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IMntrtkntlDR IMectrlolty.
. N Til R current issue of Cas;k r's
Magazine, which U I'.evoted ex
clusively to electric power, much
valuable, information is supplied
concerning the art of trans-nitting
the latter. It was long ago established
that the distance to which electricity could
be Bent economically depended mainly upon
the voltage or pressure employed. The
hiKher this Is, the further the current will
go and the smaller will be the "line loss's"
with a conductor of a given size. At
present there are. two transmission linos
In America on which 55,000 volts are used
successfully. One, sixty-five miles long, is
di Montana. The other, eighty miles in
length, is in Canada. Some of the great
transmission systems in California are
equipped with three sets of transformers,
one capable of raising the pressure to
CO.O'O volts, and the others working at a
lower voltage. For reasons which are not
given, (lie maximum pressure has not thus
far been adopted on the Pacific coast, but
Jt is said that a Mexican line 101 miks
long lias bejrun to work at GO.t'OO vol Is.
The difficulties of insulation are f great
that anything higher may not be wit
nessed soon. However, further advances
are probable. Speaking of a plan to trans
mit electric power from the Alps to Paris,
a distance of 300 miles, Paul M. Uncoln
eays that it Is not feasible today, but
the feat may yet be attempted, when pres
sures that are "within the bounds of rea
son" may be safely handled.
Other Improvements bearing on transmis
sion have been effected in the last few
yean. Some, of thes'.- relate to the dynamo,
but that machine is now to nearly perfect
that a better one is scarcely possible.
Croat gains have been made in insulation,
as has already been pointed out, and also
In line construction. A trifling change In
the arrangement of the three conducting
cables of a system like that between Nia
gara and Buffalo has materially diminished
the opportunity for mischievous interfer
ence by the smaJl boy. In at least one
particular European practice is ahead of
that of the United States. Klectrlc power
cables are often supported by steel towers
on the other side of the Atlantic, while
ere tJ;e chief, if not the sole, reliance
is the wooden pole. Steel costs more than
wood, but it is more durable. It will
pay better In the long run. Success In the
distribution of electricity has been still
further promoted by the increased capacity
of switches.
A movement of much significance in Eng
land is tho application for charters for
generating plants large enough to furnish
current to a number of adjacent communi
ties. Something of the sort Is already ac
complished in America, where the source
of power is water. The British Idea Is
to use coal. The relative cost of hydraulic
and steam power varies with locality. In
omo places one will be cheaper, and in
some the other. Whatever be the means
employed to drive the dynamo, though,
wholesale production Is less expensive than
manufacturing on a small scale. It has
been estimated, for Instance, that if a
plant be established which would be able
to supply all the towns within a radius of
fifty miles, only one-third as much fuel
would be needed as would be consumed
If each community had its own lighting and
power station.
This Is not all. Concentration would ef
fect still another economy. Mr. Still well,
electrical engineer for tho New York Rapid
Transit Commission, says that a central
station having a capacity of only 50.000
horsepower would rarely fail to do tho
work previously performed by separate
plants whose output amounted to 7T,K
horsepower, and that the difference might
be evien gneater. In equipping Isolated
Stations it is customary to provlda machin
ery that will meet tho maximum demand
made upon it. The load usually varies
between wide limits In the course of a day.
Hence, by substituting ono plant for tho
many, tho total consumption would be
Cfuntj moiii regular, and the maximum
would never rise far above the uM-riiii),
especially If the u.ie. to which hc current
wiirf put wen dissimilar. New York Tri
bune.. t.
Development In faraway I.aodn.
Tho most Interesting and tho most re
markalrte feature of present ilei'triea! de
velopment is tho invasion of far-away,
semi-clv ilbsed lands by telephone, traction
and power transmission systems arid other
agencies for tho application of electrical
forces to tho uses of mankind. And n t
the least interesting pha.su of this Invasion
of benighted lands is the d'fllcuHlcs that
nre. encountered by the engineer who have
in hand the practical work of blazing tho
way for the march of electrical scl -nco.
In Abyssinia nearly 8X miles of ti h-phwn;
wirej arc already erected and about a
thojsand miles are hi course of construc
tion. The lirst difficulty encountered was
the white ant. The poles were deViurcd
so rapidly by this pest that it was Foon
necessary to substitute iron pohs. These
were so attractive to the natives that they
began tearing them out and converting
them into tools, a practice that was finally
stopped by meting, out severe punishment
to tho offenders. Klephants and monkeys
now constitute the principal source of
trouble. The elephants use the poles as
scratching posts and the monkeys lirul
that the wires make good swings.
