The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-05-27
Many Inventors Of Note Are.
In Attendance
A Brief Outline OF Wonder.
full Development
In Electricity During The
Past Few Years

thousand delegates, representing cleo
trio light companies, in all parts of
the United States, Canada and Mex
leo, are in attendance at the twenty
fifth annual convention of the Nation
al Electric Light association, which
opened it's session formally today. The
convention will continue through the
week and one of the principal featur-
es will be the celebration of Edison
day, in honor of Thomas A. Edison,
whose genius alone is responsible for
more than two-thirds of the wonder
rul progress of electric lighting dur
ing the last thirty years. In connec-
ton with the convention there is a
great and costly exposition at the Col
iseum hall, which shows in chron-
olegical form the progress made in
electric lighting and in the utilization
of electrical power since the first
electric light plant was established
in Appleton, Wis, in 1882.
During the Seventies Edison be-
gan to experiment with the problem
of lighting by incadescent lamps and
his work was the first discussed in
the newspapers in 1878. The en-
thusiastio reports of the newspapers,
which predicted great future for Ed
ison's system, caused an extraordi-
nary decline in the price of gas shar-
es. Edison made the first demonstra-
tion of his paper carbon lamp year
later at Menlo Park, but not until the
summer of 1880 did these experiment.
al lamps come into practical use out
side of his laboratory.
Now, according to the statement
of Frank w. Frueauf of New York,
Light Association, there are about
5000 central electric lighting stations
In the United States alone. More
than one-half of these companies are
also engaged in the electrical supply
business. The central station compan-
les of the country have an invest
ment of $L25O.OO0,OO0. They have a
gross income of more than $250,000, 900
year and develop nearly 100000
horsepower.
In 1879 the first miniature electric
railway carrying passengers was put
in operation by Simens and Halske
at the Berlin Exposition. 1t was
merely an exhibition plant and not
until two years later was a CONNER
cal road put in operation in Europe,
a mile-and-a-half affair just outside
OF Berlin.
At present there is track mileage
of electric city and interurban rail-
ways of 40,427 miles, in the United
States. using s2,2l6 cars, and repre-
senting capital liabilities of s4,557,-
100000.
Equally marvellous was the develop
ment of the telephone industry. 1t
was at the Centennial Exposition of
1876 when Alexander Graham Bell
exhibited his first telephone Today
there are more than 5,5O0,00O tele-
phones in use in the United States
and the amount invested in exchang as
and lines amounts to more than $780,
100000 The investment is steadily
growing at n rapid rate.
The first storage battery, French
invention, was built in 1881, and was
exhibited at the Paris Exposition. II
was many years after that time when
the invention was put to practical use
In 1888 Tesla contributed materially
to the development of the electric
power industry by his valuable in
yentions and discoveries in relation
to alternating currents. Not unit
then was it made possible to make
practical use of the transmission Of
electrical power,
The electrical power tranmissior
plant was established in 1890 In {
small town In the Colorado mountains
where the plant furnished power fol
a mine Since then the most marvel
Gus progress has been made and pow
eT transmission is one of the most i'm
portant features of electrical industry
The discovery of the Xrays by
Roentgen in 1895 was at first only o
scientific interest, but has developed
in great measure and has made tn,
X-rays valuable assistant in moderl