The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-27
EARLY klscrsle looonorlvs



1t Is generally supposed that tire
electric locomotive is Of receat inveaE
tson. Comparatively young men can
remember tha hrst electric cars which
were operated for public use, and it
Will surprise many to learn that the
invention which has led up to the
splendid developments OF today 10
three'quarters of century old.
There lived in Brandon, VT, in, the
year 1884, blacksmith of the name
OF Thomas Davenport, He was not
only good smith, but a man Of ad,
vancedthought, and possessed of a re-
markable genius for experimenting on
various lines; and In this year he con.
structed a model electric motor car
which ran upon a few feet of circu-
lar track and was actuated by a gaI.
!yanic battery.
! This was the first electric locomo-
tive ever built. At that time steven,
sons first steam locomotive had been
in operation only about ten years
This model was exhibited at Sprinsc
field. Mass, and later at Boston. and
its priority Is unquestioned a.
There was vast difference in the
conditions under which these two trac.
tors--one of steam and the other of
electric--were born, difference
which delayed the development Of the
electric locomotive for half a century
and gave the steam locomotive a start
toward magnificent development
which has only Just been overtaken
by its rival
When Stevenson built his engine his
power (steam) was readily available.
It's capacities were understoond aud
It's production Was comparatively
easy His locomotive was Invented
when the power was ripe for IT, Dar
venport, on the other hand, was far
ahead of his time and died without no
tice or reward, His, memory has been 2
unhonored up to this day, but the ds-
velopment Of his idea made seventy
fye miles au hour two weeks ago.
His locomotive was invented when, his
power electricity was little under
stood and was obtainable only from
a few small battery cells, useful sole.
ly for laboratory experiments No
method of obtaining electrical energy,
force, or power from any source but
these batteries was thought of until
thirty years later '.,-
In 1861 an Italian named PaeiRotti,
invented the dynamo-ths machine
which. connected to q steam engine
or other power producer, generates
an electric current without the use of
batteries, the machine which has
made possible electric lighting, cleo
trict traction and electric power for
all mechanical purposes.
When the dynamo was first intro
duced only onerhalf Of its capabilities
were understood The inventor had
produced machine more powerful
and more magical than he himself sus-
pected 1t 1t was known that IL conld
be installed in an engine room and It's
current used for electric lighting; but
the fact that its current could be car,
ried over wires and used to operate
cars miles away was not known or
acted upon for nearly twenty years,
The minds Of men during this period
were engrossed in the perfection of
the dynamo and the problems OF arc =
and tncandescent. lighting and the ]
railway motor was utterly neglected.
In 1879 Messrs. Siemens and Halske
of Germany built at the Berlin Exhi-
bition an electric railway about ons-
third of mile in length with q To-
connective drawing three cars carrying
twenty people. This was the first
practical motor ever shown. 1t was .
followed the next year by another
from the same works, which was put
In operation at the Zankerode mines
This was the first electric locomotive
In the history Of the world TO earn its
own living" Still. a year later, ths
same tirm equipped railroad from
Berlin to Lichtenfelde. a distance apof
one and a half miles This taaa the
first electric railway for public sers,.
vice and II was an operative finsn,
cial success from the start 'rn'szs =,
And, then the world awoke to ths
possibilities OF the new system ar a,,
Very few engineers are bold enough
to say that they know the limitations r
of the electric current; very many aa- +,
nit their own limitations as to the
control Of the giant. The question
as TO its availability for locomotive
power is settled No steam locomotive
has ever been built to develop three
thousand horsepower The questions
Of conducting the current over long
distance trunk lines and the economy
Of operation are yet to be settled. ..,,