In far away India e!ectrical development
Is progressing with wonderful rapidity in
Bpite of tho many obstacles that are pre
sented. In the current number of The
Electrical Review, a correspondent writing
from Sivasarnudram, India, depcribos many
important electrical projects about to bo
inaugurated. Tho MVsore state govern
ment has sanctioned the proposal to sup
ply electric light and power to the city of
Bangalore from the generating station at
the Cauvery Falls. There Is already a
ninety-two mile transmission line from tho
FalU ikjwot plant to the Ko'ar gold fields.
It is also proposed to supply the city of
Mysore with light and power from these
falls.
A 1,000-horse power steam-electric plant
Is being constructed on the Kolar gold
fields for operating hoists and for lighting
the entire fields. A project is also on foot
to electrify tho Kolar gold field railway.
Minor Installations in other provinces of
India are leing proposed, among them
being an electric power and lighting plant
near Srinagar, Kashmir, in the northern
part of India, power for which will be
taken from the falls in tho Bind river.
Tho chief difficulty with which the en
gineers have had to contend in India is tho
fondness of tho natives for copper wire,
which they fashion luto Jewelry and orna
ments. To keep them from appropriating
tho telephone wires it is necessary to carry
a very high voltage, which is suspended
automatically when a person who desires
to talk gives the signal. Chicago Record
Herald. Trackless Railway In Prussia.
A trackless railway is being erected by
tho community of Monnheim, which will be
tho tirst of its kind in Prussia. It will
run. from Monnheim to Itngonfeld and will
be about two and one-half miles long, with
two short branches Intended for freighting
purposes. Tho main line will serve for the
transportation of persons, baggage, mail
and freight. An extension Is possible at
both ends. The roadway from Monnheim
to Iangenfcld is about twenty-three feet
wide, with a good bassaltic cover about
fifteen feet In width, running almost in
an air lino, with the exception of a few
curves. A special contrivance for coup
liug is provided in order to keep an exact
rut of all the cars, which takes the place
of wheel flanges In ordinary rail trains.
Tin) buildings to be erect' d for use of tho
railway are a power house, car barns, rc
air shop and otllces. For the running of
the railway a current of about fcjO volts
will be furnished. The power wl'l be con
ducted to and from the cam, which ure
provided with electromotors, by means of
two rotary poles, placed on the top of thn
cars, and sliding blocks enabling the train
to give way from ten to twelve fret. The
wiring will consist of two hard copper
wires, with hard rubber Insulators, carried
by iron poles about eighteen feet nliove the
inlddlo of the road. For entering farm
yards lying close to tho rmid there will lo
used, inii'-nd of the regular wre, a ron
noctor and flexible cable fifty to seventy
feet in length, by means of which the cur
rent will be transmitted to the motor car.
Ordinary electric cars have but one pole
and tho second pole of these rallies cars
serves for conducting hack the current
which is otherwise done through the rii!s.
When these trains pass each other one will
remain standing under the wins and dis
cotiTu ct its current until the other has
passed. Ti.c trains will consist of an elec
tric locomotive for drawing two or three
cars, driven by two electtic motors of from
twenty-five to forty horse power, and will
be furnished with the necessary il
luminating apparatus und brakes. The
conducting crew has its place, on the loco
motive. The curs for carrying freight have
a capacity of about live tons. These cars
will bo coupled in such a manner that tho
wheels of thu car following run along
sldu tlie rut of the forward one, thus mak
ing a wide rut and avoiding the damaging
of the road on wet days. Some of tho
cars will bo open and some closed and all
will be lilted with the necessary brakes.
Farmers' wagons can be attached to the
end of the train, provided the- ordinary
tongues are replaced by shorter coupling
tongues. For the passenger bi-rvice a mo
tor omnibus, having a Beating capacity of
sixteen and Manuing room for eight, is
provided. In ca.e of an increased passen
ger traffic a similar car, but of lighlor
construction than the motor omnibus, will
be added. Flvo or tlx double trips at the
rate of eight to ten miles pi r hour will be
mads on schedule time. For tho accommo
dation of the working men, in the morning
and evening, two labor trains, consl.-ting
of motor car and one or two passenger
cars, will be added. Freight will be car
ried in wcuk days only, as conditions may
require, and Curing the inturvals between
passenger trains. The fare for the entire
trip will be C cents. For carrying freight
the charge will be $2.38 per carload of ten
tons. Subscribers and parties doing a largn
freight business will be allowed a dis
count. Klertrlcity on the Nrw York Central.
