"'*' e‘thl'mlgh with-in getting the coal-from the:
"-1! to the‘rconsu'mer of New-York City’would
Edi =‘3"specia'l article.- A limited space-per-
" "onlyofgmentioning the fact athat the mill;
‘ , Of--tonsof coal brought from the minesby.
'3 railroads are dumped in' trestles at South
"baron-Beading and Liberty, N. J.’ Here
9.9021} is loaded on to barges, and thus brought
1mm.the.limits of.the 'city. In the world of
' ' '- 0: the coal 'question'pi‘ays an important.
" ' There'arelrcertain groupsofvroads known
- anthracite coal' reads and bituminous roads; -
'Jflllnca few- years _the dividends 'onvsomecf.
'eae coaircarryin'g railroads have amounted to.
’_ high-as '7-- per cent per, annum. During the,
r1898 there'has been‘considerable' complaint
nth?» general coal trade regarding.- prices. It
: ‘ been claimed that there, was an: overpro-
" tion; 'All ~through 'the' ‘summer' months, ,it_
' claimed that certain? ofr‘the filarge (com-
'= uia ”were cutting rates, especially :through—'
n the West. Here in New-York prices were
y well maintained. There have ‘been nu-
el‘cms meetings of the presidents of the coal
I‘ds during the summer, and the effort was
rude to curtail production so as more evenly to
; - te the'market.
The seven greatest coal-producing States-in
e Union are: Pennsylvania, 36,174,089 tons;
tnois,12,104,272 tons; Ohio, 9,976,787 tons;
{651: Virginia, 6,231,880 tons; Iowa, 4,095,358
u.- Alabama, 3,572,983 tons, and Maryland,
339,715 tons annual output The bulk of this
.. finds its way to tidew-ater. The coal field
hich Surrounds Pittsburg is 15,000 square miles
. extent, and covers an area of 8,000,000 acres
f ground. The upper seam is estimated to
attain 53,216,430,000 tons of coals. .
The total output of coke in the United States
. over 10,000,000 tons a year, and the total ex-
cu't 98,509 tons. .
There are 393,309 persons employed in the
cal—mining industry in this country, and 040,-
-i in Great Britain. The difference in num-
.- is due t6 the machinery in use here. .
The coal trade of‘the ‘NeW—York canals." is
omputed to be 747,063 tons per'annum.
Of the total annual output in America of
40,000,000 tops “of“ coal, 128,162,195 tons is
iturninous-‘a'nd‘ the balance is anthraéite coal.
his total annual output compares favorably
ith that of the countries of Central [Europe-—
-rmany, 700,000,000 tons; France, 2o,000,000
ons, and Belgium, 20,000,000 tons.
The yearly production in other countries is:
reat Britain. 188,000,000 tons; Austria-Hun-
ary, 17,000,000 tons; ,flussia, 6,250,000 tons;
ustralasia, 4,000,000 tons; Japan, 300,000
nns‘. Spain, 1,700,000 tons; Italy, 300,000 tons
nd Sweden, 200,000 tons. It is not at all un-
ely that before this century closes the pro-
uction in the United States will entitle it to the _
rst position in the coal—producing countries of
-e world.
.2
_______._______
7EW-YORK’S BIG GAS COMPANIES.
‘ILLIONS 0F CUBIC FEET ANNUALLY CON-
:SUMED—ENORMOUS GASOMETERS 'FOR
~ . STORAGE—COMPETITION AND ‘CON-
SOLIDATION—THE PRICE-
- SITUATION.
In every large city the systems. for lighting
lay an important part. New-York, with its
housands of stores, houses and apartments, its
nut'acturing plants, warehouses and office
ujldings, pays out annually millions and mill-
ons of dollars for the gas it consumes. There
2 e several companies engaged in manufactur-
ng the product, and the patronage of the city
'5 dividedi'hm'ong them.- One of the tendencies
-f the present time is consolidation, and in this
espect the gas companies are leaders. Of the
. any companies started in‘the city, a majority
nf them have been merged into the few big
ompanies which now control the business.
I ere has been considerable agitation among
coal and State politicians at various times look— -
g toward a regulation of gas rates on the
asis of $1 a thousand feet. The “dollar gas”
ry rang out for a short time only. In some
Hay or other it was smothered at Albany. The
resent price is $1 15 a thousand feet, which is
bout as near the dollar limit mark as could be
sked for. There are certain individuals who
ook upon anyand all gas companies as a
onopoly of monopblies, and if they could have
eir way the companies would be required to
uurnish their product to the consumer for noth-
ng. But the stockholders of the companies
urotest that they are not in the business for
eir health, and that the profits now made are
n a fair basis for the amount of capital in-
‘olved and the risks assumed. During the pres—
-t‘ fall there have been repeated rumors that
ne or two of the big gas companies had begun
- “gas war." ‘This meant that the consumer
was to be the gainer until one or the other of
the two companies gave up the fight. Solici-
tors of the two companies, it was related, made
a houseto house canvass, offering ranges and
_a,s radiators free of charge, making an offer
of rewards to the janitor of flats if he succeeded
in getting. customers for the company, and other
inducements more or less enticing. The electric
lighting companies also created a little flurry,
early-in'the fall by announcing that by reduc-
ing rates they would try to compete with some
of the gas companies in’ special lines of business
like the lighting of dwellings, and small stores.
