' * - L'"V " - . . . . . . . . . . . . : - - - * . * - , . . . . .ly . .vrwr. . E n-n . . . . --.M . , . . . . . . .r. . . . . . . . . . . p .
*
' ' ' *
' ' * * * ' " *
" ' . * ' '
' * * ' * * ' " * * %
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SUNDAY MAI 15. 1887.--TWBIiVfi PAGES , : - , > , ,
'
; IN THE ELECTRIC FIELD ,
Remarkable Development of Electric Light
ing Plants.
THE TELEGRAPH N INDIA.
Electricity an a Motive 1'owcr Type
writer TclnjrraphH Electric l-'lro
AlarniH In llotolti
Mr. E. 1 * . Test on niectrlolty.
Tne following interesting paper by Mr.
E. F. 'lest , was read before the Literary
and Scientific club , Wednesday evening ,
May 11 :
Among the wonders of nature , ricctrlc-
Ity is the most majestic. It Is every
where and the range of Its possibilities is
boundless. It pierces the sky with a
Hash and the air responds with terrific
reverberations.
It catches the earth and the surface
rocks and rolls like the wave of the sea.
As the Indian truly says , "it is tlio
voice of the Great Spirit. " Not only is
it His voice , but it is one of the elements
of His power. Its presence is seen and
felt in the rolling worlds , a chip and tlio
inmost delicate llower. It is indestruct
ible ; hence eternal and it can carry the
human voice , i thousand miJus. It is not
only in the seat of life , but a part of it.
It moves our bodies , as the servant of our
Will.
it moves the universe , and drives tlio
whirlwind , tlie cyclone , and the hurri
cane in its wrath. It rides upon the
Btorm in a\\fu ! majesty. It's strength is
great enough to wreek-a world.
As to its possibilities , U ilt'ord snys in
his "Problem of Human Life : "
" \Vohoarthoinnsicofapiano by our
Ride , and hear delightful strains , but on
turning to look for the cause of such ex
quisite harmony , behold no musician is
visible , I ho keys move in correspond
ence to the ringing notes , and the ham
mers rise and fall , hitting the strin-'s in
response to these movements ot tlie
keys. "
"Wo know there must bo a musician
somewhere If there is music. Dut where
is he ? His invisibility can have no
weight as against his existence , so long
as the music is heard , and the keys arc
Been to move. "
"We seek to unravel the mystery , and
on searching , wo discover passing up one
of the legs of tlio piano what appears to
be a small rope , within which , upon
closer inspection , we find a largo num
ber of small copper wires. On raising
the key board we observe the under sur
face is lined with a thin plate of soft iron ,
and beneath each key , we discover an
electro-magnet ; its wires connected witli
suitable copper threads in the insulated
chord. "
Dut where is the player He must bo
somewhere , possibly in an adjoining
room. Oris it some llittingghosttouch-
ing the instrument witli an invisible
hand ? "
"On lifting its lid wo discover a tele
phone , and observing its cop-jor threads
pass down the same insulated chord
that conveys the Wires to the magnets ,
we take the hint and venture the usual
call. I'hc answer comes from Philadel
phia. "
"There sijs the musician playing upon
his grand piano , every key of which is
connected with these of the piano by our
side. "
"Dut what is more wonderful still , the
artist with a receiving telephone at his
car becomes a combined dual musician
and listener- every note is not only re
produced upon tlie distant piano , but is
actually returned to himself in Philadel
phia , and repeated in harmony with his
own , and with compound delight. "
Is this fanciful f Lai us go back a cen
tury , and see the rapid strides science
has made in this respect :
A well-known writer said :
"About the year 1750 a nnrnh.int of
Cloves , named Jorisson , who Had become
almost totally deaf , sitting ono day near
n harpsichord while some one was play
ing , and having a tobacco pipe in Ids
mouth , the bowl of which rested acci
dentally against the body of the instru
ment , ho was agreeably and unexpected
ly surprised to hoar all tho"notes in the
most distinct manner. " '
"Jiy a little reflection and practice , he
acain obtained the use of this valuable
Eense : for ho soon learned by means of a
piece of hard wood , ono end of which
he placed against Ins teeth , to keep up a
Conversation , and to be able to understand -
stand a whisper. "
Hero wo have the principles of tlio
telephone , that is , convoying sound by
means of a hard substance.
Two years later'(1702) ( ) Franklin made
his discovery , and brought the lightning
( rom the clouds. Wo are familiar with
the itory of the kite. It is said , observ
ing an approaching thunder-storm ho
went out on the commons with his son ,
Rotting under a shed to avoid the ram.
Dreading ridicule , ( doubtless some wise
men of that day wondered what ho was
doing in the rain ) he made a confidant
only of his son. Thu cloud passed , but
no sign of electricity appeared. Des
pairing , ho suddenly observed the loose
fibres of the string to move towards an
erect position. Presenting his knuckles
to the key , he received a spark. His the
ory became a fact and European scien
tists hastened to crown the provincial
doctor witli a wreath of fame.
Such was the beginning of ono of tlio
greatest conveniences wo now enjoy.
The recent visit of General Wallace re
minds mo of an incident of his father.