Of the two methods of using electric
power which the New York Central is pre
paring to adopt, that which will be wit
nessed in its suburban service possesses no
novelty. It is practically Identical with tho
system already in voguo on tho elevated
roads In various cities. Several of the cars
composing a train will be equipped with
their own motive machinery, and the nu
torman in charge will occupy a compart
ment in what hapiens to be the foremost
coach. The through traffic will be handled
lu a different fashion. Special electric en
gines will lie attached to trains for Cha
tham, Pittsfiiid, Albany and the west bo
fore departure from tho Grand Central
station. When White Plains, on the Har
lem division, and Croton, on tho Hudson
river division, have been reached these
engine will be detached and steam locomo
tives will Ih.' substituted. The procedure
will be revervod at the samo places with
southbtund exrresrea.
Ona lmp.irt.ant foature of these machln s
Is that they will run equally well in either
direction, both ends being alike. Hence no
time reed b wasted by the use of a turn
table when a trip Is Itul.ihnl. An enrino
will be ready to start back Immediately,
ninee It will be uiweccK.' ary to flop for
supplies of coal or water. It will abo tn
observed that two or more of the new
electric engines can be coupled together
and separated as one, under the direct ! in
of a single motorm.in Provision for seh
combinations was made a jiar or more
ago with the lat-t motors euip!oi-d c-y
the Baltimore . Ohio company In h.a:ng
trains through the Baltimore tmavL 'lhe
first electric digitus built for that service
were i.ot so designed, in external appear
ance the met ors for the N'-w Yi rk C'eiV. -a I
rerenihlo the- late st ones la lit for the 1 il
timore A Ohio, but they l-n-k cic;ner and
will probably encounter has atrnosph : io
resistance wleti running nt high speed.
Again, they are exi-ccted to generate h lit
tle more power than the Baltimore n
gliicn, the norm: ! capacity Uitor ?5 horvo
power ar.d the nnximuia 2,v here tower,
capacity of two in combination bring 2.ft,
whereas tho.-o now on duly In Bal'lmnro
develop onlv 1 ". I'ltinlt... while they may
not I" permitted to travel faster than
foi iy five or fifty ml'es nn hour. It Is an
nounced that they wlil be capable of going
fully Keventy-hve tui.U'S an hour vrhoa the
eoiii'ition of the truck renders t.-ih a
veiiKity yafe.
Tho new hvoinottvo ha two grr-it no el.
ties In ils 'Ic i.;n. it motors vv III i a . e o: ly
two magnetic poles Instead of four, which.
Is ut present the usual immlnir on all rail
way motors. Tt.L armature of each of
these motors. Instead of working through
gearing, will be prersed solidly on tho axle,
having been previously assembled on a
quill for this pmpose. Tho til-polar con
struction of the llxi d magnets makes an
engine which Is exceedingly compact and
easy to handle in case of Its needing re
pairs. These poles will be oixti at the bot
tom and will be attached at the top to tho
frame of the locomotive, tho frame Itself
vompletlng the magnetic circuit. When it
Is desired to remove the armature for any
cause, all that is necessary to do Is either
to drop the pair of wheels with the at
tached armature down, or to lift up the
frame of the locomotive and roll the wheels
out. Suflicient clearance is left between
the poles and the armature so that tho
poles cannot touch the armature, though
they are riding on springs and tho armature
is not. Provision is also made so that If
a spring should break the armature would
not be injured. The total weight of one
of thesii locomotives, of which between
thirty and fifty have been ordered, will be
lifu.W-e pounds, or eighty-five tons. Each
of the driving vvheel.-i, of which there are
eight, arranged in four pairs, will carry a
weight of 17,0o0 jound;!. This weight has
been frequently exceeded In steajii lucum
fives without counting tho strain of the
thrusts of the reciprocating parts. In the
electric locomotive there Is a perfect ro
tativo bahince, and it docs not require any
counterbalancing. The length of the new
electric locomotive will bo thirty-seven f.tt
over all, of which the rigid wheel base
will occupy thirteen feet, tho total wheel
baso being twenty-seven feet. The journal
boxes and axles of the four pairs of motor
wheels will have sufficient lateral play to
enable the locomotive to pass easily around
curves of 230 feet radius. The diameter
, of the driving wheels Is forty-four Inches,
and of the pony truck wheels thirty-six
Inches. The locomotives will have a cab,
made of steel, with fire proof doors and
windows. The end windows of this cab
will command a clear view of the track.
There will be two controllers in the cab,
so that the motorman will have one Im
mediately under his band, according to the
direction in which be is going. There will
also bo a bell, a whistle, incandescent lamps
for tho interior of the cab, electric head
lights, an electric air pump for the brakes
and sanders, and an electric heating
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