The daily union., 1854-02-03
Rev. DIR. Cailap's Discoveries in GaIrauism
MAYEnoTH COLLEGE,
November 80, is,
To The Editor Of he TiBye!:

10 Me Edlr U me ldhG:
SIR: Some weeks ago it stated in the DTogheda
Argus that had applied Tor patent for nyeAuoD OF
means OF protecting from against wet The statement
copied into The Ffeemans Journal and several other
papers Although the description OF my invention was
Imperfect, deemed II prudent 10 remain silent long
the subject under the Consideration OF the Com
missioner OF Patents Now that The patent has been
granted, think right 10 state the exact nature o the
invention, and TO give btiet OF few OF the
experiments which led 10 II. This may not be
unineresting 10 the readers OF the Tablet.
Soon after had discovered ibe casl-ron nitric acid
battery, | recommended senes oi experiments on the
decomposition OF by The gslysnic battery with
view TO obtain steady ana brilliant oxy-hydfogen lime
hgh-sach a. might answer Tor lighthouses. Ia pa
per large galvanic battery, dated Apn 6ih ls4s
and published 40 the London Philosophical Magazine OF
The following July stated that :. got the light By II
hitting The mixed gases, they produced by the de
composition OF waller, and throwing the haae on lime
Although soon succeeded 10 certain extent 10 obtain
ing the light which sought, much .ill remained To be
done found that the previously used were
unit for my purpose, and therefore obliged TO de-
wise aud make several new ones. Besides, was fire.
quently obliged 10 Interrupt my experiment OF
bad health They were suspended for more than two
years, aud several times for FIVE or six consecutive
months They ultimately led 10 the following results !:
First, apparatus tor safely employing the mixed
gases 20 produce the oXy-hydrogen fame and lne-lght
secondly, new votameler 10 which common JET may
be screwed, aud the mixed gases named as they issue
from u, without The smallest risk of dangerous vpio
slon and ~ which the iu decomposng Offset al kuu
dfed Or OF any number Of cells arranged il series
battery more rapidly than u contained only four oef
This voltsmeier is 10 every respecl-new ia the
material OF The deoompOslng vessel, which wrought
iron an inch thics, coated the inside with An alloy
OF TN and lead or OF lead, tn, and sntimony: neg
IN the manner in which the decomposng plates ars
connected with the opposite ends Of The battery,
whilst the vessel remains ar-iight new in the mate.
rial as well 10 the arrangement Of these plates
finally new IN the fuid through which The roltaic cur
rent s made 10 pass M order % produce The mixed gases
| have ioand that with the common yotametcr bat
of red wi fnf
than the lweny ih, aud that OF Eve hundred cells
will not produce the one-hundredh part Of its foil De-
composing effect
The third result j. new negative element, cbeaper
durable, and one which may be made 10 act more
powerfully than the pstnzed silver used in Semees
battery
every kind against be action OF the weather and OF va
rious corfodng substances, that iron thus protected
viii answer Tor roofing, cisiefns, baths. CUTTERS window.
frames, telegraph wHes, for manne and various other
purposes Thus i The uHe OF the invention as set forth
IN application ior letters patent In The Course OF my ex
Penmenis on the decomposition Of water found that
for the battery which ineaded employ about rhr,g
pounds work OF pisuna Being uuwling 10 lncut such
heavy expense, tied sheet-ron plates IN I solution OF
potash. Ihey acted ioerahly well but on eomnaring
their aellon with that Of lead pses found that The lat
ter worked Jar better. al TIE same time thai lead
decomposng plates would wer for hen they are
placed near each oaer slight pressure and sometimes
Their own weight brings them oclttcl with each her
and then The decomposition II occurred 10 M, Ia
Try strong TN plates that H. plates al iron coated with
hnl dPPed Tor few seconds IN melted lead, and me tied
alloy oi lead and un IN which alloy tne quantity OF in
compared with that Of lead would be email | cut up
some old tin vessels and made three plates each nearly
four inches wide aad SIX isches long. coated one of
them BY means Of soldering iron. with an alloy con.
tanning about three ais by weight oi lead and one Of
IN, aud another wih an alloy containing about seven
lines ~ gueh lead a. itn. Ga the third / sprlnkled
some POWERED suiphur, and held The plate over The
hIe until The sulphur was nfamed. The plate was
thus covered With black coating OF burnt sui
phur. ! then tired each OF the three, and elso
plate Of lead about the sane size az the negative
metal OF nitro aeid haliery-ihs is put each success.
sveiy instead Of plana cast-ir0n into porous CELL
containing nro-snphurc acd Each of the three pro-
duced tar more powerful galvshic current thaa ,he lead
plse. he plate coated with the sloy containing The
Isfgcs proportion OF lead acted better than the one nose
coaing contained least lead, ba rot with The plate or
which sulphur was burnL This last one acted nearly
1 well as psiina or css,ron plate afterwards put