Some years ago the committee of ways
and means of the American congress
was In session. They were considering
the Morse telegraph bill. With the dig
nity usual to our statesmen when
handling an unfamiliar question , tlio
members voted lirst on ono side and
then on the other , until the letter "W"
was reached. Then Governor Wallace
of Indiana rose aud asked leave to con
sider his vote. Taking his hat , ho went
into the hall and asked a question of tlie
"cra/.y man at the other end of the cap-
Itol. " The answer came. Again ho
naked , and again tlio answer came. Ex
cusing him elf from tliu laughing crowd.
ho returned to the committee room and
cast the deciding vote in favor of the
bill. The committee reported the bill to
the house. It passed congress in the
last hours of the session. The work waa
finished , and Morse , in the hour of tri
umph , exclaimed "What hath God
wrought ? " Dut Governor Wallace , left
to the mercy of his loving constituents ,
Wits defeated for re-election because lit
.hud voted "to throw away thu people's
money on a foolish thing. "
Doth lived to a good old ago , ono , to
receive the most distinguished honors ol
the nation , tlie other with tlio sweet as-
tmrtuico that ho had been the chosen In
strument to make successful the most
potent clvilizor of the age.
Thus from the discovery of tlio deaf
merchant of Cloves came the audiphonu
and similar contrivances to relieve thu
unfortunate , and through the genius ol
Gray , Delle and Edison , the telephone ,
while that of tlio printer of Phllauelphiu
led to the electric telegraph and Hi
astonishing results. Following the
spirit of the ago we see Creighton plung
ing into the wilderness , and meeting the
land from ocean to ocean with the mystic
wire , and Field laying the cable on the
bottom of the sea. What are thn deed.1
of a Ciusar compared with the achieve
mqnts of these two men ! Ono reared ti
fabric that fettered the nations aud enslaved
slaved and brntali/od its own people. II
wag crushed by Ignorance and slavery.
> rom thn work of Creighton the sav
Rjfo tied , while Field has bound the ig <
HWHUCC of the world , and the nation !
arc destined to become ono universal
land of brothers.
Nor can wo lot this opportunity pass
without calling to mind the eventful day
in May , 180'J ' when thu Atlantic and
Pacific wore united with bands of Iron ,
when the cannon on Capitol Hill saluted
ihe conquest of pence as each stroke of
the hammer fell upon the last splko
more than a thousand mles ) a\yay. How
little we realized tyhgp f ( ? ) heard the
booming guns that they wore the ushers
of a boom of a mighty city whose future
will bo second to none in tffls vast republic -
public ! Nor should it be forgotten , tea
a citizen of Omaha , Kdwartt Kosewater
was reserved the high privilege of Hash
ing over the electric wire the language
of tliu grandest Instrument of modern
times , the emancipation proclamation ,
penned bv the most precious hand that
ever mouldered in the tomb.
These are a few of its territorial con
quests. Let us look into the domain of
nature and behold it there , and , by elec
tricity 1 mean it in its broadest suiiho and
all its attributes.
In Hie heavens we sec the fail of a
( Treat comet traveling at the rato'of mil
lions of miles an hour. Whence comes
this ama/.ing velocity ? In the spring
and fall the sko is luminous with a beau
tiful cone the /.oiliacal lights and tliu
aurora borealis spreads its roseate lines
at various seasons of the year. Does it
occur to any one that these phenomena
have tlin same governor to rule them ?
Such is the fact the spectrum reveals in
each of the electric line of lights.
Auain , the sun , moon and stars are
moving in the places appointed by their
creator. Each is connected by a law of
magnetic attraction ; call it gravity , if
you will , upon which its creation rests-
each acting upon thu other as it rolls
through space. In circling around the
sun the eartii is circled by the moon.
Hoth are electro-magnets. At a given
point the moon passes between the earth
and another world. The magnetic con
nection between us and that world is in
terrupted , and disturbances of the at
mosphere ensue. Rolling alongthe moon
breaks this connection between us and
still another world , and the
shock en uses the earthquake , sinking of
mountains and islands and destroying
thousands of the human race. Sometimes
the sun and moon pass each other on the
ecliptic , eclipsing the sun in its passage ,
when the combined electric force of two
bodies thrills the earth , shaking its
crust , and repeating the horrors of Lis
bon and Charleston. So far as my ob
servation lias extended. I find that all
great earthquakes and volcanic erup
tions are caused by the movements of
the heavenly bodies and their relative
positions with thu earth. It is tlio same
with thu disturbances in the atmosphere
the electric forces being weak or
strong according .to the circumstances.
Sometimes these disturbances come in
the tornado , charged to the brim witli
electricity , or in the hurricane , and the
cyclone , where thousands who go down
to tlio sea in ships are lost forever.
Again they conic in the rain drop or
snow Hake , or in the magnetic storm ,
which lowers the temperature almost in
a moment.
Once in a while the beautiful planet
Venus , now seen in the western sky ,
comes between the eartii and the sun ,
keeping the eartii company for months
and weeks. Then we have summer * of
extreme hunt.while the passage lusts , be
cause wo receive the borrowed heat of
Venus in addition to our own supply from
the sun. Such is also thu case concern
ing the moon to a more limited degree.
