LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. THE BOILERS IN THE MILWAUKEE STATION. IN your issue of March 14th, there appeared an article on the central station plant of the Milwaukee Street Railway Company, by Mr. Otto Frick. The writer states that at the time of adopting the Galloway boilers, they were the only ones on the market capable of supplying steam at a working pressure of 160 lbs. per square inch. As I was personally identified with the preparation of the plans and specifications for this plant, I respectfully inform you that there were several other boilers on the market that would have fulfilled the requirements. Propositions were secured on several other boilers. J. H. VAIL. NEW YORK, March 30, 1894. INFORMATION ON INCANDESCENT ARCS. IN THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER of March 28, "R. W." states: "In the ordinary arc lamp, where the carbon points are exposed to the atmosphere, I have always understood that the incandescence of the carbon particles, detached from the positive carbon aided materially in producing a bright light. In the 'incandescent arcs' where the destruction of the carbons is so slow, and there is little carbon vapor, does the same length of arc produce an equivalent amount of light? Also, the carbon vapor being a semi-conductor, is not a greater E. M. F. required to maintain a given length of arc in the closed lamp, where it is (practically) absent, than in an open lamp, where the vapor is present?" In reply I would say, that the conditions which govern the relations between P. D., length of arc and radiant efficiency of an arc enclosed in a small bulb such as referred to by "R. W.," differ from those governing an arc in open air. Absence of oxygen on the one hand, and the temperature and tension of the enclosed gases on the other, introduce a new set of phenomena. This subject was treated of at some length in a paper read before the International Electrical Congress, at Chicago last August. (See THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, Aug. 30, 1893, pp. 193, 194, 195, 196, 207). Regarding "R. W. 's" first question, "Does the same length of arc produce an equivalent amount of light," I may say that this relation depends upon the specific length for a given current and P. D. With small P. D.'s the result will be in favor of the open arc; with relatively large P. D.'s, in favor of the "incandescent arc." This may be inferred from the curves and tables p. 194, of the article above referred to. The other question is answered on p. 195, under the head, Relation of P. D. to length of arc and quality of carbon." An enclosed arc may be maintained with a smaller P. D, than an open arc of same length. "R. W." will find, I think, that his conclusions are based on erroneous assumptions. NEW YORK, March 30, 1894. L. B. MARKS. HEAVY GASES IN INCANDESCENT LAMPS. YOUR editorial résumé of the proceedings of the last Institute meeting gives a very excellent digest of my paper and the discussion following. Allow me to say a word in relation to Mr. Howell's criticisms. First The lamps of which results were reported by Mr. Howell were professedly special lamps. Maintaining, as they did, their candle power and efficiency, they could not have appreciably blackened. I have never seen on the market, vacuum lamps of 3 or 3.5 watts per candle either 50 volt or any other, that would run 100 hours without considerable blackening. Second: As to the quality of the vacuum lamps referred to in my paper, they were made from standard filaments, were thoroughly exhausted, and if they were poor lamps I have seen much poorer ones in commercial use. Third: A test of eight lamps would not be a fair basis for generalization as to the general product of a factory, but as a comparative test between bromine and vacuum, the results warrant all my conclusions. The well-known scientific method of making comparative tests, of varying only the condition whose effect it is the purpose of the test to determine, was rigidly adhered to. The filaments were taken from the same "batch." Everything in the construction of the lamps was the same up to the point of exhausting. Then half the lamps were taken at random, and exhausted as vacuum lamps, and the other half treated as bromine lamps. They were run as nearly as possible under the same conditions as to initial efficiency. The individual lamps of each class gave results differing very little from the means as given in Table III. of the paper. Every individual vacuum lamp blackened and lost its efficiency about as shown in the table. Every individual bromine lamp remained perfectly clean, and maintained its effi ciency. Under the conditions I consider that it is perfectly fair to conclude that the observed difference in results was due to the presence of bromine in one set, while in the other was a vacuum. I believe the filaments used in these lamps were not poorer than the average which the public has to use. Fourth It was not my object in the paper to show what could, or could not, be done in the improvement of vacuum lamps. If the General Electric Co. can make filaments that will give such results as to maintenance of candle power and efficiency as those reported by Mr. Howell, and can furnish such lamps commercially, I shall be with the first to congratulate them. My object was to show that the blackening which, according to my experience, was a serious evil in all high efficiency lamps, could be avoided without serious shortening of the life, by the use of bromine gas. Fifth 50 volt lamps were used because such lamps form a considerable portion of the product of the Waring