New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-10

7
negatively excited surface nearest to it. By this
process, articles manufactured Of cheap metals
coated with any desired thickness of silver or gold
and made to appear as if composed entirely of these
A. the acids and apparatus employed to excite the gal
vano-elec;rc current rather cumbersome aad ,rou
blesome 10 upon large scale the operation has
been limited to coating articles of small size. There
alo other objections to It's extension to many to
which it would particularly appropriate and I'M
portant as the coating Of iron bolts spikes nails,
&c. with copper. From the cheap solution of cop
per in .ulphudc acid the gavanic current does no;
preepi;a;e the metallic copper successfully and the
cyanide solution, which is found TO answer better
purpose is too expensive.
In the year 1881, Prof Faraday discovered that the
Electrical current could be as well excited by the
ton Of magnets drawn along an bar by the bar
being moved past the magnets and that the power
was greatly increased by using, instead Of bar,
long wire coed over itself in cylindrical form, ami
separated from contact with itself by being wound
round with cotton silk. This coil, called helix,
has been arranged VARIOUS forms Of apparatus to
pass By the turning Of winch in front Of the poles OF
horseshoe magnet; and BY the rapdity of the mo-
ton Of succession # these heces current Of mag
netc-electriciy Is generated, similar in rs effects to
This. too, has been applied with to the va
rous purposes for which the gavanic machines are in
use; but the inconvenience attending the keeping
these in motion has prevented their taking the place
OF the battery, which requires no power. WHAT,
however may be useless on a small scale is often
found to be 81 great service when put 10 practice in
the large way. and So it seems likely 70 prove with
the rnacnetico-eectric machines. II occurred 10 NJ.
Edward c. Shepard, that by building the magnetic
apparatus OF such size that it would require power
Of one to three hor,es to keep the heces in contau-
ons motion current Of electricity would be induced
Of great quantity and power, sufficient for many pur
poses 10 which this agent has hardly yet been applied
nj oil except IN the way of experiment and that ~
cos, would b. only that Of the power employei-no
materials being used and consumed, a. the acids and
metallic plates in the galvanic battery. Tie con-
sructed such machines Of very simple Arrangement Of
bece. and magnets and having patented the arrange
ment in Til, country We'll a. IL the principal coun-
tries If Europe ha- them in operation At No. Isl
Mercer street 10 this city. The machine consists Of
cast iron frame about I'VE feet in blight, covering
surface upon the floor about four feet by five. h0r
zoIta shaft passes through IL and around this are ar
ranged the helice- upon the periphery of several
wheels &c; upon the axis. These heces, or the axis
ard the wheels carries reyolye pass between the
poles of steel horseshoe magnets which fixed upon
the outer frame the poles pointing toward the AXIS
Tie shaft OF axis is made TO revolve rapidly by apuey
connected by belt with the drum Of the steam en-
CINE and by this motion the electrical current IS gene
rated in the heices and conveyed by wires along the
a1is and thence to any point where Is desirable To-
use IT, In this operation material IL consumed IN
the machine ard it is simple in its construction.
that nothing appears likely to get out of order There
is moreover nothing to wear out but the gudgeons of
the shst and the boxes in which they The trou
blecme acids and apparatus of the ga.yanlc machine
are dispensed with and quantity CT electricity Is gen
Grated greater ard powerful in It's effect than has
ever been produced by any other process. BY means
Of il various usefu purposes are likely to be served
beside the ordinary applications of the galSanic cur-
rent, as Of electro. plating, telegraphing, &C. The
former process is now successfully in operation at the
establishment in Mercer street and machines are there
making for the uses of the telegraph. Il il probably
this machine that viii be used for submarine tee-
graphs, the quantity Of electricity they will reqUre
rendering the of the galvanic machines exceeding
" iuconvebien and expensive. The telegraphs now in
operation in the United States consume, II Is estimated,
not far from $50 GOO worth Of znc $3.50, 900 worth OF
nitric acid and $50 coo worth Of mercury beside other
sums for sulphuric acid, &c, none of which ma
teral- are required in this process But for generating
the inepse electrical light, which il visible far more
clearly than any ot,r through the darkness OF the
night or the thick Obscury OF the fog, apparatus
has ever proved so efectual as this machine. BY
giving great rapidty to the revolution OF its
shaft this brilliant white light, rs dazzling as
that Of the sum- may be kept up on board our steam
ships with more expense than attends the running
of the fan blowers which feed the fires with the air
which they require for rapid combus;lon while our
lighthouses Illuminated by the same method, are
dered efficient at ess cost than Is now involved
in SUPPLYING them with oil. For other purposes re-
curing much outlay for light such as IN lighting cites
nine, &c il is proposed to employ this agent and
il appears reasonable to expect that it, application to
these purposes will prove successful Ii Is estimated
that by the eayanc batteries the cost of an electric
light equivalent to eight hundred wax candles would
Ice about three lars per hour but by the magnetic
electric machine the cost would not exceed six cents
per hour and this might be reduced where cheaper
mower than that of steam can be conveniently applied.
commission was appointed in February last, by d.
rection of the Secretary Of the Navy to examine this
light and the machine producing il, and report to the
peparmeut This committee were George = Blake,
Cantoin L. N. A. w. Pennock, Lieut.. L. 5. ",
and Jesse Cav, Chief Engineer L. 5. n. Their report
WAS upouaifedly iD favor Of the great utility and
economy Of this application Of the machine, and Of its
capacity Of producing more intense light and visible
in thick weather at greater distance, than any now
in use Their estimate of the cost per hour is only six
or eight cents in situations where small power can
be obtained without the expense Of erecting steam ma
chirery for this exclusive purpose
Another proposed application of the magneto,elec-
the machine i. to the eOpperng of vessels BY the direct
depo.ition Of the metal upon their hulls and expert
won't, rov in pregress upon small scale, with the