Southern shield., 1850-08-24
VOL. Al.
Electro Magnetism as Motive Power
 The important Question Settled

Professor Page, in the Lectures which he is now delivering before the Smithsonian Institution, states that there is no longer any doubt of the application ot this power as a substitute for steam. He exhibited the| most imposing experiments ever witnessed in this branch of science. An immense bar of iron, weighing one hundred and sixty pounds, was made to spring up by magnet c action, and to move rapidly up and doWn; dancing like feather ID the dl'', without any visible support The force operating upon this bar he stated to average three Hundred pounds through ten inches of It's motion. He said he could raise this bar ore hundred feet as readily as through ten inches, and he expected no difficulty in do- ing the same with bar weighing one ton, or a hundred tons. He could make pile driver, or rge-hammer, with great sim plicity, and could make an engine with a stroke of six, twelve, twenty, or any num- Der of feet
 The most beautiful experiment we ever witnessed was the loud sound and brilliant flash from the galvanic spark, when pro- duced near certain point m his great mag net. Each snap was as loud as pisto; and when he produced the same spark at little distance from this point, it made no noise at all. This recent discovery he stated to have practical bearing upon the construction of an electromagnetic engine. Trply, great power is here; and where is the limit to it!
 He then exhibited his engine, of between four and five horse power, operated by a battery contained within space of three cubic feet. It looked very unlike magnet ic machine. It was reciprocating engine of two feet stroke, and the whole engine and battery weighed about one ton. When the power was thrown on by the motion of lever, the engine started off magniicently, making one hundred and fourteen strokes per minute; though, when it drove a circular saw teninches in diameter, saving up boards an inch and a quarter thick into laths, the engine made but about eighty strokes per minute. There was great anxiety on the part of the spectators to obtain specimens of these lalhs, 10 preserve as trophies of this great mechanical triumph. The force operating upon his magnetic cylinder throughout the whole motion of two feet, was stated to be six hundred pounds when the engine was moving very slowly, but he had not been able to ascertain what the force was when the engine was running at working speed, though it was considerably less. The most important and interesting point, however, is the expense of the power. Professor Page stated that he had reduced the cost so far, that it was less than steam under many and most conditions, though not so low as the cheapest steam engines With all the imperfectionS nf the engine, the consumption Of three pounds of zinc per day would produce one horse power The larger his engines, Contrary to what has been known before,) the greater the economy. Professor Page was himself surprised at the result. There were yet practical difficulties to be overcome; the battery had yet to be improved; and it re- mained yet 10 try the experiment on a grander scale, to make power of one hun- dred horse, or more.
 Truly the age is fraught with wonders; and we can now look forward with certain. ty to the time when coal will be put to bet ter uses than to burn, scaId, and destroy.
 The third and last lecture of Dr. Page will be given this evening, at the Smith sonlan Institution, to commence at si1 o'clock-Ndt Int.