factory and such filaments happened to be available at the time. Comparative tests on 110 volt lamps performed under abnormal conditions similar to those reported in Tables I and II give precisely similar results. In my house in Manchester, Conn., I used 115 volt (about) Edison and bromine lamps and the bromine lamps maintained their candle power while the Edison lamps failed in a most annoying manner. Sixth: As to the shadow in the carbon deposit. It simply shows that we may obtain a sufficient vacuum and a sufficient vapor tension to produce it. As I said in my paper I attach no importance to this phenomenon. It does not alter in any way the conclusions which I reached. WM. A. ANTHONY. VINELAND, N. J., April 2, 1894. PERSONAL. MR. PAUL T. BRADY, until recently agent for the General Electric Co. in this State has resigned and now has an office at Syracuse, N. Y. as local manager for the Westinghouse Elec. & Mfg. Co. in that section of the country. It is not to be doubted that his former success will still attend him. DR. SCHUYLER S. WHEELER, the expert of the N. Y. Board of Electrical Control has a signed editorial article in the Morning Journal of April 1, dealing with "Electric Wire Perils." He looks forward to a speedy arrival of the time when the laws of electrical action will be better understood and when people will be indifferent to the present very sensational treatment of the dangers" of electricity. The recent alleged blinding of a man in Brooklyn by a trolley flash he characterizes in his own blunt way as a "fake." MR. W. A. GRANT, general manager of the Niagara Falls Park and River R. R. has resigned that position to become assistant to vice-president Shaughnessy of the Canadian Pacific R. R. It will be remembered that Mr. Grant made a great success of his road at the Falls, which carried last year, between June and December 416,000 passengers, and is now to be double tracked. His executive ability will now have a wider field of display. Mr. Grant is succeeded by Mr. Ross McKenzie, who is an old and experienced railroad manager. The road was recently inspected by President Van Horne under Mr. Grant's guidance. MR. GEO. P. Low, of San Francisco, has been appointed Consulting Engineer for the Board of New City Hall Commissioners of that city. The San Francisco City Hall is an imposing structure which has cost $20,000,000, and Mr. Low has been engaged as designing and supervising engineer for the installation of an electric lighting plant therein. It is stated that the probable capacity of the proposed plant will be 6,000 incandescents and 50 arcs. Mr. Low is well known as the Electrical Inspector of the Pacific Insurance Union, as a member of the Electric Committee of the Underwriter's International Electric Association, and as Vice-Chairman of the Section of Pure Practice of the World's Congress of Electricians, at Chicago, in 1893. THE THOMSON RECORDING ARC WATTMETER. In an article on the "Thomson Recording Watt Meter for Arc Circuits" printed in our issue of March 14, it was stated that the safety cut-out" is designed to close immediately on trouble occurring within the meter." This should have read: "The cut out is designed to close in case of any trouble on the circuit which the meter is measuring. On closing, this device cuts out both the meter and the lamps upon it and serves not only as protection to the meter but to the lamps it is measuring. A rise in potential around the lamps which are being measured, sufficient to cause trouble, will throw this cut-out into action, and absolutely preclude any danger to the meter or its circuit." REPORTS OF COMPANIES. SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, JANUARY 31, 1894. Before considering the present condition of your Company, your directors deem it proper to revert to its situation a year ago. It is believed that by so doing, a clearer statement of the existing condition of your Company can be madə. Your Company represents a practical union of the Edison Electric Light Company, the Edison General Electric Company, the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, and the Thomson-Houston International Electric Company. To acquire these Companies, your Company issued the following securities (except as to $100,000 of its common stock which was issued for cash): Of this amount, $8,159,264.02 was shown in the last report, as representing the cost to the General Electric Company of the Edison and Thomson-Houston patents and contract rights, and your interest in the patents of the Brush, Fort Wayne, and other allied companies. On January 31, 1893, your other assets were examined and valued, and a report on the condition of your Company was made to the stockholders at their annual meeting in April last. This examination was conducted under rigid instructions from your Board of Directors, that material on hand, stocks, bonds, customers' notes and accounts, etc., should be carefully scrutinized, and should be valued on a most conservative basis. The complex organization then existing (referred to further on in this report) and the fact that the amalgamation of the various interests represented by your Company had been so recent, made the task an especially difficult one at that time, but the statement made by those directly responsible to the Board, was, that the instructions of the Directors had been strictly carried out. Your Company had inherited stocks of manufactured goods in the principal cities in which District offices were located, from Boston in the East, and Atlanta in the South to San Francisco and Portland in the West. Notes and accounts receivable, stocks, bonds, and