ELECTRICAL SCIENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 706, 4 January 1910, Page 6

ELECTRICAL SCIENCE.

f ixm tfTY- FI VEXY E A'R'&JFf.R OGRESS.; ; ! ;Ati the-tenth ; session'-' of the'Giasgow. •Seption'.-.of" the-tlnstitutionVof::Electrical 'Engineers, ■ the • chairman, ■ litfij^S.. Gepr'ge 'Toddi ,: 'ih; rehiriJihgJ/.thanlcs'-vfor'hiselec-. 'tio'n:.fo'a chair'whfek.had ißeeii filled'on two A occasions by •: 'late .Lord : . Kelvin, ■proliably '-the'iffeatest'.'ele'cfrical scientist who - had ever. lived;; sketched !tlip prb:gress:in;electrical:'science during: tho: past ! 25} : years\': ("•■Hβ .-'pointed; , ; out:' that; in. 1885 i 7 /The''first arc'Uanjpto'be seen; in - Glasgow ■ was '■' at -a:.•■Trongato•;.restaurant' '■ in"; 1877, and : .'iii;. < :hat:year:/also-.; - a -temporary.in;stallation>was '.laid, down .at:-tit. .-Enoch. Station.?■.,'. Thei r'• own institution;,:-he '■■: ex-, iplajned-.was established' in , 1871 as.a So-' •''cfetyj: of ..Telegraph 'Engineers;; ten .years later. , an addition wasmade, and- it was called-: the i Society of .-Telegraph :,; Engineers., and '.. 'Electricians;:"-.'-:'Although-.-. this : w.idened : the .scope,..rs. till»;the'..nanio /very 'quickly became- a: misnQpiejf,'"and in. 1888 :iti. was'.changed to tho''present form...ln this year, :,itj.''ifi!iV/.6117.: : '- ,, 'yniions': : .!trancnes.'-'pf.;:.'th'e. scienco..'svere^'dealt i withi*:» : !'The?iTapid;pr.o-. .'gressiof'telegraphy /was , commented .upon, , fspeqialVJreference : ..being made: to' -wireless • telegraphy; 'and /, as -to telephony Vit -was; pointed, but-that almost all: : the advance ltt-'fthis'branch • had: taken--:place; during 'the..period- under:'review.;.:; In,'the : early ' ■eighties' , electri_cal i _ supply, j*, commencing .electrical enfrineenner -work. , ' 'ThV'first stations were started'inVlM2; c b"ut"the sta-, tionsT'Duridefl'and Glasgow, were..not,in ; existence/uritil. 18?3i.;' ; X)nlyi. if .years, ago 'Glasgow,lCorppratiisii.Voperied its? enemeer;mg;station a,t:.W,aterlop; ; .,Sfteet .with .1230 horse-poweri l while to-day the total -horse;p6weri.w'tavso,OOOvJAs,;,ip..:;eiectric. .trac-'; itibrit ; he" ,,; p'pin^ CwSr/Une--in :■ 1885/. Several smfAi lines 'were , ;' laid,, but 'by' 1896/ the total i <sf;-the v :Uhited Kingdom iwas'. : Tapid'prbgress .■'■ffa's' , -,made, '■'.and , :: now'.m Glasgow-;'alone..'', tnerft'i^ere'i"lßo^ miles. , Railways" •■■■ were' /..next -, fdiscussed;. \and: it:- was .pointed -. 6jit(' that, ! the first ■•to r> -be ; electrically i.-': driven ■..,, was ■. the. ■ City ■:.and '■'; South■•'"'London: followed :by. the Liverpool ■.Overhead, ■both in 1890." ?Then''C'ame.';a , ibig'forward7move-, men't-■ iriK ; the-cbnversion ■' of f the; South.iioftv:secaoriA6f,v::the'.;/LWF^)i lrfe ; ; i: ! l n , d! . Xdrkshire' Railway: the' Tyneside, -line. , ofcthev.