Again the eartii will pass between tliu
great planet Jupiter , ( now seen in tlio
southeast in the early evening ) and the
sun , and again thu season will be warm
near the time of thu passage , because
wo not only receive our own heat from
the sun , but we pass through the addi
tional magnetic force put forth by the
sun to hold the planet in his orbit. My
observations in this have also led mo to
believe this force is exerted by the sun in
a curve , because thb clays preceding the
opposition of a superior planet are al
ways warm , while the day is apt to be
cool or windy. These arc also the phe
nomena attending the opposition of the
planet Saturn , in the early winter
months. At other times the earth is on
one side of the sun , and the planets
on the other. Like great magnets ,
as they are , they draw the sun's heat
away from the earth , and ihu seasons
are cool. When these planets and the
eartii arc on the same side of the sun Ihe
seasons are unusually warm. This is
the principle pu which astro-meti'orolo-
gists base their forecasts of the weather
and the seasons. It is the basis on which
Joseph predicted the good and the bad
years in Egypt , while Moses from his
knowledge of thu magnetic influence of
these bodies , speaks of the precious fruits
put forth by the sun , and the precious
things put forth on the eartii b'y the moon.
In our own day , it is the secret of success
among so many of our florists and farm
ers. They plant and prune by the signs
of the zodiac , and tlio position of the
moon.
There can bo no question as to electri
city being the motive povyer of thu uni
verse. Hy what process it works 1 do not
know , though others claim such knowl
edge. 1 can see no other reason for the
velocity of the heavenly bodies , unless
backed by this powerful agent. Heat
and light are too slow. Hcsules , they are
not universal , but direct in their applica
tion. It light was universal , there would
be no slmlow nor darkness. If heat was
universal , there would be no glaciers nor
bitter cold.
Its velocity has never been measured.
Some claim this , but the claim is non
sense. As an illustration of its speed , in
1857 or ' 58 , Prof. Carnngton saw a
very bright spot on the sun. At the
same instant the magnetic needles on the
earth were violently agitated. Magnetic ;
storms prevailed during the day , and at
night the aurora borealis overspread the
heavens. Here then , we have an instance
of its velocity. It traveled CrJ.O'JO.OOO . .
miles in an instant.
One scientists says it travels 250,000
miles in thu sixteenth of a second ;
another 200,0X10 miles in a second , and
still another 4,000,01)0 ) miles in a second.
This is equal to 210,000.000 miles , or ! ) ,0'JO '
times around the eartii in ono niinutu.
Accepting -1,000,000 ai a basisin , ono hour
it can travel a distance six times greater
than tlio planet Neptune , twenty times
faster than lignt , reaching thu enormous
total of 315 billionGOO million ( IMJ.OUO.OOO )
miles in twenty-four hours. If this is not
enough to demonstrate its atna/.ing
power , an old writer savs the Star of
Hethlohom , expected in 18U1 or ISUJ.must
be traveling at the rate of 40:2,000,000 :
miles a minute. Whether this star is a
myth or not , I do not know , but an emi
nent French astronomer claims to have
located it in thu point about ] where it is
expected to reappear.
If wo admit this to bo true , ono can
understand the rapid ( light of an angel
from God's distant throne , and , if the
voice can bo carried by an electric cur
rent , how the prayer of a humau soul can
be instantly heard in heaven.
Electricity seems connected witli our
lives and spirits. Who can doubt tlio
first. Let us see how it is with the other.
Two operators are talking over -the wire.
It convoys intelligent answers and re
plies. Wo know the source ! of < the intel
ligence and how it Is contfoyett. A num
ber of persons with lockM-wjiands sit
around tlio table. The table moVes ask
a question and an intelligent : answer is
given. We know tlio table is electrified
or magnetized , but what is the intelli
gence controlling it. \ \ o see a man
walking thu streets , every muscle moving
in obedience to his will.Yhntis Mio in
telligence that moves Ida body ?
When thn man lives we know lie is
magnetic. Hu has life. When ho died
magnetism and life go out of him. Are
they inseparable ? If then magnetism
or electricity are indestructible , hence
eternal , then wu arc immortal , because
electricity is eur servants to do our will.
Therefore It is logical to conclude the
servant cannot bo greater than his mas-
tcr , that is , tlio creator would not leave
us , the superior to perish , while the ser
vants livu forever.
Electricity is luminous , so is the till of
a comet , the aurora borealis and tlio
zodiacal light ; so Is an angel and per
force the spirit of a tuuu. Thu dying
have testified time and again to the pre
sence of bright beings around them and
others watching at. the bedside have
claimed to see a luminous something leav-
the body at tiic moment of death.
As clectricltv is luminous , has It any
connection with the spirit ? When leav
ing thu body docs tliu spirit assume a
a shape or fotm ? We judge so bv " thu
llirhtning when it strikes the earth.
Now , as electricity and life are tangi
ble fcitbstiincett. wo can perceive when
they become visible to mortal eyes they
are luminous ; hence thu reason for the
brightness of thu angels of whom wo
have read.