All in' 3.11;; the gas companies have their hands
full at~ the present day. There seems to be no
questigiji'regarding the profits of thegas com-
panies‘dfthe Stock Exchange quotations count
for anything. A glance at the prices of this
morning} will show that gas stock is amOng the
best in the market.
The amount of capital invested in these: set- I
curities «is estimated at about $100,000,000.i
Only writhin .the. last-yearnor so there Was in-
corporated at Albary a new gas comrany, with
a capital-cf 'over $20.000,01X);:s “The-numerous
gasom’éter’s' of the? different plants have ~ a astor- ,-
ir’i'g 'capacit‘y;0fa1,000,000 cubic 'feet: each. '7‘ There
are morethan twenty-fiverofxthese in New...
York alone. to say nothing of those in Brooklyn
and the other portions of the city of New-York.
The largest one of these is located at Avenue D
and Welfthfst It is builtof steel, is 192 feet
in diameter; and ' has a storage capadity of
4.500.000 cubic" feet; In‘ 1890, 'when" the price of
gas was $125, according 'to legislative enact;
ment'it was estimated that the annual obn-
sumption in New-York amounted to 15,000,000,—
000 cubic feet. Since that time the reduction
in price. and the active competition among the
companies have caused these figures to;-s_weil
enormously. This has also been aided by the
use of gas ranges and gas radiators, the rent-
ing of which has been-pushed extensively. The
-,.,
»4.
the . borough of _Manhattan _is'. not far" from 5 five‘
hundred -thousand; while“‘.in“Brooklyn "and 'the'
other boroughs .the‘ number "will‘be fully one-7,
half-of "this—number. The-“billet the city‘cf-New-
.York for allfkinds of lighting, including gas and
lyn company has a capital .of..$35,'000,000. Wméh
equals .rthatxof the largest New—York company. ‘
proud :of the»quaiity .ot‘» the gas "they produce,
”They claim it 'is the" best gasmade "or sold in
nthe .-.world.~ its -standard.t'-candle-power-' is 2",-
while that of London'- is 16.3, and Parievonlylfi.
The-.price of gas-in..London is only '60 cents-
'x:iary .use' and 87~cents for public use per”1,000
.cubic feet. » . » ,~ - .
The-“manufacture of gas has brought into ac-_
‘ tiverempioyment gas engineers, gas-burner mak~
ers, makers of gas ranges, gas fitters, gas fixture
makers, gaspipe and gas machine manufact-
urers; ' ' ' >
In New-York City and vicinity about five hun-_
dred concerns are engaged in building gas ap-
paratus, burners, retorts and othergasworks
or construction work used in the manufacture
and distribution of gas. These different firms
and manufacturers have as a rule very large
capital in use. The building of gas works in-
volves the expenditure of large sums of money,
and the manufacturer undertaking these con-_
tracts must be provided with ample capital for
properly carrying on the work.
There are several different processes of manu-
facturing gas. The coal gas and the water gas
are the two most important ones. _The water
gas is the superior quality. It has an illumi-
nating power of twenty-four candles, or one—
third more than the coal gas, which is only
eighteen candle-power. 'Man-y hundreds of thou-h,
sands of tons of coal are annually consumed in
the manufacture of. gas in .this city. It is esti-..
mated that one ton of bituminous coal is rc-
quired to make 10,000 cubic feet» of coal gas, and
~much more to 'make a similar'quantity (if water
gas. Over 1,600,000 tons of coal would; there-
fore, be required to manufacture “$15,000,000,—
000 cubic feet of gas consumed~in~New~York
City during 1896. The industry gives employ-
ment to many thousands’ of citizens.
__.___...___.__———
PHONOG’RAPHIC’ WONDERS.
A TALKING MACHINE IS NOW A FAMILIAR OB-
JECT IN. THOUSANDS OF HOMES—-
ITS COMMERCIAL USE.
