The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-01-13
MISCELLANEOUS,
Paine's Great Discovery.


The editor Of the New York Tribune, in
republishing from the Boston Chronotype
the following interesting explanations Of
the new mode ofconyertIng water into fuel,
light, and motive power, said TO be discov-
cred by Mr.. Paine, of Worcester, says chat
he has himself conversed with a gentleman
Of great personal experience in the manu-
lacture Of gas by the old modes, who has
been 10 Worcester and sen every part of
Mr.. apparatus. This gentleman as
sures The editor Of the Tribune that there is
no mistake about the discovery whatever.
and that the re marks Of the Chronotype Go
not contain the slightest exaggeration. The
invention, as has been often siid, consists
in the substance employed in the construc-
tion of the heliccs and in the form Of the
electrodes. The helices have been explained
to US, and, remarkable as is their simplicity,
they must, so far as we can judge, a priori,
have an astonishing effect in the generation
of the electrical fluid. The article from the
ChrOnotype. is as follows:
1t may be true mechanical law that
what is gained in power is lost in time, thai
a man cannot hoist himself by his waistband,
make clock which will wind itself up, or
cause mil-stream to ruiz round hill back
into its own pond. And ii may be good
chemical law that the power Of recomposi-
lion is not greater than that required for de-
composition. In ordinary chemistry, thus
far, We have not been able to getmuch with
out having il cost something. We fell
pine tree, ard burn it in boiler, and il car
ries us TO New York much quicker than a
horse would. And taking into view the
saving Of d8sociationism in travelling, it is
much cheaper. But we use up result of
vegetable life in one case as well as Of ami
ma! life in the other This result of vegeta-
BILE life we may conceive to be the effect of
electricity operating according to certain
law. Well, what If, instead of waiting for
electricity 10 decompose the water and 9TH
er elements Of the soil and air and elevate
them into tree, we could employ it to de-
com pose water and then use the force OF the
elements Of the water in their recomposi-
tion to propel US, just as we use the COM
i bustion Of the pine tree Does there seem
any need, when we can comman d the force
Of electricity, to wait for its slow operation
according 10 the laws of vegetable life p
Now it may be very true, that it will take
Just as much force to separate the oxygen
and hydrogen in drop OF water as they will
afterwards exert in coming together again
But if the force employed to separate them
is a greater power Of the universe which
cannot be employed directly TO our pur
pose, and which it costs no force or expense
only compliance with certain condition
- 10 employ, there may be great gain.
: Now certain combination Of the Magne
and the Helix of insulated wire is known 4
be condition upon which a permanen
cuneat of electricity may be kept in flow
: ing. The effect of this current has hitherto
not been great, nothing 10 lead any one Il
suppose il could exceed the slight force nee
essary to give the revolving motion to tn
helix. But when Mr.. Paine discovers tina
the strength of the current depends upol
re the mode Of constructing the helix, and that
without increasing its motion or its friction
one atom, The force of its electric curren
may be increased hundred,a thousand, o
ST perhaps million time, then of course h
discovers the means OF decomposing waite
without expense. II a mechanical force, A
!, acting on magnetised helices, will produc
, an electric current, B, which will decom
pose drop Of water, G, and we suppose IN
4 recomposing or combustive force oil the eie
Y ments of c just equal TO the force eexeIte
by B, and just equivalent 10 the mechanics
force A, then if without increasing the me
chanical iorse A, we can SO arrange the he
ices as 10 double the electric current
"o make il BIB, it will decompose two drop
=. &C. Then we may use half this power
,m keep up the mechanical motion, A, and hav
ed the other half clear. That is to say, Il
or mechanical force requisite TO produce ele'
ey tricity by the magnetised helices is col
en slant quantity, while the current develops
we is variable, depending upon the strength
as the magnetism and the composition OF u
es' helix. 1t may be less than an equivalent
" the constant mechanical force, or it may
more. In the case OF Mr.. Paine's constru
ton of the helix it is more, almost Infinite
more.
To any one acquainted with electric
> manipulations we might illustrate the abo
principle practically by the well known d
ferent results Of helices made oil dlftere
sorts of wire, or revolved between magn'
4 OF different degrees Of strength, the force
4 quired for the revolution remaining t
ice same.
,nu no We have therefore no hesitation in 81
s:s Ss ing that Mr.. Paine, by setting in mott
y magnet tizcd helices of his own peculiar CO
atrnciion. eyolyYs electric currents VIII