The Electric Light at the Palace Hall. Greytown.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3344, 25 October 1889, Page 2

The Electric Light at the Palace Hall. Greytown.

Tlio otlior night the Press was invited to witness the electric light at the above hall, and as some may be interested in a description of it wo give the following. It is not matter that an every day reader will, perhaps, be interested in, but there are others who will read it for profit. The dynamo room is situated immediately behind the supper room, and the engine is thirty feet to the rear of this; the counter shaft being midway—the whole forming a fine "run." The engine is a six horse portable one, and is taken off its wheels and set on to a firm bed to secure steady running, this being essential to give a steady light. The fire box and ash pan is enclosed with bricks and filled up with earth so that fire cannot get out under any circumstances. But before leaving the engine for the night the ash pan, is filled with water and all the oiiulers are raked into it and not a spark of, firo left in tlio grate, The dynamo is one of" Blatters" compound wound, and is secured to a concrete bed Bft Gin by 2ft, and sft deep, which weighs about one ton and a half. The dynamo weighs 7cwt and is fixed to two foundation rails with long sorews at the end. These are used to shift the dynamo on the rails to tighten the belt, The dynamo's mode of action was described to us, and for the benefit of our readers we givo it here. Without entering into perplexing details the essential parts of the dynamo rimy be briefly doscribed. These parts are tlio armature the field-magnets, the commutator, and the brushes, The armature consists of a number of coils of copper wire, wound on an iron ring, which is mounted on an axis and revolved bttween the poles of the field-magnets. The field-magnets are two large pieces of soft iron, curved on the iaces, ending a large portion ofthe artiste and confining all the Ijnea of'foiico, and arc placed as soj3o to the armature as safety of rotation will admit. Large wire, well insulated, is used for winding the fielil magnets. Thecommutatorisctpipojed of about 50 cylindric segments at the axis of the the copper wire of t'io armfltip beipg fixed to these segment?. The brushes by which the electric is taken up and transferred through conductors to the lamps are composed of three pieces of cotton strips and bear with a light tension on the commutator She

term electro-magnet is used to designate any magnate having an iron core wound with insulated wire, through which an electric current may bo transmitted; the armature ilself is such a magnet, The coro becomes magnetic only while the current is flowing through the wire, and its magnetism ceases with the cessation of the current, leaving only a slight trace known as residual magnetism.' When a new dynamo is completed and ready for usoit is \ found that the iron, during the var- V M ions manipulations to which it lias v been subjected, lias become slightly ' ; magnetic, and this residual magnetism, as it is termed, is the germ of magnetic and electric energy from which the full power bf'tlie machine, is derived. When the armature begins to revolve (the one under notice revolves 1350 per minute) and its coils intercept the lines of force from this residual magnetism found ■ in the field, incipient electric currents are generated in them, which,' having been commuted into a sino' direct current and taken up by tVr% brushes, circulate through the coils / of the field magnets. These incipient currents induce magnetism in the core's, and thus increase the magnetic intensity of the field, so that the armature coils intercept an incroased number of lines of force, This increases the magnetism of the armature core, inducing greater energy in the electric currents generated, and these , ' currents passing into the field magnets coils as before, continue t| increase the magnetic intensity _ the field. Thus magnetism auguments electricity, and electricity re-acts lo augument magnetism, and this series of reciprocal reactions between the armature and the field magnets, and between tbo magnotism induced in the cores of each, and the electricity induced in their coils, increases the magnectie and electric intensity of each in geometrical ratio, so that in a few moments the incipient current, induced by the feeble germ of residual magnetism has become the powerful current which can produce a light of 100,000 candle power. In the dynamo room is fixed what J is termed the switch board; on are the two main currents, two branch cut-outs, two main switches, and volt-meter. All wires pass through the filings on this board and the light for the whole building is manipulated from the wires. There are 40 incandescent lamps in the building divided as follows ;j 2-50cp, 22-20cp, 18-lGcp, 8-Bcp, ats one" Arc" lamp in front oi 400cp. Total, 1200ep. The two 50ep lamps are used on the stage and are on a separate switch which can be used for darkening the stage for dramatic purposes. A great many people are puzzled as to what causes the light in the small globes. They are told that nothing burns, there is no combustion, and yet there is a most brilliant light. Tho small globes, from which the air is exhausted, contain a small filament of carbonised crochet cotton. This is a very bad conductor of electricity, and causes a resistance to tho passage of tho current, which causes them to become incandescent. The lifo of a lamp is about 1,000 hours. Tho installation will take place next Wednesday night,-Standard,^

A Lot of Keligious Imnostors. The power of religious superst,iijam over uninformed minds is peculiarly illustrated just now in the South and Western States of America False Christs are turning up in all directions, and they seem to Lave no trouble in obtaining a following, One named Bell, in Georgia, has succeeded in inducing hundreds of farmers to leave their farms and follow him, on tho promise that he will tako them to the land of Canaan some time next month, and supply them with angels' wings for the journey. For the wings, however, he exacted nay in advnnco. The authorities finally cut his career short by sending him to un insanei asylum, ,

Bell was no sooner out of the way than another man, named James, appeal nd as Lis successor, preaching tlio dangerous doctrine that human sacrifices ato demanded. One miserable woman murdered her child as on? result of his touching, In Tennessee, one crank nam?d Diipont announced himself as the Christ, and would ascend to heaven on the Uh of August, That day he disapp&JSJ. suddenly, hue on the morning of lUli reappeared, bringing with liiai.' another man, whom lie introduced to his disciples as the prophet Elijah. He professes to peiforui miracles, to know the secrets of the grave, and t«, summon up spirits.

In Alabama a man navned Slmdrach Walihour announces himself as King Solomon, and proceeds to collect a lot of wivos and A female relative of this mvtu proclaims herself as the Queen of Hheba, and the women take her at li«y word nn d procecd to worship her.

In Illinois, near the City of Eockford, a false Christ named Schinenfurth has gathored about him a following strong enough to purchase lands, and build a sanctuary and houses in which to live—male and female promiscuously, There seems to be a relic of barbarism and religious superstition left in human nature, and the impostors know how to reach it and afowl |to it, rarely failing of success, (justice were more prompt in consigning these cranks to gaol it would he a good thing for their victims.

A Coffin full of Opium. Recent Singapore papers vepori, an extraordinary case of smuggling at Sourabaya, in Java. A Chinese passenger having died on board a junk which was anchored in the roadstead, the health officer went off and, after viewing the b& gave the necessary permit for burial. Tho. master of the junk then camo on 1 shore anil ordered a large coffin of tho usual Chinese kind. During the early hours of the morning the crow with the coffin landed, and the funeral procession passed along the streets amid the burning of sacrificial, papers, beating of gongs, and tho customary demonstrations of sorrow. One of the crow walked in front wvrying tho burial permit. After the funeral the party wont the junk, which immediately pi// to sea, In the middlo of the day some, natives found au empty coffin in the-, road close by the Chinese cemetery,. Tvliioh not only smelt strongly of opium but also had small particles of the drug adheviug to its sides, The; Customs authorities found the maker of the coffin, who identified it as the ono supplied to the master of the ljunk, and the dead body of the Chinaman was washed ashore soon / afterwards, so that it was dear thatii •/ ho had been thrown overboard andw / ihe burial permit used to smuggle oil / shore a large coffin full of opium* • : 7