other assets were similarly distributed. Each District Office had exclusive charge of, and was presumably familiar with, the value of its own assets, and was largely independent of the General Office. This defective system, since abolished, rendered it exceedingly difficult to arrive at correct conclusions, and notwithstanding the efforts of the officers, it led to grave mistakes in the estimates of value of accounts, securities and inventories of merchandise. The Edison Company, to a small extent, and the Thomson-Houston Company (the organization of which was mainly adopted by your Company), to a greater extent, had been in the habit of doing more or less exploiting work, resulting in the acquisition of stocks and bonds of local lighting and railway companies. The Thomson-Houston Company had generally been very successful in marketing these securities at profitable figures. By the facilities which it had thus been able to afford to local enterprises, it was enabled to expand its business. Your Company at the time of its organization assumed a large number of such transactions which were in progress or contracted for. The general policy of your Board, however, since the organization of your Company, has been to curtail transactions involving the acceptance of stocks or bonds for anything other than license rights, except where for some special reason it has been deemed advisable to accept them, as in settlement of disputed or doubtful accounts. Among the most important transactions of the character above referred to were those with newly organized companies, and this class of business had been very extensive in the South and West. The financial and industrial collapse in these sections in the Spring and Summer of 1893, affected your Company severely, and very many accounts, notes and investments assumed as good a year ago, must now be recognized as of diminished value. The same is especially true as to the Northwest, where your Company's output was sold through the Northwest General Electric Company, formerly known as the Northwest ThomsonHouston Company. As you are aware, the Thomson-Houston Company had large interests in various construction and manufacturing companies, notably the above-mentioned Northwest Company, the Fort Wayne Electric Company, the Brush Electric Company, and others; the whole standing on its books at about $5,500,000. At the time of the last Annual Report, statements were obtained from the officers of such companies, and it was estimated that something less than one-half of this investment was represented by patent rights, and something over one-half by other assets. Unknown to your Board of Directors, some of these companies became unduly expanded during the Winter and Spring of 1892-3, and the stringency which began in April and culminated last Autumn, caused them to suffer greatly. Your Directors have reduced your entire holdings of Fort Wayne and Northwest stocks to a valuation of $1 each, exclusive of the amount carried in patents. After protracted negotiations, the Northwest Company has been put in liquidation, and the territory controlled by it has reverted to your Company. It is needless to say that the past year has been a most trying one to all cor porations. It has been especially so to companies like your own, dealing with local enterprises situated in all parts of the United States, and largely dependent on normal conditions for their success and development. During the Summer of 1893, even old and strong customers were obliged to ask for leniency in paying their accounts and notes. Under these circumstances, your Company found itself with its own obligations to meet, but unable at that time to collect the money with which to meet them. The difficulties thus presented were carefully considered by your Board and were met by selling to a syndicate certain of the Company's assets consisting of claims against, and stocks and bonds of, local lighting and railway companies, the same being of a class of which your Company sold several million dollars in 1892 and which your Directors, in their last report, (pages 6 and 7), said they intended to continue to sell from time to time as heretofore through the ordinary channels." The channels through which your Company usually made such sales having become unavailable owing to the panic, your Directors adopted a plan used on several occasions in the earlier days of the Thomson-Houston Company, and made the sale of assets above described to a syndicate which paid over $4,000,000 in cash. Although the transaction involved a large shrinkage from book valuations, the sale was at a price high under the conditions then prevailing. Few of the securities sold were listed on any exchange or commonly dealt in, and it was not possible to effect a ready sale except in bulk to a syndicate. These assets were placed in a trust known as " The Street Railway and Illuminating Properties." After the financial stringency had subsided, the right to subscribe to them was offered to the stockholders of your Company. The depreciation in value of the assets thus sold applies equally to those still on hand. Holders of stocks and bonds of almost every kind find them quoted today much lower than a year ago, and this Company, as a holder of electrical stocks and bonds, is no exception to the rule. In fact, the shrinkage in values of electrical securities has been greater than in most others. The last year has been characterized by shrinkage in every direction, and your Company has suffered severely from it. Since the combination of the Edison and Thomson-Houston Companies in 1892, your Directors have been earnestly