Evening star., 1926-10-31
ELECTRIC HEATING SEEN AS BIG
USE FOR POWER IN THE FUTURE
{. M. Herr, Westinghouse
Co., Foresees Electrification
OF Country's Railroads.
Force, He Says, Is Altering
Mems Lives Rapidly, Rid
ding World of Drudgery.
BY NJ. S. RUKEYSER.


| swiftness that the layman can hardly
grasp.
| This strange, invisible force is ever
! finding new fields to conquer-new
| tasks of drudgery in which it can
| substitute for human beings.
I Since Benjamin Franklin with his
| kite is reported to have romantically
discovered the first principles of cleo
| tricity ia years ago, the art has
emerged from the era of chance and
accident. It's progress is now con-
sciousy planned and is a result of
wedding the inventive genius OF scien-
tif1c men with the selling enthusiasm
OF business leaders.
Edwin Musser Herr, president of
the Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring Co.. whose chief recreation
| is his work, is one of the outstanding
men of the electrical industry. The
company which he heads is one of the
largest manufacturers of electrical
products in the world.
Herr Is an Engineer.
Mr. Herr combines in a single per,
sonality the qualities of execution
leadership with the technical know
ledge and background Of an engineer.
Mr.. Hers greatest interest in life is
electricity 1t fascinates him. His
work is therefore an expression of
his consuming passion, not mere
vehicle for making money.
And vet he Is a student Of human
nature; he does not drive men under
him, but is content with normal out
put He believes that great cor.
poration is little more than we'll
organized group of human beings;
that If the personnel is properly or
ganized, the business can go on
through the years. even If buildings
and other physical assets are tenn
poiarily destroyed.
The electrical industry is forever
challenging things as they are-mak
ing war on competing ways of per-
forming work and supplying power.
1t neither asks nor gives quarter in
It's struggle to displace coal, oil, and
gas as heat producers.
asked Mr.. Herr to discuss some
Of the new avenues Of development
which the electrical industry has visu-
allied for itself I asked him particu-
larly about the newer developments
in the Identification of railroads. The
Westinghouse Co., recently completed
the electrificatio ton of sections of the
Virginian Railroad, and early In Oc
tober obtained an order from the
driven coaches and electric passenger
locomotives. which will be used on
the division between Philadelphia and
Wilmington, Del, which is now being
electrified.
General Electrification Seen.
General electrification Of all parts
of all the railroads is perhaps far in
the distance said Mr.. Herr, but
electrif1cation of particular sections of
| railroads. which special circumstances
warrant, will be quickened by the
present rebirth of railroad prosperity.
We have drawn up and presented
numerous plans for the electrif1ca ton
Of different railroads in recent years,
and in many cases they have lain
dormant up to the present on account.
Of inability of the railroads to finance
such projects. In my opinion, q. the
marked improvement of railroad earn
ing power will so enhance their credit
as to make such electri1cation feas-
ible."
I asked Mr.. Herr to describe the
special conditions which favored cleo
trification.
He said that electrifcation was espe.
cially desirable In the mountains.
where there are steep grades and
more than the usual amount of power
|
gested places, particularly near termi-
nails, where extra capacity is needed
and where it is either impracticable
or otherwise undesirable to lay extra
tracks.
I asked whether the country could
eventually look forward to universal
electrification Of the railroads.
Present experiments on the Diesel
engine" said Mr.. Herr, may radically
change this whole problem of electri
fication and bring about revolution
in transportation methods. The Die
sci engine makes It possible to use
overhead wires or third rail- In the
Diesel engine the locomotive gen
crates its own power through the
use Of oil instead Of coal. We have
already made light-type Diesel en-
gines which have given satisfactory
performance and are now seeking to
apply the same scientific principles to
heavier engines"
Industrial Heating Big Factor.
What new idea" I queried, 'is
likely most to increase the demand
for electricity"
industrial heating, in my opinion"
replied Mr.. Herr, in his studious, care
ful way. 'is going to be the next big
cause for expansion. Electricity al
ready supplies motive power in fac
| tories. but oil. gas and coal supply
| most Of the heat. I think electricity
can do the Job better. The problem
| is to make the use of electricity more
economical. In our own plants we
actually find It cheaper to use elec-
| tricity for annealing plates than other
sources Of heat. because electricity is
clean and it Is unnecessary to use pro-
| tective material to prevent civilization
and other impairment, thus reducing
| the net cost.
Just as electricity has during re-
! cent years been replacing human
labor in the home. II will continue
more and more to relieve drudgery in
the factories. Household refrigern-
ton. incidentally, opens up a large
new field for expansion"
| Our conversation next turned to
the Westinghouse Company itself
Current business is running at
least as we'll as in the corresponding
I period last year, and last year was a
| big year for U.S." said Mr.. Herr In
net earnings for 1926 as a whole. We
shall probably do little better than
. In 1925. As for 1927, the prospects
| are good for the early part of the
year and It does not seem practicable
to look beyond that"
Herr Started Early.
Mr.. Herr is tall and dark His
black noustache and hair are tinged
with iron gray. He wears large
glasses and in appearance suggests a
scholar. He was born 90 years ago
! in Lancaster. Pa.
Before he finished the elementary
/ school, Mr.. Herrs parents moved to
| Denver. where he continued his stud
les. Before finishing high school.
however. he was compelled to 60 to
work. After serving as a messenger
boy with the Western Union Tele-
graph 60. at odd times, he was able
TO get a place as telegraph operator
when only IS years old. He later