Taking this view of the connection be
tween electricity and the spirit , for thu
holier tlio spirit , the greater its magnet
ism , we can account for tlio raising of
the son of the widow of Namtlio daugh
ter of Jairus , and of La/.urus. In each
was the exercise of the divine magnetic
power and will , calling the disembodied
spirits back to their mortal bodies.
If wu take into consideration thu velocity
of electricity we can account for the res
urrection of tlio last day on seientllic
principles. Matter is never destroyed ,
although subject to change , tlio particles
remain. Let this agent loose under the
control of the Almighty , and in an in
stant by its magnetic power every parti
cle of our bodies will be drawn into its
proper place , having undergone the
chemical changes nooossarv to make
them immortal. The living"on the last
day will go through the same change , by
tlio same process , under the divine com
mand. That it will be electric there
seems to bo no doubt , In this we have
the pi oof of the change in the body of
Elijah , who disappeared in an electric
manifestation ; thutransliguration when a
bright cloud overshadowed them , and
the ascension , when a cloud received him
out of their sight. As no llesh'and blood
can enter heaven , the bodies of Elijah
and our Savior must havu ehruged in tlio
whirlwind and the cloud.
If electricity is an element of spirit and
spirit is life , then tlio creator is iho
source of life from whence it emanates.
As it parades the universe it explains thu
omnipresence of God. Even the pagans
admitted the electric attributes of the
doitv when they pictured Jove holding
the lightning in his hand.
The scriptures teem with these mani
festations of the Almighty and Ids min
isters , for they say Goit reasoned with
Job from out of thu whirlwind , showed
Elijah his power in the earthquake and
the mighty wind ; led the Israelites with
tlio cloud by day and thu pillar of lire by
night , manifested himselt in the thick
cloud at thu dedication of thu temple ,
and spoke the moral law from Sinai in
thuntlerings , lightnings , flame and
smoke.
Thu light of the angel shone in the
prison of Peter , and the plains of Hothlc-
hem were illumined by the presence of
thu celestial visitors. At the tomb of
Christ , after the darkness and the earth
quake at thn crucifixion , the angel sat ,
amid the quakings of the earth , with his
countenance like the lightning , and his
raiment whitu as snow. On thu day of
Pentecost came thu rushing , mighty
wind with the cloven tongues of
fire , resting on each of tlie disciples.
Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises
to Goil , and thu prison was shaken and
the doors thrown open by a great earth
quake.
These are but few of the cases oft ho
kind. The prophets teem with predic
tions of future electric manifestations on
the earth , and our Savior foretells how
this world is to be destroyed through the
agency of electricity.
'Finally revelation says : "And there
were voices anil thunderings and light
nings ; and there was a great earth
quake. " * * * *
"And every island fled away , and the
mountains were not found.
"Heliold : i throne was sot in heaven ,
and onu sat on thu throne. "
"And out of the throne proceeded
lightnings , and thunderingsand voices. "
Can anything than this be more ma
jestic , showing , as it does , that , not only
has electricity the strength to ruin : i
world , but it is the powerful agent of the
Almighty , proceeding directly from the
throne of ills Omnipotence.
Typewriter Telegraphs.
Mr. J. F. McLaughliu , of Philadelphia ,
wliosu ingenious electro-pneumatic tube
system wo described and illustrated re
cently , lias now brought to a notable de
gree of perfection a system for using the
typewriter directly for telegraph pur
poses. When thu typewriter is not in
use on the circuit it can be switched out
and put to ordinary olllcc work. Anyone
able to operate the typewriter can tele
graph , it is said , by this system.
Klcctrlu Firo-AlurniH in Hotels.
Electric World : Thu hotel papers are
calling attention to thu desirability of ; - .
moru general adoption of electric fire-
alarms in hotels. The recent experience
at Hulfalo , when an alarm by its timely
warning helped to save a great many
persons , ought to bo enough to convince
anyone that some such apparatus is a
necessary adjunct of every well con
ducted hotel , and wo trust there will bo
a general adoption of apparatus of this
character.
Electricity Applied to Agriculture.
Electric World : The Marquis of Salis
bury's country seat at Hattiold , Eng. ,
continues to be a livu example ot what
can be done to aid the agriculturist in his
work when a convenient source of power
is at hand , such as is a Herded by elec
tricity. Tliu threshing engine formerly
employed has been replaced by an elec
tric motor , and recently an electric ele
vator , employed in raising newly-cut hay
or corn sheaves to the top of the stack ,
has been introduced with marked success.
Dispensing with thu usual horse or steam
engine labor required for the machine ,
thn elevator is supplied with an electric
motor , fixed upon its bed , and driven by
a current brought by v. ires from a cen
tral source. The wires are easily trans
portable , so that thu elevator can betaken
taken from stack to stack in a very short
time. Thu greatest radius over which
thu electric elevator has been used at Hat-
field is half a mile , being all that is there
required. The principle is evidently ap
plicable to a far greater range of distri
bution ami we shall sco thu time when
our largo western farms will bo worked
more or less with the aid of electric
power. Whom a fall of water is avail
able this is particularly easy of accom
plishment , but oven the installation of a
steam power plant to drive the dynamos
will in many cases bo below the initial
cost of horses and their maintenance , or
that of a largo nuraborof individual port
able steam engines such as are now
largely in use.