endeavoring to simplify your organization. As a result of the union, your Company suddenly came into control of some twenty sub-companies, all engaged in active exploitation and having their own separate Boards of Directors and independent managements, with separate accounts and liabilities. At first your Board had little success in its efforts to centralize and simplify the organization, but the events of the last Summer emphasized the necessity of radical changes so unmistakably as to secure the cooperation necessary to effect the desired results. The "District Offices" are practically abolished, except as mere sales-offices. The business management of the Company has been concentrated at its principal office at Schenectady and its whole organization has been greatly simplified. All accounts are kept there, and all sales and credits are supervised there. So far as practicable, your manufacturing business has been and will be concentrated at Schenectady; and the operations of its other factories are now directed from there. During the short time since this change was effected, many advantages have accrued to the company from this concentration of the selling, accounting, manufacturing and engineering departments of the Company. Besides the shrinkage in the inventory value of the securities of local and other companies herein before mentioned, as sold and on hand, there is a shrinkage in the inventory value of apparatus and material at factories and storerooms and of machinery and fixtures at storerooms amounting to $2,382,012.94. This shrinkage is partly due to the fall in value of material manufactured and in process of manufacture, and partly to the development in electrical science which has been so great during the last year or two that apparatus which at the time of the last inventory was looked upon as commercial has been superseded by entirely new and superior types. Consequently, the older apparatus has become unsalable, or of slow sale, and most of it has been reduced to "scrap" value and the remainder to much less than cost. This reduction does not disclose all the improvement of the last six months. The indirect obligations of the company, arising from its endorsement of discounted Notes Receivable, were, six months ago, almost as embarrassing as its direct debt, as the larger part of them had to be provided for by your Company at maturity, their makers being unable to take care of them. To-day no paper is under discount except such as as it is believed will be paid by the makers; consequently the indirect obligations of the Company are nominal rather than real. At the date of this report, the direct obligations have been reduced to about $750,000.00, which are partly offset by about $400,000.00 cash on hand, and the paper under discount is reduced to about $750,000.00. In addition to the above, there are still outstanding some important guarantees given two years ago by the Thomson-Houston Company to the United Electric Securities Company, whereby in one form and another it is claimed that the Thomson-Houston Company (and, practically, the General Electric Company) is bound to take back from the Securities Company certain bonds of Local Companies at a valuation of $702,000. This liability has been in part arranged for by the substitution of other securities, and it is not thought that such guarantees will involve any considerable cash outlay, although their ultimate adjustment may result in some loss. Your Directors believe that the notes and accounts receivable, and such stocks, bonds, etc., as it is undesirable for the Company to hold permanently, can, with some delay and patience, be collected and marketed to such an extent as shall not only liquidate the small amount of remaining obligations, but shall also supply all necessary working capital. Earnest attention is being given to the sale of these assets. While the liquidation of the debt has been going on, the Company has also readjusted its basis for sales, either to cash or to short credits to desirable customers. In view of the extreme depression and the uncertainty as to the early future, your Directors have not felt justified in any other course than that of adhering strictly to sales on this basis. It is believed that your Company has lost little legitimate business in consequence of its curtailment of credit to custom. ers. It intends to confine its business to this basis, and to accept smaller profits. Your Directors do not believe that it will be possible for some time to come to do as large a business as was done by the Company prior to the panic, although a gradual improvement has been apparent during the last two months. The street railway business, which to a considerable extent was formerly done through syndicates and promoters, many of whom have become embarassed, promises to be smaller than during the previous year. Arc lighting business is also reduced, largely because of the inability of local companies to secure capital with which to extend their busiuess for the purpose of carrying out municipal contracts. The business of the Company, with respect to incandescent lighting, which is to a great degree performed by strong and conservatively managed local companies, is in a more healthy condition, and has not suffered so severely. The business in plants for the distribution of electrical power is promising, and many important installations are in progress. The application of electricity to various mining purposes, such as hauling, hoisting, drilling, etc., is increasing. 