Wireless electricity at a 19th century industrial exhibition

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

At the end of the 19th century, the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park hosted a world industrial exhibition, where all the advanced technologies were presented. A special feature of the exhibition was wireless electricity generation …

Exhibition, where for the first time "machines united"

Hyde Park was originally a hunting reserve for the royal family, and it was not until the 17th century that it was opened to the public. When in 1840 the House of Commons received 2 proposals to organize fairs in Hyde Park every year, they were "rejected" for reasons of public safety - because they would be the source of endless riots and unrest among the lower classes, ending with a lot of trauma. It would be really ridiculous when all sober people seek to abolish the Bartholomew's Fair in the city in order to create a similar one in the most beautiful part of the metropolis, next to the palace. This is how the refusal was explained in those days.

However, in 1851 an exhibition was held there, which was planned from the very beginning as a temporary one. Therefore, the Crystal Palace - Crystal Palace was planned as a temporarily constructed structure. The idea to assemble a structure from modular elements was submitted by the royal architect, gardener and botanist - Joseph Paxton, who, by the nature of his activity, was engaged in the construction of glass greenhouse pavilions.

The main advantage of Paxton's greenhouses was their portability. He was 47 years old when, in 1850, a competition for palace designs for the World's Fair was announced. Behind Paxton's shoulders by that time was the Great Greenhouse, built in 1837 (demolished due to the high cost of maintenance in 1923), which at that time was the largest glass building in the world. The giant glass greenhouse was heated with 8 boilers and 11 kilometers of pipes. Joseph's exhibition building design was publicly approved and accepted by a commission. The construction of cast iron and sheet glass (obtained by a recently invented method), as it were, embodied the latest achievements of British science and industry, was relatively inexpensive and could be disassembled after the end of the exhibition. The architect's work was appreciated - he was knighted.

Pay attention to the word "temporary". Mankind did not become acquainted with temporary structures in the middle of the 19th century: o) Temporality was not always forced by extreme necessity. Often (especially where matters concerned those in power and simply rich people) temporality was an indispensable feature of entertainment events. Therefore it is strange to read the assumption

Not because it will "collapse", but only because they were planned as temporary. By the way, the Crystal Palace, built with the use of modules, stood in Hyde Park for more than 6 months stipulated under the contract, after which it was dismantled, sold for scrap, bought and installed at a new place, where a railway line was brought to it, and where it functioned until the fire of 1936 …

For six months of its first operation, the Crystal Palace fully recouped its construction and brought in a profit of 160,000 pounds at a construction cost of 150,000. Let me remind you that this was the first international exhibition and fair of culture and industry. The participants brought the most advanced here. And the organizer, England, was going to demonstrate to the whole world the power of her empire and promote her goods abroad. But historians are not paying attention to this:

Having shown pictures of 1915 with a "strange" light beating into the sky when, according to him, they could only hear about electricity, Mig was not cunning. He really didn't know they were 1915 pictures: o)

Of course, the fact that photography managed to convey to us the vision of exhibitions that took place before our birth is a blessing. But there weren't always photographs. They were replaced by drawings and paintings. The views of the 1851 exhibition were captured by Dickinson and are available in a book that was published in 1852 (almost immediately after the completion of the exhibition).

In Dixons's paintings, there are also such details as lamps, which illuminated the halls and exhibits themselves. In addition, the pictures show how the premises were usually illuminated at that time.

Candles!

Lanterns and lanterns (with all cultural traits)

I think that the pictures themselves will be interesting for you to consider. Here are some.

Those interested can look through the book or turn to the search engine: o)

Let's move on to the technique.

In addition to illustrations, the book contains brief descriptions of the expositions of the main participants. Here is what caught the attention of the author of the book in the German exposition:

"However, the most interesting of all the materials presented was the electromagnetic telegraph with additions and improvements to the exponent for the system of the American professor Morse. It was a kind of" Recording Telegraph ", its peculiar location can be described as follows: under the tip of a pencil, which was connected to an electromagnet, slowly exited a long strip of paper from the paper roller on which it was wound, thus drawing a straight line on the paper as it unrolled until the electric current through the wire activated the magnet and changed the position of the pencil. and it should be obvious how easily this principle, when achieved, can be applied in practice to impart intelligence."