Compared With Europe.
Electrical World : As compared with
Europe , this country has shown a re
markable development of isolated elec
tric lighting plants. The dill'crenco between -
tween the two has of ten called forth com
ment , anb a farorito explanation has
been the lack of enterprise on the part
of Europeans. This opinion is not , how
ever , well founded. Tlio well-known
conservatism of the average citi/.on of
Europe mav account for thu existing
state of atVitirn in a measure , but there
are other causes effecting the industry
very directly. Chief among these , for
example , is the fact that in Europe the
rules and regulations regarding the
placing of steam boilers are excessively
stringent. We are accustomed to. place
ONLY ONE MAN IN OMAHA
Who has any connection with the American Wall Paper Manufacturers Association
and hence he possesses facilities forjbuying
WALL PAPER
Over all others , and now he proposes to give you the benefit of this advantage , We
open for sale on Monday a large invoice of goods just received , comprising numer
ous patterns for parlors , dining rooms , and halls , for
TEN CENTS PER ROLL.
Hundreds of New Designs from I2c to 15c Per Roll.
A large assortment Rich , and Artistic in Designs , suitable
for fine residences at 25c to 35c Per Roll.
We invite special attention to the wonderful decorative material callled
Unexceptionally beautiful and artistic in design and finish. A descriptive cata
logue of this material FREE ;
1508 Douglas-st. , Between 15th.
and 16th , North Side ,
boilers in cellars , under sidewalks , or
wherever it is found most convenient ,
but -uoli a proceeding would not for a
moment be countenanced in most Euro
pean countries. In some of the latter ,
nothing more than a two-inch plank is
allowed to bo placed over a steam boiler.
There seems to bo a strange idea in the
old world that a boiler on exploding
rises in the air and falls
exactly in the same spot , and
that if there is anything in the way to
prevent this intelligent action on tne
part of the bursting boiler , much damage
may be done. In consequence of this
'Superstition. " boilers innsfbe placed in
separate buildings , and thus valuable
space is required for steam plants. Hence
it is that tlio gas engine has come into
extensive use abroad in eonucctiou witli
isolated plants. In proof of the dillieulty
encountered in the installation of a boiler
in connection with electric lighting , we
were recently informed by a foreign gen
tleman that it took two years of hard
work to obtain permission to erect the
necess'iry power plant in a certain place.
Under such conditions , evidently , elec
tric lighting must languish. Of this
trouble in an extreme form , example
was given latcj.y with the Gordon instal
lation at Paddington , which , according
to American notions , is well placed , but
which , according to tlio average Kuro-
pcan idea , is an improvement not to bo
endured. America is certainly to be
preferred. "
Klcotrlcity ana Alottrn 1'owcr.
Springfield Republican : While railroading
reading by steam and horse-power ab
sorbs so large a share of ( public atten
tion , the public must not fail to notice
tlie rapid development which is taking
place in the application of ) electricity as
a motive power. Wcstfield , our enter
prising neighbor , is subscribing $20,000
to introduce the Daft electric light motor
syotqin upon a car route of two miles.
( hicopee is considering the use of elec
tricity for tlio same pnriKiso. T. C. Mar
tin , in the Railroad ( ia/.otto catalogues a
large number of places where cars for
city service are already operated by elec
tricity. A car fitted to tin electric motor
costs'about double the price of an ordin
ary horse car , but the horses , reckoned
at from six to twelve per car , make the
first cost about the same. Tlio Daft
company , of New York , which now op
erates either by overhead wire or by third
rail , is operating a road for the third
year at Haltimore : it has one at Los An
geles , Cal. , that carried 15,000 passengers
in February , and one a Orange ,
N. J. Daft roads are under
contract at Pittsburgh , Mans-
Held , Ohio , and Ith-.ea. N. Y. ; the Van
Donoolo company of Chicago has roads
at Detroit and Port Huron. Mich. , Windsor
ser , Out. , Appleton , Wis. , Scranton ,
Pa. , and Montgomery , Ala , and has eon-
tracts for Lima , Ohio , and Hlnghainpton ,
N. Y. Other electric companies have
lines at Denver , Detroit , Kansas City ,
Philadelphia , anii other cities. Throe
systems are on trial or about to bo tried
at New York , tlio Daft , the Hentley-
Knight conduit system , and the Julian
electric system as tried on the Eighth
avenue elevated. The Haltimore exper
ience has been the most extensive , and
according to Mr. Martin , tlio eost per
day per car Is sfl , against $0.50 for
horses. Mo electric motor has boon ap
plied on a scale equivalent to performing
the present horse-ear borvieo for this
city. Hut so many experimental efforts
are now being tried that within live
years \yo shall probably see great ad
vance in the use of electricity as a motor.