1,198,343 58 12,454,967.42 The substantial and permanent character of the business of local flluminating companies, distributing light and power by the methods, and protected by the patents, controlled by your Company, is more widely recognized year by year. The true interests of this Company lie in advancing the interests of its licensees in every possible way, and to this end prices of apparatus have been reduced during the past year, and the licensees will continue to receive from time to time, the benefit of further reductions in cost of manufacture. PATENTS. Substantial progress has been made during the year in the prosecution of suits against infringers of many of the more important patents belonging to the Company. The "feeder and main "patent which is of fundamental importance, particularly for low tension lighting plants, has been sustained by the Circuit Court for the District of New Jersey. The litigation on the incandescent lamp patent has been generally successful, although the most strenuous efforts have been made by infringers to defeat the patent or devise some form of lamp that would be outside of it. In two instances we have met with reverses in this litigation which have proved to be comparatively unimportant. In these instances we are advised there is a strong probability that we shall ultimately prevail. The efforts to evade the patent by socalled "lamp repairs," and by injecting a harmless amount of inert gas into the bulb. have been defeated. Our Counsel are hopeful that the Courts will so construe the law that the lamp patent will run for the full term for which it was granted, in spite of the fact that the situation is somewhat complicated by foreign patents. If we succeed in maintaining this position, the patent will be of substantial value to the Company for some years. Owing to the inevitable delays of litigation, the important cases on patents for railway work, upon which we place great reliance, have not yet come to hearing. It is expected that many of these cases will be determined during the coming year. No final decision has been rendered against the Company on any patent. During the past year several such suits against the Company have been decided in its favor, notably the suit on the patent for the hydro-carbon treatment of the filament of incandescent lamps which has been disposed of in our favor by the decision of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. Upon the whole, the patent situation seems to be promising, and we believe that at the next annual meeting we shall be in a position to report substantial progress. All expenditures for patents and patent rights during the year under review, and all expenses of patent litigation, have been charged to operating expenses. In explanation of the items in the Balance Sheet, your Directors deem it proper to state, as follows: MANUFACTURING PLANTS. In the last Annual Report, pages 8 and 9, the Edison General Electric Co.'s plants at Schenectady and Harrison were carried at The Thonson-Houston Co.'s plant at Lynn was carried at.. In addition there were sundry small machines and tools included in the report in the Lynn Factory's Inventory Account .. Making the total manufacturing plants on January 31, 1893. At Factories.. At Sales Offices (including consignments)..... Work in Progress.. Profit and Loss.. .... $2,677,548.09 Amounts now charged off: On Patents.... 1,240,066.77 Sold and on hand.. "Manufacturing Plants.. 40,918 35 During the year the sum of $884,659.11 has been expended in additions to the manufacturing plants, and their equipment. On the other hand the sum of $902,058.34 has been written off to Profit and Loss for depreciation, leaving the cost of such plants on the books $3,941,128.98, which is $17,399.23 less than they were carried at January 31, 1893. INVENTORY AND CONSIGNMENT. The supplies of raw material, manufactured goods, and goods in course of manufacture, at the factories, have been carefully inventoried, item by item, and a reduction of $1.217.142.81 has been made from the sum at which they were previously carried. The supplies of finished apparatus in the different local salesrooms of the Company and on consignment have been dealt with in the same manner, and the sum of $940,365.03 has been charged off on them. NOTES AND ACCOUNTS. As to the Notes and Accounts Receivable (of over 6,000 customers) there is, in many instances, among those whose duty it is to pass upon their value, a wide difference of opinion. They have been classified, item by item, and your Board has taken them at the lowest suggested valuation. The amount includes $2,531,609.88 due by the Fort Wayne, North West and other allied interests. WORK IN PROGRESS. This represents the amount charged up against installations in progress, and is believed to be valued safely. ORGANIZATION. Numerous vacancies, principally due to resignations, have occurred in your official organization during the year and have been filled as indicated in the list of officers which accompanies this report. The selections to fill such vacancies have, in every instance, been made in recognition of general merit and of fitness especially displaved during the severe strain of the last eight months. During the year, the entire internal organization of your Company has been readjusted and the number of departments has been reduced. This has resulted in a large saving of expense and increased efficiency. Your Board now feels that the personnel of your organization is adjusted in a manner where few changes among subordinates are likely to be made in the early future, and a general appreciation of this fact will lead to more efficient work than was possible during the transition period. C. A. COFFIN, President. CR. General Electric Co.'s Surplus, January 31, 1893. $499,893.62 1,655.150.50 195,457.31 241.877.52 $2,592,378.95 733,870.75 10,444,318 78 902,058.34 2,157,507.84 224,505.10 125,205.31 $17,179,845.07 $1,024,954.56 3,189,884.37 Manufacturing and Selling Profits after Deducting General Expenses.. Dividends and Interest on Stocks and Bonds Owned. Interest, Discount and Exchange.. Debit Balance Carried Forward. 