Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-01-30
ELECTRIC POWER.

curious coincidence.
ELECTRIC POWER.
The belief is a growing one that electri-
CITY, Ia one or more manifestations. IS or
daiued to effect the mightiest of revolutions
IA hnman affairs In subtejy and power.
40 exctability rlpidty, aud intensity Of ac-
ton there Is nothing like it, Its complete
subjugation may be held as the climax of
conquests IN art, the apex of ambition in
science-so blessed and bnundless. so sur
passing all autlcipatious, are the seeming
results that must follow When. ia addi-
ton to what Is now performing as a mes,en-
ger-oue swiiter than those of the Gods.
aud more reliable than the boosted Ariels
Of poets-lt can be drawn cheaply from its
hldug-places, aud made to ptope land and
wafer charots, animate manufacturing me
chansms, become an agricultural laborer,
ana a household drudge of all work. then
We may begin 30 think the genius of ciylli-
eaton Is yaultlng rapidly toward the zenith.
Several years ago The discovery of Elec-
o-Magnetlsm awakened sangulne expecta-
lions that IN 1t would be found prime mo-
yer so compact aud energetic as To be adap-
ted to general purposes No sooner was
the fact made known, that soft iron is made
intensely magnetic by the galsanc or vol
talc pile, than hosts of mechanisms in both
hemlspheres were at work endeavorinp to
transmit the enormous power thus develop.
cd 10 motive machinery. Though exhibit
ed IA variety OF apparatus, the pri.cipie
10y which motion is obtained from 1t Is the
same IN all one or more magnets are fix.
ed and serve a. lulcra on which others turn.
Thus professor Henry first produced recip.
rocating motion, by arranging an electro
magnet IN the manner of balance-beam
above the opposite poles Of two permanent
magneIs-keeplug up oscillation by alter
nately breaking and renewing the connec-
tIou w.,h the battery.
Rotary motion is attained by SO arranr.
Ing two circles Cor portions of circles) OF
magnets, one within the other, that the ia
ces OF those that are immoyahle, are as near
as can be without touching Bya series OF
cut-oiis, the stream of electric fluid is alter
nately let on and excluded, So that each
face OF a revolving magnet Is pulled IN sue
cession toward each of the fixed ones and
- ~ ifs'oN' - fhoAANA away A0Ndih Alih lll Al
While in some machines permanent are
employed IN connection with electro mag.
nets, N others, the latter are only used.
Change of polarity is abandoned IN some
aud with II the repelant force the bars be-
ing rapidly maeneiised aud de-magnetsed
by opening and closing their connection
with the battery
In 1880, Jacob propelled small sLallop
with fourteen men, on the Nega, at the rate
Of four miles an hour, three against the
stream He had four fixed electro-mngHets
and the same number of revolving ones, 10
which the axle that carried The paddle wheels
was attached. His battery, consisting OF
srxty-iour pairs of platinum plates, each
presenting a surface of shir,y-sx square IN
ohes, was charged with nitric and sulphuric
acids, on Groves plan. Since thea lnnu-
merable notifications of the apparatus have
been devised; lathos have been worked, and
articles of wood, ivory, aud metals, turned
printing press operated, aud a locomotive
weighing five tons propelled, &c, &c
But these experiments, interesting as they
certainly were, have brought out no mark.
ed results, nor afforded any high degree ol
encouragement to proceed. 1t might be
lmprudent to assert that electromagnetic
can never supersede steam; still in the pres
ent state of electrical science, the dcsIdera-
tum Is rather TO BE hoped for than expected
Great, however, will be hls glory who IL
the face Of these discouragemenis sue
ceeds
The difficulty is not in the mechanism
for employing tie force, but IN the extreme
ly short space though which 1t acts. This i.
so limited that the phenomenon may be con
sdered something like the converse of Co
heslon e. z. an electromagnetic with ITS ar
mature in contact, had lifting power @
1900 lbs, but when the armatuTe was re
moved one-eighth of an inch, the weigh
supported was barely 10 lbs. The interpo
stlon of film of tissue paper had reduced
the power one half. BY making soft iron
core play in the centre OF hellx-like 4
piston rod minus the piston playing IN III
cyllnder-an apparent increase of range Is
obtained, a stroke of twelve OF more inche:
realized; but this is supposed to be colora
bic rather than real.
At the present cost of metallic fuel, cleo.
tro-magnetlsm cannot be Commercially val
liable, nor ia any of the ordinary applica
lions of steam can 1t come into competition
with that agent-not even If the requisite a
eds could be had for nothing, since there n
more virtue in pound of coal than in five
of zinc.
Either the science is not ripe for applica
ton, or experiments have not got on thu
right track. IL is not devices for transmit
ting the force that are wanted, but means O
extending the range through which it acts