-NoKthiEastefri ;.'in;rl9o-i,, ; -and .o'v.er'''2oo ,; 'mires : :pf , >'the'.sMet'ropohtan.Dis-■triet;Eailway:in'-lSos'Eeference was next imade.to-self-propelled-v.ehicles.'.jtlie.ad-v'ancel in'-the trade was 'descriDed," and: the : 'metliods;: of : installa-. Übn'.wefe compared 'with'thbEC'pf: a qnar-. ; ter of'a century- Special; rsfereufe was • made,V to ari ; .interesting' portion. of; work that concerns- .Glasgow;:namely, -the iadvance f-ii- the .Hise-.:of. electricity., on,-■bpard■■-snipV"-:'Taking?'file-'Cunard'-Xine 'as;: '^typical''example, 'lie pointed- put-.that: ■one'•' bf-.the-: first .installatfpns-to be: fitted. ; :\ras' :in ; :.lßSt' Ser'yia.:;.: -Tlie jplant: ■ was:i(ii- horse-p6wer>:arid*'the:-lamps ;num- ; bered'eiU.'.-AThe/Mrmbri'a-Lalid Etruria, had>i;i4or::Jiorse-ppwQr. plant. ■'riThe'Campanioand'lincania, fitted; : in-. 1893,'-had ■ a -280 i.horse-power! plant ;.and '1350, the only. , motive:powerA.bemg "a-.'small' motor;,in - .the. barber's shop for - driving the : hairdressing .machine.•■; ■ In. the: Jjtisitania and-'tUe ..Mauretania tha-totiil plant .capaeity: ;jras<22oo horse-ppwer,;.with : over- 133.00: ;iamps, ; .-andi .2138:.horse-power.: .A'similaT'-advance haditakenßlace-ui.the: , - '■ almost;: every ? sphere : : 'pf'.daily: life,.,.not. -Snlyiin-th« :in.tlie i hqme : as ; well^'a.sjn':tß.e, , .prdiriarj r cpmraer- ; ! 'ci'al : 'ana !busin ess Icircles,;:": .VlitLthe/latter? iitwould: bß'difficult-.nb.wadays to conceive. '■ a", modern .'conducted .without the. .While ithe'advancei'w'as'' . great. in, 'the:puxely 'domestic:sphere', .such.ascook- : in"g and : eve'n-lightiriß;''it'ivas.perhaps not so" universally "*:;Tef the cpn-. :tingent facilities. and'Tapid.transit' had affected domestic'life by.;depopulating;the ; Lditiea to- the advantage! of : t£e.suburbs. iSome'comm.efcial.' processesjhad t been, en-; ■tirelyV;fQ>-orutipnisea.;..by l smeanß:,cf,yelec-, : . to"'v.aripus : 'applicatipns l ;.pf .electricity,; such, :'as, some : smelting -'a^d K chfemic_al.-prpcesses.' iThe^to&l ; -Mpitol : ;iiive : sfe'dl:-'in.>elec^cal.i : ''-jiii^'§BseS.iKft 0 S l ' : i-^ ■000,000 'in: 1896't0-■^3B6^oo,ooo': this yearV: >Md;.'he'.questionea:'ff'.'any .industry; had ;extraprdiiitttys: , rise.'.;;.:? -But : they ■'were , by^no;'means,:at. v the. i end:: of: i'tKeiF ; U'ther/^Bvery'do ,^'iou.nd l tWs, , .\TOn^ derfnl: and ;impbnderable: Dower harnessed :to■ spmethingnew.VrNp.thing.seemed to.be beybnd'H/f he .■range'. pfTifs -■! ppssibilities: /What !;they:: v only,>-.dreamed : ',of.'2s.'-years' iagb'-.soemed; tp-day.Xcbmmpnplace., :.WKo :'could; say :I :what:'theiiiext,2s, .years; would ■;bring:;'abput f-:M '}Cg£v(f)%'Wz '^-v^