433.293.06 76,745.63 12,454.967.42 $17,179,845.07 Brush Electric Co. (Pref.) "(Pref. Guaranteed) 66 "(Com.). Canadian General Electric Co... Electric Corporation. (Subscription.). E. C. Morris Safe Co. (Pref.).. Excelsior Electric Co... Fort Wayne Electric Co... Fort Wayne Trust Securities. (Series A.) Pennsylvania General Electric Co. Schuyler Electric Mfg. Co. (Com.).. Address. Par Value. Total (carried on the Balance Sheet at $2,767,157.58). $26,300.00 96,500,00 1,995,200.00 1,250,000.00 28,200.00 3,600.00 387,000.00 1,921,850 00 9,776.00 365,000.00 549,850.00 174,000.00 468,000.00 50,000.00 84,000.00 307,930.00 33,000.00 6,400.00 500,000.00 23,100 00 $8,279,706.00 In addition to the above the Company own stocks of various other manufacturing, etc., companies of a total par value of $6,037,310.00 which are carried on the Balance Sheet at a total value of $313.00. INVENTORS' RECORD. CLASSIFIED DIGEST OF U. S. ELECTRICAL PATENTS ISSUED MARCH 27 AND APRIL 3, 1894. MARCH 27. Accumulators : Secondary Battery, G. L. Ballard, Toronto, Can., 517,018. Filed April 27, 1893. Relates to the arrangement for supporting the grids within the cell. Apparatus for Supplying or Removing Storage Batteries, W. E Worthen, New York, 517,134. Filed Aug. 5, 1893. Alarms and Signals: Electric Calling Apparatus, D. H. Rice, Dec'd., C. M. Williams, W. R. Ches ter and L. H. Rice, Executors, Brookline, Mass., 517,299. Filed Feb. 11, 1892. Electrical Apraratus for Controlling Signals, M. B. Leonard, Richmond, Va., 517,419. Filed June 17, 1893. An interlocking electrical block signal system for steam railways. Dynamos and Motors:— Electric Motor or Dynamo Electric Machine, J. W. Henderson, Philadelphia, Pa., 517,105. Filed Nov. 1, 1890. Employs an armature having independent sets of coils of unequal length and independent commutators for the respective sets. Heating: Electric Heater, L. Rowley, Ashland, Wis., 517,170. Filed Jan. 28, 1893. Consists of a plurality of tubes of non-conducting material containing resistances, and means for varying the resistance of the material within the tube. Lamps and Appurtenances :— Incandescent Electric Lamp, R. P. Ashwell, Newark, N. J., and G. W. Tuttle, New York, 517,017. Filed Aug. 11, 1893. Claim 1 follows: An incandescent electric lamp having an inclosing glass bulb and stopper, films reduced from a solution or paste of a metallic compound applied on the adjacent surfaces of said bulb and stopper, and solder or similar material uniting said films, to form an air tight joint. Electrode for Arc Lamps, S. Heimann, New York, 517,042. Filed Sept. 15, 1893. Consists of a mixture of powdered ashes, carbon, plumbago, asbestos and a binding substance. Electric Lamp, F. C. Rockwell, Hartford, Conn., 517,069. Filed Nov. 6, 1893. Claim 1 follows: An electric lamp receiver consisting of a transparent globe, and a base molded to fit the open mouth of the globe to which it is sealed, said base being grooved so as to render it elastic. Measurement : Electrical Measuring Instrument, R. M. Hunter, Philadelphia, Pa., 517,162. Filed March 12, 1893. Depends for its action upon an expansible conductor influenced by the current to be measured. Electrical Indicator, A. E. Kennelly, Orange, N. J., 517,183. Filed Oct. 26, 1892. Employs a magnet of constant strength between the poles of which is a pivoted armature controlling a pointer movable over a graduated scale. Galvanometer, E. G. Willyoung, Philadelphia, Pa., 517,253. Filed June 23, 1893. Miscellaneous : Electric Appliance for Dumb-Waiters, J. H. Roberts, Brooklyn, N. Y., 517,169. Filed Sept. 11, 1893. Valve, J. E. Stannard, Springfield. Mass., 517.199. Filed July 24, 1893. 1891. Relates to the construction of interior wiring conduit. Electrical Keyboard, C. E. Allen, Salem, Mass., 517,402. Filed Dec. 29, 1893. A keyboard for electrical typewriting or type printing machines employing circuit closing keys having mercury contact. Electric Elevator, F. E. Herdman, Winnetka, Ill., re-issue 11,408. Filed Dec. 29. 1891. Relates to the arrangement of the switches and circuit connections. Electrically Operated Elevator, F. E. Herdman, Winnetka, Ill., re-issue 11,409. Filed Dec. 29, 1891. Employs a worm shaft, a lever moving with the shaft and having a tension device connected with it, and intermediate connection between the lever and the source of power. Railways and Appliances : Electric Railway Trolley, F. S. Church, Detroit, Mich., 517,028. Filed Apl. 17, 1893. Claim 1 follows: A trolley formed of two wheels having complementary grooved beveled faces. Trolley Catcher, L. G. Mowry, Buffalo, N. Y., 517,166. Filed Dec. 11, 1893. Electrical Railway, B. Bidwell, Philadelphia, Pa., 517,258. Filed Jan. 8, 1885. Has for its object to place the cars in telephonic communication with the station along the line of way. Switches and Cut-Outs : Electric Switch, J. S. Gibbs, Hartford, Conn., 517,100. Filed Oct. 4, 1833. A rotary lock switch for incandescent circuits. Safety Cut-Out for Electrical Apparatus, H. Lemp & M. J. Wightman, Hartford, Conn., 517,120. Filed July 31, 1886. An automatic cut-out especially adapted to series incandescent lamps. Circuit Closer, C. E. Allen, Mass., 517,401. Filed Dec. 29, 1893. Consists of a push