Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-06-22
A Scheme to Utilize the Power of the Sun al
49, \ Motor.

A late humber of the Revue DIES
Deux Mondes contains an article on
the labors of sundry scientific men in
tent upon putting to use the heat Of
the sun. The Pail Mall Gazette sum.
marizes the article. "In France it
says, IN. Mouchet, professor of mathe-
matics in the Lycee of Alencon, has
engaged since 1850. in experiments.
His first were made with u vertical
copper boiler, blackened externally, so
as to absorb the incident rays, protect
ed by three concentric bell glasses,
and resting on badly conducting sur
face, such rs sand, brick or wood.
Throwing on the boiler the rays from
4 metallic reflector, NJ. Mouchet found
that he could dispense with two of the
bell glasses. He succeeded in vaporiz'
ing water and in fusing sulphur, which
requires a temperature of ll6 deg.
Centigrade and at the end of 20 min
utes of exposure he raised the tempera-
ture of his boiler when empty to 200
deg. Centigrade. He subsequently
fused tin in two minutes, lead in five,
and zinc in six. The quantity Of metal
in each case was a kilegramme, and
the de rees of heat required were 235
deg, 335 deg, and Ats deg. Centigrade.
The first practical use made by NJ.
Mouchet of the rediscovery, or rather
reapplication, of q force that Archi.
modes had rendered available as a
military engine of Offense during the
siege Of Syracuse, was in the humble
ut important department of cookery.
His marmite sOlaire' was glass jar,
in which he placed a cylinder of copper
or wrought iron, blackened without,
and resting on the bottom. of the jar
The whole WAS closed by glass lid
A cylindrical reflector. plated with
silver, east the concetrated rays Of the
sun on this apparatus, In which an ex.
.cellent soup was made in four hours,
perfectly cooked, an unusually fine
flavor being attributed to the regular.
ity of the heat. This solar soup kettle
has been simplified into plain glass
vessel, placed in the focus of a cOncil
mirror of plated brass, in which vessel
all kinds of viands-nleat, vegetables.
Isor frpits-are cooked by the direct &C.
ton OF the sun. Tea, coffee, or any
other infusion may thus be readily pre-.
pared in Lyons beer bottle or the
vessel in the focus may be used mere.
lysfor the production of steam, which
is let off to q second vessel by 4 pipe,
and thus boils any requisite quantity
Of vegetables ina short time. BY sub
situtingaa box of wrought iron for the
glass Jar, a solar oven is formed in
which kilOgramme of bread, said to
compare fav0rably with that baked in
the ordinary manner, is baked in less
than three hours. Roasting does not
require so fierce heat as either of the
former sprOcesses.a 1t is sufficient I'd
suspend the meat to be roasted in the
focus of the reflector without inter.
posing any othersveSsel,, either Of glass
or Of metal. In less than an hour q
joint, "a fowl, or u piece Of game is well
roasted, It is necessary to avoid the
use of butter for Blasting, as the chemi.
cal rays of the sun convert this sub.
stance into butyric acid, which gives
an abominable ,tastesto the roast: but
by mterposthg a yellow or red glass,
the chemical rays are arrested. Re.
placing covering of tmarmite s0laire'
by,a sort, of .alembic, a distilling ap.
paratus IS formed. A tube led through,
helix in the ordinary way il added,
andsin 40 minutes the adistillation Of
two litres of wine may be effected.
In this case the flavor Of the alcohol is
said to be unusual lin6 s. consequence
of the slow regularity Of the heat.
rs In 1866 NJ. Mouchet took the sun
from the kitchen to the Workshop, and
at the scost OF the Emperor Napoleon
completed his first mechanical solar
engine. An apparatus Of this nature
is now to be seen in the courtyard Of
the library at Tours. "A conical silver.
I'D reflector, IS metres diameter at the
base, 1smetre at the apex, and cent?.
metres high, exposes 1 square metres
Of refe Getting surface. The angle Of the
inclination Of the sides Of the cone to
the axis is As degrees. The boiler
Eplbeed inlthe focus Of this hollow cone
Is double, being in fact more shell,
The outer coat has q longitudinal di