Dear Readers. I propose to delve into the level of development of technology and technology since the first world exhibition. To do this, I give a description of the machinery (mechanization) presented, made with the help of a machine translator (that is, electronic):

ENGINEERING

The huge display of machines of all kinds at the Great Exhibition has put England in a proud position among the rival nations, as all of its contributions have been outstanding in novelty, usefulness and excellence in workmanship. There were seven hundred horsepower four-cylinder marine steam engines, said to be the largest, but made for propeller-driven ships: there were new and giant eight-wheel locomotives, after Crampton's designs, that could run from absolute ease at a speed of seventy miles per hour, due to the peculiarity of the position of the driving wheels, the axle of which was located behind the firebox, a mechanism that gave a greater comparative stability of movement, especially at high speeds.

Ahead was erected the Great Hydraulic Press, which differed not only in its size, but also in the various devices for holding the chains, with the help of which the pipes of the British Bridge were raised over the Menai Strait, this triumphal arch of modern engineering, under which the line of a warship with the wind with all sails; while on all sides, around this enormous apparatus, thousands of small machines, which fully deserved the epithet of beautiful, worked hard and inventively engaged in the manufacture of all kinds of useful products, from knife handles to envelopes. In this department, which may well be called a large fleet of cars, the thoughtful observer could easily discern the distinctive character of the English nation in relation to poetic economics; the British employ their capital, but are constantly looking for mechanical means to make it work.

In accordance with the classification of Dr. Lyon Playfire adopted by the Royal Commissioners, Mechanical Engineering formed one of the four great divisions into which samples of all items that could be exhibited were distributed.

This division was divided into six classes: Machines for direct use; 2. Manufacture of machines and tools; 3. Mechanical, engineering and architectural construction devices; 4. Naval architecture and military engineering; 5. Agricultural and horticultural machines and implements; 6. Philosophical, musical, watch, acoustic and various instruments.

This classification gave the word "mechanism" a much broader understanding than ever before; but whether Dr. Playfair was right or not in summarizing in one chapter the articles which up to that time had always been classified separately, the above scheme was certainly extremely convenient for the immediate object he had in mind, and therefore deserves endless praise for that was bold enough to make the term "machine" so all-encompassing as to include every engine or tool that transmits in altered form a force, whether animal or artificial, applied to it.

The artist was as daring as Dr. Playfire, and had assembled so many disparate devices in an accompanying plate that it is most difficult for us to determine which one to choose for observation. First of all is Nasmyth's steam hammer, which is too famous for replacing the old tilted hammer to require more to be said in its praise, as it is now being made into the heaviest forgings. The only curious fact in this regard, which may not be generally known, is that as early as 1784 James Watt mentioned in his specification attached to his patent application that the idea of using steam energy in connection with a hammer emerged; but he never devised a really useful way of using the hammer - attaching it to the piston rod itself; and it is thanks to the genius of our time that we are taking this important step.

Among the many fire engines and pumps, the hydraulic cylinder designed by Mr. Easton and Amos can be cited as an extremely simple and efficient apparatus by which many country mansions are now supplied with water; the only requirement is that there is a small stream in the vicinity. Nearby stood a model Maplin lighthouse, based on Mitchell screw piles, the plan of which is delightful for sandy soils where paddles are difficult to drive. Finally, we would like to add one word of praise to Ms. Ransom and May's railroad faucet, which was very ingeniously fitted with a lifting hinge so that it moved out of the way of the trains when not needed. to fill out the tender. But no description of the Machine Park can give an adequate idea of the importance of its contents to those who did not visit it: a week's inspection was not enough to exhaust all its treasures; how then can we hope to do more than just help the memory to remember a more vivid scene that we once saw, will never be forgotten? (text page)

So, 1) The first world exhibition did not showcase super-duper techniques compared to our time, but for the middle of the 19th century it was advanced. Too little space was given to industry and technological advances.

2) There was lighting at the exhibition. No kerosene stoves were found, nor were there electric lamps.… But! Back in the 18th century, gas lamps were invented (you can find out about this in the technical libraries of the Internet).

3) Electricity has already been studied, the first devices were designed in which it was used.

Electricity is out of thin air, or historians don't run after every sponge

There was a lively competition among the leading cities in the United States to host this exhibition.

Chicago was chosen partly because it was a railroad hub and partly because it provided a $ 10 million guarantee.

The greatness of the "White City" (the so-called complex of exhibition halls made of limestone), illuminated by electricity at night, temporarily led to a revival of interest in classical architecture.

Behind the calm columned facades and classical porticos of the great "White City", the visitor unexpectedly found novelty and excitement. Ferris wheel (invented by J. G. Ferris, a Pittsburgh engineer) and dazzling a new miracle - electricity - was first introduced in America.