button and a mercury contact. Telephones and Apparatus :— Single Line Telephone System, J. I. Sabin & W. Hampton, San Francisco, Cal., 517,243. Filed Mch. 13, 1893. Provides means whereby one of two connected subscribers may transmit to the operator a selective signal instead of the usual disconnecting signal. Telephone Switch, F. R. Colvin, New York, 517,263. Filed Dec. 6, 1893. Claim 1 follows: A telephone switch provided with a tilting hook or support for the telephone, the free end of the hook normally pointing upward, the angle of tilt to shift the switch to its abnormal position being sufficient to cause the hook to point downward to shed the telephone. APRIL 3. Accumulators: Process of Manufacturing Active Material for Secondary Batteries, W. A. Boese, Berlin, Germany, 517,427. Filed June 27, 1893. The process consists in mixing a metallic oxide with a sulphonic acid of anthracene, or its analogues and simultaneously removing electrolytically soluble compounds. Secondary Cell or Battery, G. B. Henry, Hartford, Conn., 517,455. Filed June 21, 1893. Employs an electrolyte composed of a spongy mass of flaxseed mixed with dilute sulphuric acid. Alarms and Signals : Electric Burglar Alarm, J. Frame & R. B. Morden, Cooper, Iowa, 517,450, Filed Dec. 26, 1893. Burglar Alarm Spring, M. T. Gordon, Stapleton, N. Y., 517,547. Filed Dec. 12, 1893. Conductors, Conduits and Insulators : Insulating Compound, A. Gentzsch, Vienna, Austria-Hungary, 517,452. Filed Oct. 7, 1893. Consists of ozokerite, asphalt and amber from which the gas, vapors and oils have been removed Insulating Tube, M. Robinson, Newton, Mass., 517.591. Filed Jan. 6, 1894. 1893. Dynamos and Motors : Electric Motor, W. J. Still, Toronto, Can., 517,668. Filed Mch. 3, 1893. Employs arc shaped magnets and armatures, each of the latter completing the arc of the former as it rotates, the polar faces of both being substantially parallel. Electric Motor, W. J. Still, Toronto, Can., 517,669. Filed Mch. 3, 1893. Governor for Electric Motors, J. F. Winter, Baltimore, Md., 517,714. Filed Employs two sets of stationary contacts within a closed box insulated where they pass through the walls of the box and each set arranged in a part circle concentric with the shaft, and a shunt lever in the box mounted upon the shaft. Lamps and Appurtenances:— Incandescent Lamp, A. C. Carey, Lake Pleasant, Mass., 517,432. Filed Feb. 3, 1894. Employs a butt of moldable non-conducting material shaped to fit any socket, having external grooves, contact pieces molded in the end and leadingin wires laid in the grooves. Miner's Safetu Lamp, J. Graham and H. Chapman, Morley, Eng., 517,520. Electric Synchronizer for Clocks, H. S. Prentiss, Elizabeth, N. J., 517,480. Employs a generator driven from the axle, and storage batteries in circuit with the generator. Process of Filtering and Purification of Liquids, L. Wagner, J. Marr and H. Campbell, Baltimore, Md., 517 499. Filed Sept. 12, 1893. Feeding Mechanism for Magnetic Separators, G. Conkling, Glens Falls, N. Y, 517,734. Filed June 25, 1891. Amalgamator, N. L. Raber, Corvallis, Oregon, 517,767. Filed Apl. 8, 1893. Railways and Appliances : Induction Electric Railway, C. E. Roehl, St. Joseph, Mo., 517,531. Filed May 4, 1833. Employs a continuous iron core in the road bed and a series of primary coils located upon the core, in combination with a moving vehicle carrying a secondary core and coil in inductive relation to the primary core. Conduit Electric Railway, W. C. Keithly, San Francisco, Cal., 517,549. Filed Sept. 17, 1892. Relates to special designs of the trolley and the supporting device. Conduit Electric Railway, H. A. Goreham, Decatur, Ill., 517,692. Filed Aug. Circuit Maker, J. Weaver, Canandaigua, N. Y., 517,502 Filed Sept. 30, 1893. Electric Switch, R. Mackie, New York, 517,582. Filed Aug. 7, 1893. Employs a contact bar moved over a series of terminals against the tension of a spring and an electrically actuated releasing device. Electrical Switch, E. Ruebel, St. Louis, Mo., 517,664. Filed Sept. 9, 1893. Consists of a folded metallic band having a layer of enamel interposed between the folds. Electric Switch, C. F. Speed, E. W. Barker and C. P. Frank, Duluth, Minn., 517,773. Filed Dec. 1, 1893. A three point switch capable of regulating two independent circuits. System for Controlling Electric Lights, W. F. Bradner, Denver, Colo., 517,812. Filed May 12, 1893. Has for its special object the controlling of lamps from any number of points on an incandescent circuit. Telephones and Apparatus : Microphone, W. Deckert, Vienna, Austria-Hungary, 517,564. Filed Mch. 1, 1893, In a telephone, the combination with a chair, or means of support for the body of the speaker, of a transmitter the housing of which is firmly attached to some part of said chair or other support upon and against which the body of the speaker rests, and suitable receiver. Magneto Telephone, S. D. McKelvey, Canton, Ohio, 517,763. Filed Sept. 13, 1893. Claim 1 follows: A receiver for telegraphic, telephonic, phonautographic and other apparatus, having a shell formed in two equal and similar parts which are united by a screw-cap and a handle engaged with the ends of said shell. Magneto Telephone, S. D. McKelvey, Canton, Ohio, 517,764. Filed Dec. 6, 1893. Employs an amplifying device to which is pivotally connected a rigid arm whose other end is provided with divergent points attached to the transmitting diaphragm in or between different nodal circles. Trade Notes and Novelties AND MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT. THE HARRISON INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE CO. AMONG the