Progress of Electricity in Municipalities.

Progress of Electricity in Municipalities.

THE first impression conveyed in the subject before us, is, that the vast store of statistical records must be searched, and gleanings made therefrom in order to show the progress, advancement and development of electricity as it enters into busy city life. Fortunately, however, for us, this subtile agent and candidate for honor in all our undertakings, while being known of for ages by its manifestations, was but indifferently understood and the last half century has furnish ed a stage on which its usefulness has been demonstrated, and its practical application made. We have all of us witnessed its rapid advancement to favor, and for that reason statistics are not necessary to show us that electricity has made gigantic progress in all its applications. In order to touch on each of these applications as they affect the practical mind, I have divided this article in the following heads:

While these will serve to confine the paper to specific lines, I hope enough will be brought out to make my meaning clear. Without going into the fire alarm history, well known to this association, it may be well to state, that the Fire Alarm Telegraph, the pioneer in municipal signaling, dates from 1842, when the first explanations were mode of its proposed use for fire signaling, and the year 1855 its first practical application to such use in the City of Boston, this city being entitled to all the honor for first bringing out this vital force, as an auxiliary to the Fire Department service. In the 39 years intervening between the first establishment of the system in practical operation, and the present day, there have I een established over 500 separate municipal systems of fire alarm telegraph throughout the country, These systems have subsemd the Fire Departments and helped to save thousands of lives and millions of property.