The talking machine, a few years ago an awe—
inspiring scientific mystery with which the pub-
lic occasionally came in contact in exhibition
halls, is now, in the form of the graphophone, a
familiar object in thousands of homes. The im—
provements that distinguish the perfected
graphophone from the earlier forms of talking
machines are in the way of simplification and
consequent reduction in cost and increased ease
of operation, and at the same time in a nearer
approach to absolute naturalness in recording
and reproducing sound. The graphophone is so
free from mechanical intricacies that a mo»
ment’s study suffices to master it. When the
graphopho‘ne's matchless powers of entertain-
ment are considered, its value is great. The
has a tympanum or diaphragm that, like the
tympanum of the ear, vibrates in unison with
the sound ,lwaves that beat against it, but does
more than the car’s tympanum, for it makes a
permanent record of what it hears.
Like the voice, the graphOphone sets in mo-
tion the waves of sound, but it is not limited, as
the voice is, to the production of a comparative-
ly few sound waves, as the graphophone rules
over the whole realm of sound. Thus every
musical tone, simple or complicated, from the
most delicate thread of sound of a single instru—
ment to the melodious crash of a great military
band, can be recreated by the graphophone.
In homes remote from the pleasures of the
city one having a graphophone may without
trouble and at small expense listen at will to
the latest music of the opera-house or concert
hall, as rendered by the greatest artists, or hear
the voices of famous comedians in laughter-
provoking monologues.
An interesting and important use of the
graphophone is that of language teaching. A
graphophone cylinder on which an exercise in a
foreign language has been recorded by a teacher
becomes, so to speak, a living textbook that
talks to the'pu-pil—a- patientinstructor that re-
peats words and sentences uncomplainingly as
often as desired. In this way the ear. and
tongue quickly acquire familiarity with foreign
words‘ as they are spoken.
The value .of the graphophone as a mechanical
amanuensis and substitute for the stenographer
racy, the constant readiness and the economy of
uenses have brought it into favor and use in the
largest business establishments. ’
The graphophone has been adopted by many
houses having large correspondence, because
with its aid business can be dispatched more
easily; quickly and accurately than ‘with human
amanuenses. 9
' Graphophones for office Work are made with
clockwork motors that will run‘ continuously
about an hour at one winding.
.__.___._._.__
MASONS' SUPPLIES;
The building trade, like all others, has felt the
improvement in business, and reports are en-
couragln‘g and satisfactory in that" line. Al-
though the business or supplying masons’ build-
ing material is practically a local one, there are
some eighteen concerns engaged in it who do‘ in
the course of a 'year' between $8,000,000and
$10,000,000 worth of business. . , _
Notwithstanding the many firms who bid for
-this local patronageihe general condition is at
present- such, that all .of. them seem . to- have
plenty-to do.-- The business includes the handling
.33: brick: lime-,1 dath, ”marten," cement and ihair.‘
{The-dealers rin» .mcst ~ cases buy~ =‘tlaeseu articles
, ~hem are themselvesdaterestedin- .the brick;
manufacturing industry.
-.; There has been a. decided growth In the trade
during the last-year, and “present indications
point to a volume of businessfalr in advance of,
'any preceding season. ' ‘ " ' ' -'
reSidences;:and business houses...for- which con-
tradts are now being given out, and the prose
pect of generally improved times, which will
give an impetus to building,'have created a de-
-mand for building material to anticipatefuture
'needs. The business of supplying building ma-
terial is one which affords a means of employ-
-ment' to many persons, and it is estimated that
some two thousand men are engaged. by“ the
Miner of meters in use at the present time in
local firms as agents, truckmen and clerks.
electric, is af,.large1oné,“.amounting"to. "a sum?
greatlyin excess of, $1,500,000. ‘ -The'"big .Brook—»
_ i The gas :manufacturers 'of New-York , are ‘ , -
ber- 1,000 cubic feet,:.and'.'in Paris $175 fOrbrdié‘ ‘,
graphophone is both the ear and the voice. It -
cannot be overestimated. The absolute accu-'
the mechacical as compared with human amana
'The large number? of‘new buildings, including -
-; . H
‘.
TALKING MACHINES ADVANCE-
_— l
LARGE INCREASE IN THE OUTPUT OF THE AMERICAN
' - GRAPIIOPHONE COMPANY.
‘1
A only IMPORTANT ADJUNCT IN A BUSINESS OFFICE”
-
The invention of the talking machine gave
birth to an industry ’which has reached sur-
prising proportions. One of the-largest manu-
facturing plants in the city of Bridgeport, Conn,
is devoted to the fabrication of Graphophones.
Graphophones are manufactured under patents
granted to Alexander Graham Bell, Charles
Sumner Tainter, Thomas A. Edison and Thomas
» 0
man
it
’l
H‘
. .l
H. Macdonald, and represent the very furthest
advance in the talking machine art. The Amer-
ican Graphophone Company that owns and
operates these patents established itself as a
manufacturing concern in Bridgeport not long
after the first patents were issued to Messrs.
