310 ELECTRICAL EXHIBITION. 



ELSSLER, FANNY. 



one of the twelve circuits in one thirtieth of a 

 second, this time not 'being sufficient to allow 

 the armature of each receiving instrument to 

 be affected. This is the product of the invent- 

 ive genius of P. B. Delany. 



Electric Railway. A crowd was always gath- 

 ered about the electric railway, which was in 

 full operation on a track about 400 feet long, 

 between the main building and the annex. 

 The line is too short to admit of a test for 

 economy. It deserves attention from its nov- 

 elty of design and easy management. The 

 radical difference between this system and 

 others now in practical working, in different 

 parts of the world, is not such as to give the 

 one at the electrical exhibition any economic 

 advantage. It consists of a new method of 

 conducting the electricity from the point of 

 generation to the locomotor. In the system 

 exhibited at the Electrical Exhibition, the con- 

 ductor is composed of insulated tubes placed 

 near to and parallel with each rail on which 

 the locomotor runs. One of these tubes is 

 connected with the positive and the other 

 with the negative pole of the dynamo used as 

 a generator. In a slot under the bottom of 

 each tube, glides, as the locomotor advances, 

 a contact- rod leading to the motor, and this 

 connects it electrically with the generating 

 dynamo. This arrangement, it is claimed, will 

 give a nearly perfect contact in bad weather. 



A switch and signal system, to be used on 

 ordinary railroads, showed promise of practical 

 value, though the invention possessed no new 

 or peculiar electrical features. It was a com- 

 bination of electrical annunciators and bells 

 with a system of pneumatic tubes, working 

 pistons in cylinders to close and open switches, 

 and display signals. The mechanism is ingen- 

 ious, but scarcely belongs to the department of 

 electricity, though a model railroad, showing 

 the working of this system, occupied much 

 room in the exhibition. 



Mistellaneons. There were many other exhib- 

 its, which can not be here mentioned in detail, 

 for want of space, and because, though closely 

 related, they do not actually belong to electri- 

 cal science and were merely auxiliary, or else 

 did not differ radically from instruments al- 

 ready familiar such as a mercury vacuurn- 

 pump exhibited by Weston; Brackett's dy- 

 namometer; Ayrton and Perry's volt-. Am-, 

 and ohm-meters ; Elliott's well-known electri- 

 cal instruments ; a new form of magnetome- 

 ter; Mangin's projector for throwing a beam of 

 Jight from an electric lamp in any desired direc- 

 tion; new gas-engines; balanced locomotive to 

 show the effect of cushioning the piston ; and 

 Siemens' s regenerative gas-burner. Among the 

 exhibits was a torpedo-boat about twelve feet 

 long, which could be steered from the shore and 

 made to reach any pointnotmore than four miles 

 distant. In shape the torpedo was like a cigar, 

 rharp at both ends. It was steered by means 

 of electro-magnets, so arranged as to throw the 

 sudder either one way or the other as the cur- 



rent was reversed. In the back part of the 

 torpedo were three oonductors inclosed in one 

 insulator and forming a small light cable four 

 miles in length, wound upon a bobbin. This 

 cable played out as the torpedo advanced. The 

 propeller was revolved by an electric motor, 

 which could also be managed from the shore; 

 the current supplying the motor was furnished 

 by batteries on shore. The torpedo is ballasted 

 so as to be almost entirely submerged ; a little 

 guide which by night is a dark-lantern facing 

 toward shore, and by day a red buoy alone 

 appearing above water. At the forward end 

 of the torpedo is the conical dynamite cartridge, 

 the part containing the fulminate cap being 

 forward. When this point strikes any ob- 

 struction, it explodes the dynamite. 



There were exhibited, in a room adjacent to 

 the large lecture-room, a great number of Pat- 

 ent-Office models of electrical apparatus. These 

 were loaned by the Patent Commissioner, and 

 formed a most valuable exhibit. A number of 

 magneto-thermo panaceas were admitted to the 

 exhibition, probably in consequence of a mis- 

 nomer, since they should properly be classified 

 under the head of ' k faith-cures " rather than 

 of electrical phenomena, for to generate a cur- 

 rent of electricity was wholly out of their prov- 

 ince. The exhibition closed on Oct. 11, 1884; 

 the daily average attendance was 8,407, and it 

 was a financial success. 



ELSSLER, FAMY, dameuse, was born in Vi- 

 enna, June 23, 1810 ; died Nov. 27, 1884. She 

 made her debut in the ballet corps at the age 

 of six, gave great promise, and was instructed 

 by the celebrated Aumar. Her education was 

 continued under the direction of Baron Fr6<16- 

 ric de Gentz, and in 1827, with her sister Th6- 

 rese, \\ho was two years her senior, she ap- 

 peared on the stage at Naples. In 1830 they 

 appeared at Berlin, where they met a most 

 enthusiastic reception, and Fanny especially 

 found a host of admirers and lovers among the 

 wealthy and noble. The triumph was repeated 

 in Vienna, and in 1834 the sisters made their 

 first appearance in Paris, in a ballet adapted 

 from Shakespeare's " Tempest " by Nourrit. 

 Here the furor reached its height. Taglioni 

 was then at the head of the profession, but the 

 popular verdict was that Fanny Elssler sur- 

 passed her, especially in the Spanish cachuca. 

 The most famous critics exhausted their pow- 

 ers of eulogy on the new dansewe, and a mill- 

 ionaire offered her his hand. M. Brissault 

 drew her portrait in these words : "An inimita- 

 ble delicacy, grace, exact and ingenious discern- 

 ment, agility, a coquetry always active, always 

 ardent, the art of fascination, a sensual intelli- 

 gence reflected from the whole organization, 

 in short, a delicious affectation these are the 

 characteristics of Fanny Elssler. Her person 

 is in keeping with her talent. Her form is tall 

 and slender, her features fine and animated, 

 with a sprightly and alluring expression ; her 

 aspect mild and endearing, saying all without 

 boldness Her very defects attract one the 