many telephone enterprises coming into public view nowadays the Harrison company distinguishes itself by the issue of a prospectus disclosing a remarkably comprehensive plan; some elements of which are:-Capital stock $80,000,000, of which, it is said, none is for sale; an array of directors and officers comprising a considerable number of gentlemen who have been prominently before the public in a variety of capacities these many years; and the Harrison international telephone ("electric, not magnetic") together with an exchange system, "magnetic bells, lightning arresters, switchboards, both automatic and manual, generators and all other devices." The company proposes to rent, not sell, its telephones. The patents on its many devices, the prospectus says, "are all valid, having been tested in the highest Courts." Should this leave anything to be desired on the patent question it is reassuring to learn that "prominent patent attorneys have stated as their opinion that these patents are original and sound." The directors of the Harrison International Telephone Co. are: Stephen B. Elkins, ex-Secretary of War; R. C. Kerens, of St. Louis; George R. Peck, Counsel for the Santa Fe system of railroads, of Chicago; Thos. J. Hurley, Fort Worth, Texas; C. M. A the apparatus described is the best in the world, or that it is superior to that of other makers. In fact, the existence of the latter is not even hinted at. Excellent illustrations are given and the text is concise and confines itself to the subject in hand. A quantity of testimonial letters in fac simile occupy the latter pages and show far better than any high sounding claims and self-laudation could do, the excellence of the apparatus to which they refer. Modesty in trade catalogues is always refreshing and should have its reward. THE QUEEN-LECHATELIER PYROMETER. THE accompanying illustrations show a pyrometer modified by Queen & Co., Philadelphia, from the construction of M. LeChatelier, which is based upon the principle of measuring the electric current generated by the heating of a thermo-electric junction. It consists of a thermo-electric couple and a D'Arsonval galvanometer. The wires which compose the couple are one of pure platinum, and the other of platinum alloyed with 10 per cent. of rhodium, both of which are perfectly homogeneous. For use, the couple, which has been first connected with the galvanometer, is inserted into the furnace or oven, when immediately a current is produced and measured on the galvanometer scale, from which the temperature is readily deduced. The pyrometer is claimed to have the following advantages: It is adapted for a very large range of temperature, i. e., from 200 to 3,000 degrees Fah., but is intended more specially for high temperatures such as are met with in the manufacture of metals, chemicals, porcelain ware, etc. It is almost instantaneous in its indications, five seconds being sufficient to subject the couple to any stationary temperature; or the couple may, if desired, be left permanently in the furnace or oven, indicating at all times the temperature, and thus enabling the operator to keep an hourly record. The metals which compose the couple are not affected by gases and hence will not become oxidized or react chemically on each other at high temperatures; nor are they altered in their FIGS. 1 AND 2.-QUEEN-LECHATELIER PYROMETER. Ferree, Kansas City, Mo.; Robert P. Porter, ex-Superintendent of the Census, of New York; William Warner, Kansas City; L. E. Ingalls, Chicago; H. M. Holden, banker, Kansas City; A. L. Stone, Chicago, and Dr. Harrison, the inventor of the instruments; the secretary of the company is Hon. Patrick Egan, exMinister to Chili. These names speak for themselves. The above illustration shows one of the wall telephone sets of the Harrison company. THE LODGE & SHIPLEY MACHINE TOOL CO. "Machine Tools for the Rapid Production of Lathe Work" is the title of a well printed little pamphlet recently published by the Lodge & Shipley Machine Tool Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio, and devoted to a description of the more important of their lathes, boring, drilling, tapping, facing and milling machines and brass workers. One cannot help being impressed and delighted, in glancing over its pages, with the straightforward and dignified manner in which the simple facts are set forth. The reader is not told that thermo-electric properties by rough usage or bends. The instrument is, therefore, of great accuracy and durability. The measurement of the temperature is made by means of a D'Arsonval galvanometer, contained in two wooden boxes, which are screwed against a central wall or slab as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the two boxes unscrewed from the central slab and placed in their respective positions against the wall. The box A contains the galvanometer proper, and is also provided with set screws and a small plumb bob, so that it may be set vertically. Box B contains the lamp, having a lens and window with crosshairs for throwing an image upon the galvanometer mirror in box A, which in turn reflects it back upon the scale in box B, where there are two set screws for adjusting it vertically. The two boxes are set one metre apart. The current set up by the thermo-electric couple enters the galvanometer through the two binding posts in box A, and the deflection caused by it is shown upon the scale in box B. This scale is graduated in millimetres and it is necessary therefore that a curve be made reducing these millimetres to degrees Fahrenheit or Centigrade. This curve is very simply made from known melting points. |