Bell and Tainter, in 1887. It is only in recent
years, however, that the company has engaged
extensively in actual manufacturing, and now
its plant is the leading establishment in the
world for goods of this class. The company’s
prosperity began with theinauguration of the
present management, wlen Mr. E. D. Easton
became its president, and the Columbia Phono—
graphCompany, a concern organized by Mr.
Easton in the early days of the talking machine,
became the-sole Sales agent of the manufactur-
ing cempany. , Thus it isthat to thewgeneral.
public the Columbia Phon’ograph Company is
perhaps better known than ”the “Ainerican
GraphOphone Company, for rthe product of the
~latter'is advertised and handled exclusively by
the Columbia, Phonograph Company. ~ ~
The factory 'of the American Graphophone
.C‘ompany occupies a large_,bui_l_d_ing,.or rather a
detached pomp-housed" These buildingslvafford
considerablyover 160,000:square'feet of floor.
space given .up to'the manufacture of Grapho-
phones and accessories. The most interesting
series of. buildings; in-_,_;Ra;-‘lroad-ave.,',.Bridge-- ,
:‘directf-from the, manufacturers; thtmgh a’feW' infill??? 7150““ ihéfNa-IYJ N’i‘iHE 1.1811151 H R Réf" »
‘w;herfe :it _is"a'"co'nspic'uouséobject. to the pas?
sengers: on the."-eipress «rains: flying :betwe‘en,
-: :New-‘York and Boston? The buildings consist of
~two long structures, ‘each‘i‘xO'féetjiwide by 400
in l‘engthtconnectéd byk‘gan' "LXZfor. wing and a'_ _
l
ing of the recorders andreproducers, the fash-
ioning of the wax cylinders used to receive
sound records, and the making of the music
records sold for entertainment purposes. .Othet
parts of the Graphophone, the metal frame, the
mandrel and the motor, are manufactured just
as other metal contrivances are made, and there '
is nothing especially novel about their produc-
tion. A Graphophone consists of a motor, of a.
mandrel revolved by the motor, and which car-'
ries the wax cylinder. and a recorder or repros
ducer that rests upon the cylinder and is moved
to and fro by means of a feed.screw.. ,The re'~,.,'_
corder or reproduce'r is about the smallest “part
of the machine, but it is in this that all-1&9".
virtue lies. The recorders now used are mad'er'of‘j’ " V I
aluminu .11, glass and sapphire. The diaphragm.
is a round disc of roll-plate glass, audit is held
in place in a case made of aluminum. At-
tached to the diaphragm is a small chisel-
shaped point of sapphire, which, as it impinges
upon the revolving wax cylinder, engraves' a.
sound-record. An interesting part of the factory :
is that where the sapphire points are made. I The .
sapphire comes to the factory in rough, lumps, I
which are sawed up first into slabs. then into -'
thin sticks, which again are cut into nude—dived"? “ I
These cubes are ground and polished until they '
assume the shape desired. The ball attached to .
like the chisel or
Sap-
a reproducing diaphragm,
stylus of a recorder, is made of Sapphire.
phire is used because it is the hardest of min-
erals, excepting the diamond. In its spiral
journey around a cylinder the recording knife,
or the reproducing ball, travels about 250 feet,
an experience Which will, after one or him repe- "
titions, so wear and blunt a steel stylus or ball ‘1
as to render it useless. At times it has been so :
difficult. to. secure in the market a sufficient '
quantity of sapphire that could be worked as to
seriously interfere with the industry.
.> The. demand for talking machines has in-
creased wonderfully during the last year, a fact '
that has accounted for" the rapid extension of _
the Graphophone "factory, 'which ,a year ago p:
occupied less than one—sixth of the space now .
used. ~Ab'out one thousand men are' now- em-'
L ployed in the factory, and the output is expected ‘
'50.,“ a; reach 1,000 Graphophonés- a. day.- (The
great majority of these Graphophones are ‘of the '_
”type used for amusement ,pdrxibses, but the may .:
‘cfhines intended feradictntingjpurposes are com- Tr '
lhg- rapidly : to the-front, an'df‘fcn-‘m‘now a very
encounters-critic,zdan'ylEvolve--1.5.
the American Graphophone Company 2 is now
represented by _handSOme’ executive Offices in the
BowlingGreen Building, and sales department:- f
at, TWenty;seventh—st. and Broadway aural. '
g-Liberty-st. and Broadway, and in: Chicago, St.
Louis, -Philadelphia, Washington, iBaltimore,
"BuffaIO‘and' San 'Francisco by attractive and
spacious salesrooms. , The company has invaded
"processes employed in the; factory. are 'those ' Europe, and“ established- transatlantic. head:
peculiar to\the GraphOphone—that is, the mak- l' quarters ion the Boulevard des Italiens. in Paris.
" Through: the-(301nm ia: Phonograph Company ._ ‘. .
AA_-fi~.-4
Norwalk Chronicler