Worcester , Newton , and Hroukline have
electric lines projected. As > to the meth
ods used , Mr. Martin says :
With electricity there is a remarkable
flexibility of application r.ud range of
choice to method. The car can carry its
own power in storage batteries : the cur
rent conductors may be placed on any
existing track , or tlio car maydupond for
current upon an overhead wire with
contact trollery or bush , and all of these
can bo used together , if necessary , on
ono road. I have been on street railways
whore each of these plans is exemplified ,
and have found all prar.ticablo and oper
ative. The motor can bo put anywhere ,
even on the roof , and can be geared up
in a dozen different ways. The average
recovery of power is easily 00 to ( W per
cent. , and in every case the current re
quired is exactly proportionate , at the
minute , to the work being done. The
cost of the clcctrio conductors is more
than offset by the wear and tear of a
horso-.traek. The central station electric
plant will , in many cases , be more than
paid for by tlin economy m real estate ,
and it can be put anywhere alone the
line or near it. It can also , as it does
now , supply electric light and power for
general purposes.
The Telegraph In India.
Electrical World : We have received a
copy of the Indian Telegraph Guide , for
April , 1880. It is a remarkable evidence
of the extent of the growth of the tele
graph in the far east. It is a bulky little
book 8x5t } inches , and contains no fewer
than liiS pages of mice , instructions ,
forms , list of oflicca , rates , etc. The
Guide is at once interesting and sugges
tive , and is full of details such as can
only belong to a service under the con
ditions prevailing in India. Thus , for
instance , a list is given of public ollicurs
who on occasions of great importance
bayo the power to "clour the line , " or ,
in other words , suspend the receipt and
dispatch of all other messages until their
o vn telegraph business is transacted. A
list of olllces opened and closed at certain
times mentions some which are closed
"during the rainy season. " Another list
of ollicers open at special times "to the
lonal requirements" includes a great
many open , say , from ( i a. in. to 8 a. m.
and then from noon till 0 p. m. or from
from 2 to 0 p. m. The system is evi
dently well worked out , and its cllicicncy
no doubt contributes largely to the se
curity of the Indian government as well
as the comfort of the queen's Indian sub
jects. In a private letter to ono of the
editors of the Electrical World. Mr. P. V.
Luke , superintendent of telegraphs , writ
ing from Calcutta , gives an account of
the extent of tlie work doneWe quote
the following passage : "On the 21st of
March , 188 ( ! , wo had 27,500 miles of tele
graph line , with 81.T)0 , ) miles of wire be
longing to the department , and 187 miles
of river cable. This is exclusive
of lines belonging to the rail
way companies. Tlio message
trallic is increasing so rapidly that the
need for the quadrnplcx is beginning to
bo foil.and we have just started a quadra-
plex circuit between Madras and Horn-
nay , 800 miles , with ono translating sta
tion. In all probability we shall extend
the system gradually over most of our
main lines. Wo have been very busy in
Hurmah , with over 1,000 miles of field
telegraphs and no\v lines connected with
the recent annexation of that territory ,
and the workas constantly extending in
a very trying country. "
Telegraphers in India have to do their
work under many speeial and peculiar
circumstances of difllculty.somu of which
tne above extract gives an idea.
BEATING THE BANDITS.
Ivxprcssmaii Urown'a Wiiinlnc Fight
with a ( lane < > ' " Train Hobucra.
Chicago Inter-Ocean : "This last ex
press robbery , " said an old railroad man ,
"calls to mind an exploit of an express
messenger that ought not to bo forgotten.
It was about eight years ago , and Frank
lirown , then in charge of an Adams express -
press ear on the Santa Fe road , was the
hero of the occasion. Somewhere in
Colorado the train was stopped by sev
eral desperadoes , ttio engine , baggage
car and express car were detached and
run forward three or four miles whore
the robbers expected to go through the
express car at their leisure. They had
the advnntagfl of the engineer aud fire
man and brakeman from the start , because -
cause they were unarmed , and the rob
bers , with their revolvers , compelled
them to do their bidding.
"Drown , however , tlio moment the
tram was stopped closed his ear and pre
pared for defence. During tlio run from
the' point where the robbers expected to
enter upon ttio business of robbery Drown
strengthened his position , aud when the
gang attempted to force an entVanco ho
was ready for thoin. Ho know that in
about an hour a train would approach
from the opposite direction , and his pur
pose was , through parley and a show of
strong resistance , to delay the entrance
of the robbers until about the time the
train nppuoachcd. Hu did not at lir.it
hope to ko.ip them out , but ho deter
mined to make the fight , and for an hour
the struggle wont on.
"The train robbers resorted to every
expedient to induce Drown to surrender
or to open the doors , and failing in that
they proceeded to compel his surrender
by opening a steady lire on the car. They
would shoot fifteen or twenty times at
different angles , aud then , taking it for
granted that Drown hid boon frightened
or possibly killed , would maku another
attempt on the cir. : Everytimo they wore
mo by hostile demonstrations by Drown
and wore compelled to abandon the at
tempt. Every time they were repulsed
they opened tire more venomously , and
when the whittle of the approaching
train sounded there were 133 bullet holes
in the express car , and Drown was still
master of the situation. With tlio com
ing up of the other train the robbers
made u hasty lliglit , securing no booty at
all.
"This experience led the company to
put guards on every express train , the
manages choosing men who had a good
deal of light in them , and who , under
standing that they wore paid to fight ,
were always ready for an engagement.
