row of teeth a
platinum wire through which flows an
electric current. As the comb passes
through the locks to be shorn, the heat
ed wire instantaneously sewers the
hairs, leaving them of even length and
sealing the cut ends as in the ordinary
process of smuggling.
1t is estimated that the temperature
of the incandescent filament in an
2,4S9 degrees and 1880 degrees Fahren-
i the melting point of iron, which is
about 1912 degrees Fahrenheit. With
the carbon filaments little thicker the
temperature rises so degrees above the
melting point of iron.
An electrical continuance is now used
in hotels whereby the fact that you are
entering your room is conveyed to the
person having charge of that floor
When the key is inserted, electrical con
nection is made with the office of the
caretaker. Managers can thus keeI
tab on their guests.
In the Chicago Union Station al
trains are announced by telephone
through megaphones. Six megaphones
have been installed in the main waiting
room and the announcer, who is seateC
in the Information bureau, talks in {
telephone and his speech is repeated si1
times simultaneously in the waiting
room.
The electrical industry has developed
many rare metals. The minerals uset
in the manufacture of electrical device
include tungsten, tantalum, vanadium
manganese, uranium, thOrium ant
yitrium. Owing to the high melting
point of these minerals they are special
ly valuable in the manufacture of lamp
: and for hardening tool steel. Texas
noted for its deposits of these rare min
erals.
The largest machine shop in tn
world is located at the Schenectad
plant of the General Electric Company
i. This mammoth building covers nearl
six acres of ground under the one roo
and contains nearly II acres of foo
space. There is room under its ampl
! roof for third mile race track or thre
! three-ring circuses. The building
known as Shop No. Sc and is used e1
clusively for the manufacture of tn
Curtis steam turbine generators TO
, electric power plants.