The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-07-01
Electro Msgne,ism AS IA Motive Power.

/. Al meeting of the Society Of Arts, London,
highly interesung paper was read by Mr.. X Hun
l on the above mentioned subject We extract th,
following summary OF II from the dHen9un:
- The author called attention, in the first place
to the numerous attempts which have been made &c
apply electro. magnetism as power for moving
machines, and particularly describe the apparatus
employed by Jacob, Dal Negro, M'Gaulcy, Wheat
stone. and others, noticing incidentally the ma
chimes recently constructed by Mr., Hjorth. Since
notwithstanding the talent which has been dc> oted
" this interesting subject, and the large amount OF
money which has been spent in the construction o
naGhIncss, the public not in possession vi any
electro magnetic machine which is capable OF cx-
erung power economically and finding that, not
wltisanding the aid given 10 Jacob by the Russian
government, that able experlmentahst has abandon
cd his experimental trials-the author has been in
duced to devote much attention 10 the examination
OF the first principles by which the power is regu-
lated with the hope OF being enabled 10 set the en-
tire question on a satisfactory basis.
''Ihis phenomenon OF electro magnetic induction
was explained, and illustrations given of the mag
netization Of soft iron by OF volaic current
made 10 circle around II. The power OF electro
magnets was given, and the author stated his be-
Ilirl that this power could be increased without
| limitation.
..Avolaic current produced by the chemical dis
turbance of the elements of any battery, no matter
! what Its form may be, is capable of producing by
! induction IA magnetic force Mis magnetic force be
ing ai,pays IN tIact ratio 10 He amount of matte,
enc, iron, othftCiSe) consumed in the JGifery
Several forms Of the voltalc battery explained
! particu uarly those Of Daniell Grove, Bunsen, and
Ransch, the latter being constructed without
metals depending entirely on the action between
| two dissimllar huids slowly combining The au-
! thor had, however, proved by extensive series
OF experiments, that the greatest amount OF mag
nctIc power Is produced when the chemical action
IL the most rapid. Hence, In all magnetic
chimes, IL ls more economical To employ battery
| Of intense action, than one III Which the chemical
action is slow. II has been proved by Mr.. Joulc,
aud most satisfactorily confirmed by the author,
| that one horse power is obanable In a electro
! magnetic engine, the most ttyorably constructed
to prevent loss of power, at the cost Of forty five
pounds Of zinc, IN Groves battery, IA twenty
! iour hours; while seventy five pounds are con
sumcd in the same time to produce the puWcr
in battery OF DanielPs construction. fhe cause
Of this referred to the necessity of producing
hI sh degree of excitement, to overcome the resist
ance which the molecular forces offer To the cectr
cal pcrturbations, on which the magnetic force de
| pcnds. Ii was contcnded that, although we have
not perhaps arrived at the best form of voltaic bat
terry, yet that had learnt sufficient of the law ol
electro ynetC forces to declare that, under any
| conditions, the amount OF magnetic power would
| depend on the change uI state-consumptlon ul All
element-in the battery, and that the question re-
! solved itself into this;
Nv hat amount of ina gnetc powcrcan be obtained
from an equivalent OF any material consumed! The
! following were regarded the moss satisfactory
results yet obtained /. The force Of voltaic cur
rent being equal 10 6IS, the number OF grains OF
zinc desttoyc per hour was 81 which raised ,OOt
lbs. foot high in that time. > The force of
rent being, relatively 800, the zinc destroyed u
an hour 2gl grains, which raised 10 030 lbs
| through the space ol one loot ). The force being
900, the zinc consumed was 223 grains; the weigh
| lifted one foot 1902 lbs. The cstimatious mad
by Mcssrs. Scoresby and Joule, and the results OBJ
tanned by Dersted, and more recently by Mr.. Hunt
very nearly agree; and il stated that grain
of coal consumed in the furnace of n Cornish eugu
lifted lI3 lbs. one foot high, whereas grain q
zIuc consumed in the battery lifted only 80 lbs
The cost of | cwt of coal Is under Cd; the cost o
| c~t. of zine Is above 2l6d Therefore, under th'
most perfect conditions, magnetic power must b.
nearly twenty -hvc times more expensive than steam
power. But the author proceeded TO show that i
was almost proved 10 be an impossbity ever {,
reach even this, owing, in the first place, 70 the rat,
with which the force llminlshes through the space
As the mean OF a great many experiments
large variety of magnets, of different forms and
modes Of construction, the following result was
! given