The Electric Age.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12027, 28 March 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Electric Age.

An interesting article, written by Mr Frank Fayant, appears in " The Idler," dealing with electric traction. The writer prophesies the early relegation of steam locomotives to the museums. . Perhaps the most interesting feature of the use of electricity is the fact that the'electricity may be generated at almost any distance from the place where the machinery is to be operated. lii California, for 'instance, a waterfall in the Sierras runs the street cars in Oakland, 189 miles away.' All over the world electrical enterprises are to be experimented with. The energy of the mountain streams of the Alps is being taken captive to drive all manner of machinery, in all manner of places. " The most during elect l .ic railway venture," says the writer, "is that in the Vdtellir.a," 'in the Italian Alps." The old steam railway has gone, and the pioneer electric railway has taken, its place:—"This remarkable lailway, that extends from Lecco up to Chiavanna, with a long spur running eastward from Colico to Sondrio, up trie Valtellina, is now in full operation. It has passenger trains and goods trains, slow trains and fast trains, just like an ordinary railway, but electricity takes the place of ste:im. Powerful electric locomotives, not unlike those in London's Twopenny Tube, haul the goods trains, while motor-oars haul the passenger trains. Mile-a-minute speeds are attained. • Not a pom;d of coal is burned to drive the trains. An Alpine stream is the source of all the power." A canal cut through the rocks of the mountains conveys the water to a point nearly ' lOCft above the power station. There the water rushes down headlong throng!) a feed pipe to the mighty turbines that drive the electric generators. The current, at the deadly voltage of 21,C00, flows off in copper conductors along the miles of railway, to be feci from overhead wires to the train's. Even in-the train motors a current of 3000 volts is used, but every device has been adopted to minimise the danger of feeding a high voltage alternating current directly to the trains." At first the Italian Government was unfavourable ; but a. few wcoits ago Signor Vale::zana. the Italian. Minister for Railways, inspected the railway, and declared his readiness to grant permission to extend the line to Milan. Also that the success of this line foreshadowed (ho electrification of the entire Italian i ail way system." Mr Fayant concludes with a picture of the coming electrit: age in England. He says:—"When electric railways" gridiron I lie country, we will not have to bother our heads about railway guide---. There will be short trains and many of them. If we are going to Brighton or Liverpool or Bristol we will simply go to the railway station, enter an electric ear marked i 'Brighton,' or whatever the town is, and speed away. The electric service will b? almost as cor.tinuo?is as it now is on the Twopenny Tube. There will be great central power stations, some of them at tbo "it months of the coal mines, and enormous quantities of electricity will be «o:'f i-n'cd io run railway train's, fam lines «i"' ihe nv.r-hinerv of workshops. Heavy copper cables will carry (he snerirv ninny mile--■iwn.v from the renin;! stations, a;:d will be 'tapped' just as water or ms m-n'n--■ire. Electric power will b e r ,,, cheap tlvi f n-r.vone who has any work tn he Awq v -]V ms'ke use of electricity. It will b?. tlr? universal servant, always at hand to reI spnnd to the touch of the button."

_ MVs Elizabeth Alsnn, of Oosdeii Common Nnddford. died the other day, »L«eil in? She was born in Swallow street. For seventy-fonr yearn she was (vavs the "' Daily. Mail") wit}, the family of the la!" Aiv Aubrey Rhiscr.ile, a relative of Lad->-Audrey Ballt-v. She received' the "hat-Liic-hess of Teck's prr/e for the fe'wi.? ser-v-ir.,, who liud sewed in one hv,<!y for ilie longest period. The greatest organ hi the "world has i„st been installed j-« the cathedral at Seville. It was bum by a Srmiiard, Senor Ame-ca, and is of truly pia-anj:,. fiiiii«o.sions There are four'metal flute stop-. ■Well 16ft Inner, such ax no other oro-av in Kurope nossessea. Tt is also the' only oi;«r,-in which », iis bass-bom dons, which .rive lli'.rty-hco vihrations a second, and prodiico a deeper tone than «Jsc orn-an ;., Mairna, which h-w hitherto been the deepest toned ovrr;,,, j;., thejivorld. There are nltorrother 200 independent stops, and five bellows worked by electricity.' The cost WHis £6300,