Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-08-30
ELECTRICITY FROM STEAM.

| FhUM STEAM.
Several OF the New York papers contain long ac-
counts OF me apparatus by which this effect is pro-
duced. We do not consider any Of them as re-
markaniy lucid IN their details The following,
rom the " True SUM-" appears the most so, and
striking discovery: 800 :
son entering Castle Garden, we percevs ,.r,. t,;,sr
resembling that Of locomotive engine s,and; a, ~ IN,
lars three feet six inches high and having attached "a i
number OF pipes points, joints and brass balls giving il a
Their complex appearances 70 the eye Of the unnaed As
we more closely examine the machine observe the pillars
are Of glass; and that they nsuas the boiler and prevent its
connection with the earth. We find fire hole an ordinary
ash ho the waergauge show the height Of the wafer Il
the boiler saeyval to regulate the PRESSURE iron tubes
terminating in jets with aperturss Of peculiarly prepared
wood common pipe with elbows communicating with
he boiler on the one side and the tubes the other and in
ueea many other ingenious arrangements which are intended
au IN working the machine of which are recent i'm
povements made by Mr. Coyer the intelligent proprietor
Ia short we perceive we have before Of Armstrong;
gganuc Machines, and the largest of the kind
IN the world that electricity can he deyeloped from
steam al pleasure Hitherto has been chiefly obtained from
glass cylinders and plates rubbed violently by cushions on
which was spread amagam to increase the friction Now
we have in entirely oginsl form and IN Quantities Iv
discovery. = -
" About five years ago engneman who yas tend,o .
boiler at Sedgh about five miles from Newcastle ENGLAND
observed jet Of steam escaping an aperture n ia ho
cylinder in the top Of which the saeyvayc Of the boiler
was placed. The jet from fssure beloyv ,ha e.
where the usual cement packing is inerposed 70
leakage The lever of the valve over the place whence
the jet Of steam issued and the attendant in his efforts -
correct the difficulty put one hand the lever while the
other accidentally placed in the He rvccird !
violent shock, his asonshment the perceiving
brilliant spark passing between the bar and his hand The Incl
dent Of course attracted the attention Of the people about the
works, and the knowledge Of H G. Armstrong of
Newcastle, gentleman Of talents and scientific requirements
He Immediately commenced series Of investigations the
subject and the process by which he arrived his conclusions
Is fine specimen OF the skill PATIENCE and phlosophc char
acter OF the investigator He visited Sedgh experimental
with the boiler in question: examined the the in
crustaons the cement through which the first jet escaped
and commenced correspondence with Professor Faraday
Numerous boilers tried different places and the results
generally similar Various theories sprung up rs to the
Of this evolution Of electricity well the character
Of this fluid in its relations the parts of the machine where
it generated and emitted. is.A M ha
st time before Mr.. Armstrong came to con-
cusion the of this electricity In his first paper
communicated to the London Philosophical Magazine he
seemed to think might be owing to the ncrustaton the
boiler, to the character Of the water ITSELF We fnd how
eve fact stated by him very positively that the quantity
Of electricity obtained from the varied with the PRESSURE
and that in its character it positive This he ascerained
in the following way The ph balls Of his electrometer di
vergng upon instrument connected with the boiler
attracted by piece of sealing which had been rubbed
upon piece Of wooen CLOTH and when person stood upon
insulated STOOL with piece of pointed wire his hand
pencil of rays and not star visible Mr. Patinson,
another gentleman resident Newcastle, also engaged
about the time in the investigations, and the commun
cations containing the results of their experiments produced
great sensation Mr. Panson asserted that the boiler the
water negative, Mr.. Armstrong considered the
in the boiler neutral state Both agreed that the clcct
city developed itself in proportion the condensation five
had space should be pleased notice the opinions Of the
English and foreign these various points. Dr.
Schafheautl Mr.. Harris, Mr.. Williams, Mr. Meike and
Professor Grove have all written upon the subject Indeed
our countymen not idle. Professor Henry, of
Princeton, long lS40 informed the writer of this
article Of his having obtained spark from the boiler Of loco
motive engine, with common iron paor shovel and in Is4
experiments made the United States Mint in
Phadephia by Dr. Patterson and Mr. Saxton described in
the American Repertory Of that year.
Of all the investigations of this subject however, Mr.
Armstrong was the only who seemed to be working for
particular end and, before constructing his machine
point necessary his
his attention He found that the length Of the sparks depend
ed very much the nature Of the oces employed and the
size Of the apertues He to the conclusion that the
place where the excaon Of the electricity took place that
where the subject to friction He therefore used pre-
pared partridge wood for these oriices.
He at length fitted up high pressure boiler for the pu
pose OF exhibiting the phenomenon of electricity from euen
sieam and the apparatus exhibited at the London Poly
technc Institute The steam raised pressure Of rs
bs on the square inch, and the electrical effects
prisng The great plane machine Of the Institution
rey surpassed although was deemed wonder the time
The present position Of the discovery precisely this
'The machines themselves beginning be article
Of manufacture, and will be of indispensable necessity
in ectueroon, Of philosophical apparatus.
We hear of forms Of them and Watson
Lambert M. Gassiot Watkins e. Hill have We'd with
each other in producing the perfect instruments That
which have in this city the splendid Of them
ALL and indeed has equal in the world 1t large
sum Of money, has with it extensive apparatus for
showing experiments and must produce great sensation in
this country.
sThe philosophy Of this electricity easy
rave The French academcans that the electricity of
this machine owing saline particles in the the
incrustation of the boiler forgetting that fresh chiefly
used in these experiments Professor Faraday ascrbes il
the friction against the sides of the JET pipes Mr. Armstrong
believes in friction at the aperures contributing to its for
nation well the passage Of in the aerform state
Mr.. Rowel scientific man, thinks it cannot be owing to
friction and has recently published paper Of very ingenious
character dprove Professor Faraday opinion and main
tain his theory, which is that is caused by the expan
sion and contraction Of the particles OF He imagnes
that the conducting power the tubes has much do with
the production of the electricity in this machine
Electricity is supposed to be Of the great agents
of life and notion extending throughout the world and per-
haps the universe As SCIENCE its effects are better under
than Our philosophc franklin left be-
hind him theory which modern science has been able
to overthrow improve We fall back upon his arrangement
the simplest and Ineligible and believe there is
nothing conveniently appropriate in researches
SrArIsrIcs OF CALoMEL-One house in Philadelphia has
prepared and sod within the last three years. 600 pounds
of caomel The pays the apothecay for The me-
dcne prices varying from $50 $500 per Pnf
ting the above quantity only $780, would appear that the
price paid for il has exceeded million Of dollars II is sup
posed that the quantity manufactured by other houses is at
least times much If so, the cost Of caomel in three
years has been So 000 000 average Of two million per
s. Gazette.
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