“‘We look toward Niagara and Buffalo with hopeful interest, expecting soon to witness these many novel applications of electricity for industrial, domestic and municipal purposes. In the latter category the promotion of the public health and the expulsion of disease by electrical agencies seem to be among the reasonable possibilities of the near future.’ [Illustration] “The _Scientific American_ of Jan. 9, 1892, also shows a cut of an electric carriage propelled by storage battery cells,” said Mr. Midith, as he showed the cut of it and began to read as follows: “‘The graceful vehicle illustrated in the accompanying picture is interesting, as being undoubtedly the first carriage propelled by electricity built in the West. It is the invention of William Morrison, of Des Moines, Ia., and was built by Morrison and Schmidt, of that city. It is intended for operation on ordinary city and country roads and will carry twelve people comfortably. “‘The power is furnished by 24 storage battery cells placed beneath the seats.... This motor is of four horse power.... The steering is attached to the forward axle and is controlled by a hand wheel in front of the carriage. Mr. Morrison claims that his carriage has been exhaustively and successfully tested in Des Moines, and that it has been run continuously 13 hours, attaining a speed of 14 miles an hour. He thinks that a much higher velocity can be attained if desirable.’” Mr. Midith continued: “I noticed in the _Western Electrician_ of Sept. 17, 1892, that J. B. McDonald, president of the American Battery Company, Chicago, purchased this electric carriage and is creating quite an excitement with it on the streets of Chicago. “From the foregoing articles appearing in your _Scientific American_, we clearly see that the earthites (people living on earth) are closely following the Marsites in their mechanical, as well as in their other lines of progress. Of course all your electric apparatus and work is, as yet, but the rude beginnings. All it needs is improvement. There is an inexhaustible amount of electricity, and all you need do is to store it up for use. Formerly we, like you now, used coal, wood and gas for lighting, heating and motive purposes. But all of these were slowly supplanted by compressed-air engines and electricity. “Our large warehouses, factories, and mills built along the motor-lines at short intervals, have on their large flat roofs, powerful windmills which continually pour a strong current of electricity into a capacious electric reservoir, or they are charging storage battery cells.