Electricity was "introduced" and operated at the Paris Exhibition of 1889, but in 1893 it was still unfamiliar to most Americans. The exhibit was opened with a solemn, dramatic act when US President Grover Cleveland pressed a button on the front platform in front of the Administration Building and launched the great engine Allis turning on electricity for the exposure.

The engine, dynamo and alternator, first shown by George Westinghouse, later became the main tools of the electric power industry. From the exhibition prospectus:

ELECTRICITY. The exhibit provides seventeen thousand horsepower for electric lighting. This is ten times more than during the Paris Exhibition of 1889, and 9,000 incandescent lamps and 5,000 arc lamps will be supplied. The power plant alone cost $ 1,000,000 …

A grandiose fountain worth $ 50,000, 150 feet in diameter, stands outside the administration building. Its waters are lit with electricity …

Hall of Electricity

The electrical section is perhaps the newest and brightest exhibition in the entire exposition. The building is 345 feet wide and 700 feet long, with a major north-south axis …

The general outline of the plan is based on a longitudinal nave 115 feet wide and 114 feet high, crossed in the middle by a transept of the same width and height. The nave and transept have a pitched roof with many skylights and transparent windows. The rest of the building is covered with a flat roof, an average of 62 feet high, with dormer windows. The second zone consists of a series of galleries connected across the nave by two bridges, with four grand staircases. The second floor galleries are 118,546 square feet, or 2.7 acres. “The cost is about 375,000 dollars….

There is a pavilion at each of the four corners of the building, which is dominated by a light open spire or tower 169 feet high. Between these corner pavilions and the central pavilions on the east and west sides is a subordinate pavilion with a low square dome on an open lantern. In a niche in the center of the south pavilion on a high pedestal stands a colossal statue of Benjamin Franklin, rightly paying tribute to the important discoveries he made in the field of electricity …

Here you can find devices that illustrate the phenomena and laws of electricity and magnetism, as well as devices for electrical measurements; electric batteries; devices for the production of electricity, for the transmission of electricity; electric motors; electric lighting and heating; devices for electrometallurgy and chemistry; telegraph and electrical signaling mechanisms; telephone and household appliances are presented; phonographs; electricity in surgery and dentistry; history of electrical invention; virtually all tools and inventions related to modern progress and development in the field of electrical engineering. From here

See how much top secret literature is left on this very exhibition! (this is only in one place, I dug a little)

There are photos, reports, and all sorts of interesting other things! But such non-readers only repeat the nonsense behind other historians, they say, there is nothing, the Vatican hides

The tricky question: the answer has been given for a long time and in more than one place. For example, at the same exhibition, a report was read about electricity:

REPORT ON DIRECT CONSTANT-CURRENT DYNAMOS.

By Henry S. Carhart, LL. I)., Professor of Physics, University of Michigan.

I. Classification."

Henry S. Carhart, LL. I AM)., Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan.

I. Classification.

This report will be limited to DC dynamos, as opposed to those that provide AC currents; and, moreover, for those designed to operate with constant current, as opposed to machines operating at constant pressure or constant potential. DC dynamos are used almost exclusively for arc lamp lighting … While electric motors have operated to a limited extent in DC circuits, this service represents a very small part of the work performed by DC machines.

Broadcast. Electricity is supplied almost exclusively by machines with constant potential, alternating current or direct current. Therefore, this report will focus on DC type DC machines used exclusively for arc lighting.

A dynamo is a device for converting the energy of mechanical movement into the energy of an electric current. … The so-called generation of electricity always consists in the generation of electromotive force or electrical pressure. The amount of electricity at our disposal seems to be as definite and unchanging as the amount of energy. No battery, dynamo or other device creates electricity … They create an electromotive force with which electricity can flow through conductive circuits. In a conductive circuit external to the area where electrical pressure is applied, electricity flows from a higher electrical level or potential to a lower level, and water flows from a higher level to a lower level. In the part of the circuit where the electromotive force (EMF) occurs, electricity moves from a lower electrical level to a higher one, as water is pumped from a lower level to a higher one. In a dynamo machine, this last area is that part of the machine called the armature, which usually rotates between the poles of a powerful electromagnet. … (I will not translate further. I will give only a picture)

Nothing in your memory woke up?: o))) If there is no boom-boom in English, there is practically the same in Russian in the course of electricity and magnetism.

There are many other books on the same topic, in many different languages. But it is more desirable to translate English, because the professor speaks specifically according to the models presented at the exhibition. There are also pictures of the exhibits: o)))

World's Fair 1900 / Exposition 1900

Industrial exhibitions of the 19th century. What secrets did they take with them?

19th century technology. INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITIONS around the world.