The result of the onperiuient was that no
more attaoka were made on the trains in
that section for a good many years. As
a rule , the desperadoes who attack ex
press trains are pretty well informed as
to the condition of affairs , and if they
know they are likely to bo mot with
strong resistance or to come in contact
with men who will shoot without cere
mony , they are not inclined to make any
ventures' , but if they know that the ex
press messenger and tlio trainmen are un
armed , they have little hesitation iu mak
ing an attack. "
*
SICKNESS comes uninvited , and strong
men and women are forced to employ
means to restore their health and
strength ; the most successful of all
known remedies for weakness , tlie origin
of all disease , is Dr. J. II. McLean's
Strengthening Cordial and Blood Puri
fier.
GROVER AND KAPIOLANI ,
The President Entertains the Hawaii n
Queen Under Difficulties ,
MRS. CLEVELAND'S SERENITY
lll-brect Washington Audiences Pat-
tl'H lia Traviata Kmina Abbott's
Warm Ailmircr Secretary Im-
innr'H Good Breeding ,
WSIMNGTON , May 0 [ Correspondence
of the DEK. ] Ere this can roach you , you
will have read tl\at \ Madam J'atti's com
ing to Washington was a great success
numerically and socially. And if a
packed house fringed to the very edge
with men in evening dress like so many
black tassels dangling , with pricu of
tickets all the way from $50 boxes down
to $3 for the chance of standing all the
evening , is a sign of a financial success ,
then most undoubtedly it was a big I'm un
cial success to all but the. "almighty
dollar" man who , expecting to make a
golden fortune out of Patti's appearance
in opera hero , for one night only , by buy
ing up all the best seats and holding
them so higii that at last as the hour
approached to ring up tlio curtain ,
sold them for what ho could get ,
and was thoughtful. It made my cars
tingle with delight to hear , "Opera tickets - ,
ets , price seven dollars , will bo sold for
live , all along.thc line from tlio street
corner to the very entrance door. The
prino of tickets being o high and the
wholesale buying up of the tickets by the
sharpers , who must have slept on the
curbing in front of the opera house the
night before the sale so as to bo thu first
in line in the morning , made hearing
Patti impossible for the real music-loving
people of Washington , and I'm ' thinking
if tlio audience had boon composed of
this class of people instead of tlicollicial ,
political and
SOCIAL SWIU.I.S AND ( JliC IIKIJS ,
who were thinking a good deal more
about their good clothes anil being looked
at than listening to the whisperings of
glorified souls through Adelina Patti's
voice , she would have been inspired to
her mightiest as she made
her appearance in the festive
scene in "La Traviata. " I wondered if a
cold chill didn't creep down the divine
diva's pretty round back as she took a
looK at that brilliant gathering and felt
that there was something lacking. A
good-looking crowd , to bo sure , but it
did seem to me during tlic first part of
the play that they were wholly engrossed
with their own line appearance , and how
1'atti was dressed an'd what she looked
like rather than how she sail" and acted.
However , the coldest ice ot Selfishness
must melt before that warm , passionate
s-oiil of music and art , and led by the
peanut gallery ( nearest heaven ) , whore
sat some of our very best judges of art
and song , the audience broke'into one
long , wild ronr of applause of apprecia
tion. Anil how gracefully and graciously
tlie fair goddess of music did bow her
thanks , and especially did she smile , as
she alone can smile , her gratitude toward
the box where sat
TIII : i'iti.siiiNT : : AND ins I.OVKI.Y win : ,
who , next to tlio dmi herself , took
the hearts and admiration of all
about her. I presume because flowers
are Mich a cheap commodity hero in
Washington , none were thrown at tlio
feet of the greatest music artist of this
age. After bi'ing again and again re
called before the curtain , she sang
"Homo , Sweet Homo , " as I never again
expected to hear it till I hear it beyond
the blue sky , as the angels of song wel
come mo to the eternal home. 1 could
not if I would , and would not if I could ,
attempt to describe that voice and singer
as she stood in all her loveliness before
ono of the most brilliant assemblages
this country , or any other , can produce.
She was dressed in a marvelous costume
of white , composed of-'silk , satin , lace
and llower ? , brilliantly sparkling with
such an array of diamonds I have never
soon in Washington enough to make
Mrs. Frank Leslie and Mrs. .Senator Stan
ford commit suicide out of sheer jealousy.
Possibly Patti's voice may show to the
very bo.st'advantage in tlio opera of "ha
Traivlata , " which is nothing more or
less than "Camilla" , and 1 hate that play
1 hate gilded folly set to music , put
temptingly upon the stage there is
enough all about us everywhere to light
against. 1 hate to seo. people die al
though thor % are a loti of people who
ought to die. just as. woods ought to bo
hood out of a garden especially do 1
hate love affairs to end in death as they
surely must sooner or later ! Hut sucn
lovely loveliness as I'litti to die in such a
horrible way , bolt up-right in a chair
with that rosebud of a mouth wide open
and those beautiful cyca Mark and st.ir-
ing. Awfull I should have forgotten ,
even the heaven in
IIKK "HOME , SWKKT IIOMB , "
had she not appeared before tlie curtuin
to assure up she was u thing of beauty
and joy forever.
