The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-22
ENLARGED USE OF ELECTRICITY.


construction here Keokuk will nave
the cheapest power in the country IN /
practically unlimited amount. Natur'
ally this will lead to an enlarged use
LOT electricity locally for variety OF
purposes hardly dreamed OF as yet. !
Every day new and ingenious electrl- I
cal contrivances are being devised,
land these will come into general use
here as soon as the cheap power be-
comes available.
The use of electricity for light and
power is rapidly charging even IN
communities that are without the al
vantage in price that will soon be
ours. Wichita, Kan, is a case IN
point. There the amount of electrical
power consumed has about doubled
1 in the last year. To the city and sur
rounding country the local gas and
electric company furnishes daily In
summer about $4,000 horsepower
hours. In the winter, when more
lights are used and when they are
i turned on earlier, and when more
power is used for all sorts of electri-
cal appliances, about $4,000 horse
power hours are turned out to the city
every day.
/ The reason for the great increase
in the use of electricity is the dis
placing of gasoline and gas engines
by motors in the smaller or even IN
the larger factories which do not
have their own plants, in the increas-
ling use of electric lighting in the
homes, and in the greater number OF
ingenious electrical contriyances.
Last year there were 5000 horse
power in motors in Wichita. This year
there is 5000 horsepower in motors
Most of these motors are in factories.
. 1t has come to the point where for a
small amount of power the motor is
: actually cheaper to run than the gaso-
line engine.
Although the gas engine may be
run cheaper than the motor, the re-
, suit is on the whole not as satisfac-
tory. a majority of the iron foundries,
4 the sash and door companies, the
/ machine shops and small factories of
/ all sorts use electric power exclusive
ly. The packing houses take some
i power. The one broom factory in the
city runs all of its machinery by
: motors.
The use to which electricity is put
!. in the homes shows the greatest per-
I centage of increase of all. Electric
: lighting systems are becoming more
and more popular. Moreover, there is
t an enormous and rapidly increasing
e number of home appliances to be
Il run by electric power sold every year.
Fans are the most numerous and per
haps the most common, business of
fees taking most OF the quota of fans
= and homes the rest.
Besides fans, the number of ap-
% pliances which are beginning to be
n used is surprising. Such things as
vs. electric washing machines, electric
is irons, electric player pianos, electric
OIL vacuum cleaners, electric sewing ma
On chimes and many sorts of electric
rs cooking appliances like chafine
Is dishes, percolators and waffle irons
We are sold in great numbers.
as 1t is estimated that there are abou
u. 5000 electric fans of all sorts ane
~ sizes in Wichita, about $50 washing
IN machines operated by electric powe
ne and about 1000 electric irons.
US Moreover there is a kitchen cabi
srs net just beginning to be used whicl
ro- bids fair to GUST the kitchen servan
In from her job 1t peels potatoes. pit
lor cherries, mixes dough. freezes ic
ma cream and polishes knives, anon
on many other things, by electricity.
300 The use Of electric light alone 70
as both business and home lighting ha
Fl. increased 50 per cent in the last yea
ut Another use of electricity that
are growing in the private home
OF is the use of power for the pr
yate garages where an electric al
ssh tomobile is kept. But a short viii
cry ago the owner of an electric machiI
ect had to take it to public garage
the have it charged. Now the owner ma
'ec- run his machine into his own garas
am connect it to private charging a
ing paratus and go away and forget
ose When the machine is charged, the a
7 it paratus, which is automatic, cuts
cial self off without further attention
the part of the owner.
f The lighting system OF the city
has ready takes up good part of t
ted electricity furnished for electric Zig
ion With the present system there q
be- about 140 arcs in the downtown d
val tricts of the city. With the SYST
ms which the city is going to inst
ana there will be $50 arc lights. They y
a ave be hung on ornamental iron poles,
on - 100 fet apart. two lights to the pole
IN A significant thing is the spread
g of tne use % eieeeii0 iisns anu sspSs
rays ~ power 10 lhe rurai uissrrcls !
nore rounding Wlchlta. Electriclty -