The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-08-13
Electro .maRn. tism \ Motive Power
The Important Question Settled.
From the National ntelligepcer. Aug

/
Professor Page, IN the lecturer which he snow
delivering before the Smithsonian Institution states
that there is no longer any doubt Of the application
OF tins power as a substitute for steam. lie exh-
bited the most imposing experiments ever witness
ed IN this branch of science. An immense bar OF
iron, weighing one hundred and sixty pounds was
made to sprlng ~ by magnetic action, and to move
rapidly up and down, dancing like feather In the
ar, without any Visible support. The fUrce ope-
fatng uron this bar he stated TO average three hun
ditd pounds through ten inches of It's motion. He
tsid he could raise this bar one hundred feet, az
readily es through ten inches, and he expected no
difficulty in doing the same with u bar weighing
one ton, or a hundred tons He could make a pile-
dfyef or Jorge hammer, with great simplicity
and could make an engine with q stroke of six
twelve, twenty, or any number Of feet.
The most beautiful experiment we ever witness
cd was the loud sound aud brilliant flash from the
galvanic spark, when produced neara certain point
IN ms great magnet Each snap was as loud as a
pistol and when he Produced the same spark at a
ltile distance from tins point, 10 made n noise at
all. lhis recent discovery he stated % have a
PRACTICAL bearing upon he construction of cleo
and where ~ the limit TO II
lie then exhibited his engine, Of between four
ana I'VE hofss power, operated by battery Goa
tantd within space II three cubt feet. IL looked
very unlike d magnetic machine II was a reeio-
rocaiing ngiue Of two feet stroke. and the whole
engine and battery weighed about one ton. When
The power was thrown on by the motion u a lever.
the tnglne stared OF magnihct ntly, mzkinR one.
hundred and fourteen STROKES per minute th9agh
when u drove circular saw ten inchr. m diane
Ter, saving up boards an inch aud d quarter thick
lhio laihs, The enru- mHde bat about eighty
tirokts rcr minute. There was great anxiety on
NE part ut the spectators TO obtain specimens OF
these lalhs, o. preserve as trophies 81 this great
NJ chanical triumph The force operating upon
me magnetic cJ Under thrOug hout the whole mo-
uon ~ Two fret, was stated tu b. xix hundred
lounds WHEN The engine was moving very slowly,
but he had not been able toascefttin what he force
was when The engine was running % a working
SPEED, though i was considered less The msst
important and inter, sting point. however j. the
expense II the power lrofessOr Page stated that
he had reduced The cost 30 Ear, thaf 10 was less
than steem under many and mu.t c1udrnons
though not 80 low as The cheapest steain eueincs.
With all the impC ctioBs Of the cugisr. the con.
sumption Of three pounds Ut ziuc per day would
produce one horse power. The larger his engines
Contrary to what has been known bri1re,) the
greater The economy. Pcsfcssor Page was himself
surprised al The rrsulL There were YET pfictical
difficulties 10 be overcome the battery had vet tc
he improved; end i remained yet To ~ the exger.
lneni ON grandcr scale, TO make a power Of one.
hundred horse, % more.
Truly the age Is Taught with wonders; and we
con now look forward with certainty TO the time
when Goa viii be put TO better uses than to burn,
scald, and destroy.