Of all perfection IndrcBiMaduniratti'i
costumes in "La Traviata" arc the most
exquisite and unequalled for richnrss of
texture and artistic ull'eet. Much has been
said and written of Sarah llernhardt'H
wondortul clothes , they are wonderful ,
those that 1 have seen , but there is snvh
a wonder of beginning and ending NO
much of a muchness. So much of clothes
to shake to find the woman , as though
liernhardt was made for the clothes.
Patti's clothes have the appearance of
having been made for her the woman ,
first and then the clothes.
And what costumes there wore in that
audience May 31 The like of which have
never been seen in the opera house bo-
fore. A most desperate efl'ort to get riil
of tlie objectionable bonnet and hats , but
here and there tower-of-Uabcl
a - - bonnet !
and a Washington monuiucnt-hat waa
seen bobbing in front of opera glasses a
nip and contest to see which
should get full view of the stage.
Mrs. Cleveland was resplendent in n
rooshing costume of white satin and
lace , and low-necked , the line drawn at
the shoulder blades and arm pits , after
tlie approved fashion of her sister-in-law.
She carried an immense white feather
fan , which she languidly moved to and
fro , as a gentle summer bree/.o might )
have moved tlie large palms under the
oriental skies to fan tlio beautiful
cleopatra. Many times during the most
interesting parts of the singing and
acting of Madam 1'ntti , 1 noticed opera
GLASSES LKVKLUl ) AT SI US. fl.lIVlII.ANI ) ,
all of which must have boon very gratify
ing to her hubby , who sat in the rear of
the box mopping his face. The night was
intensely hot , every gas jot at full blast
all over the house , which in a degree de
tracted from the brilliant cfl'ect of the
stage. 1 am pure that Madam Patti must
have sufl'ercd from tlie strong light and
over-heated house. All the rest of us
wore uncomfortable.
Thursday night Kmma Abbott in " 11
Travetoro' drew a splendid house. Tlio
president and Mrs. Cleveland , accom
panied by tlto over faithful Daniel anil
his wife , accepted a box and and seemed
to enjoy the play very much. Mrs.
Cleveland , dressed in a black lace cos
tume , looked very like the photographs
of herself that are to bo seen in shop
windows all over the country the most
becoming costume she lias yet appeared
in. Her manner in public is that of per
fect composure and self-control. She
takes the homage paid her as tlie just
dues of tue price of being ( Jrover Cleve
land's wife and mistress of the white
house. It was with the most intense in
terest she w atclied Abbott's handsome
tenor in tlio role of Manieo , as Lenora'c
lover. It was here that Mrs. Cleve
land showed the nrompiiugs of her
girlish , youthful heart , and seemed
to forget all about her even the impu
dent stare of a blase man of the world
who set in a box near , and turning his
back to the stage glared at Mrs. Cleve
land all the evening. His want of good
breeding and trim manhood made my
fingers itch to grab him by the collar anil r,1
tumble him out of the window. Hut wo
must expect these big plays as the re
ward of fame.
NEXT IN LINK
to receive the best attention that this ad
ministration can all'ord ( money no ob
ject ) was the lavish attentions paid the
calico queen. It is something to have a
real live queen in our midst , even if she
is as black as thu queen of spades I To
think it should have been loll lor thu
democratic udmini.stiation to embrace a
queen of oil' color ! Surely this is an
ago of wonders. It was a sight
worth seeing , that of President Cluvo-
land and the dusky queen sitting side by
side at the state dinner last Friday night ,
lie appearing ill at ease , hot and doubt
ful of his next line of action. She majes
tic and .solemn as the bronze figure of
Liberty on the dome of the capitoll An
her majesty can't speak but a few word.s
of Knglish , and as his presidency can't
talk in tlie Hawaiian's , the Mltiation wan
rather trying to say the least , and I
lancy Mrs. Cleveland , who being hid be
hind the big llond center pieee opposite
with Minister Carter , her majesty's sub
ject , was wriggling her big too under tlio
table at the comical position her lord and
master was in. As full dress at state
dinners don't permit of ladies' wearing
sleeves , all the sly giggling has to bo
done in the boots. There is a great deal
of snickering on foot these daysany way !
While Secretary Lamiir is a staunch ad
mirer ol fair maidens we hardly think ho
would allow his dislike for twilight com
plexions to give oflense to his chief by
refusing to accept , tlie hospitalities of his
mansion on this Mate occasion. I cliooso
to think that Secretary Lamar had fconio
good cxcuvj for not attending the state
dinner , and it must have been a good
excuse that would keep him from accent
ing an mviattion to a good dinner , for
that man does like to be invited to lunch
ordinu ! It must be remembered that
Secretary Lamar has a bride wife1 , pos
sibly she raised objections to sitting
down to the table with a "colored pus-
son. " The sunny south still feels a
strong prejudice to the mixing of black
and white. And yet the tin of blood in
half-and-half race of the south wilt tell.
How gratifying it must bo to the
colored people of this country that at
last one of their c lor has been royally
treated by ttio democratic party.
COM ,
