The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-06-25
Storage OF Electricity.

An anonymous correspondent of the Times,
signing himself ~. I. K. s." makes an an.
nouncement which, ii fully borne out by the
facts, is of the highest possible importance
He states that NJ. Camille Faure, a noted
French scientist, has discovered a practical
means at storing electricity and rendering II
portable 1t IS almost unnecessary to remark
that nothing OF tho kind has been possible
aforetime, and that it has been regarded as be.
ing impossible to store up electric energy in
practical manner. At q recent public seance
of the Socete Encouragement pour rIndus.
tre, presided over by the president of the
French Academy Of Science and attended by
many leading English scientists, the success
of the discovery Is said TO have been demon.
strated beyond the possibility of doubt On
Monday last, we are told, in Paris, a Faure
battery, or pile sec0nddire was charged with
the electric fluid direct from the ordinary
Grove battery The Grove battery, 1t may be
remarked, Is galvanIc or chemical generator
OF electricity, but 1t was explained that fric-
tional electricity might have been applied by
means of Gramme or Slemens machine. the
receptacle consisted Of four Faure batteries,
each about inches diameter and 10 inches
high, forming a cylindrical leaden vessel, and
containing alternate sheets of metallic lead and
minimum wrapped in felt and rolled into spi,
raj wetted with acidulated water, and the
whole placed IN square wooden box, measur-
ing about cubic foot and weighing some -
ibs This was protected by loose wooden
cover, through which the electrodes lin lead
protruded, and were flattened down for con-
venence of transport. This box was handed
to the writer of the letter in question, who left
Paris on Tuesday night, arrived in London on
Wednesday, and finally reached Glasgow,
where the box was presented to Sir William
Thompson. That eminent man is now eX-
perlmenting with the box in the laboratory of
the Glasgow University and will no doubt
give the world the benefit of the results of his
tests at an early date There the matter rests
at present, but if all this be true there is no
doubt that we are on the eve of changes which
will completely revolutionzc many Of our eX-
istng appliances and processes especially as
regards lightning and heating. This small
box, measuring about | cubic foot, is SAID to
contain a power equivalent to nearly 100000
foopOunds-a force OF which we can only
speak comparatively and without adequate
knowledge of the resources of the plan on a
larger scale, It's plain, however, that if cleo
,ricity really could be stored and safely con-
veyed from place to place we might look upon
the future of illumination by that means as
beng thoroughly and completely assured. At
present the great drawback lies in the circum.
stances tuat me generation III me cltctrlC force
and the production of the light are quite sim
ultaneous. When the machine stops, the light
disappears, and rice CerSd. If, then, some
means be devised To intercept and store up a
portion of the whole Of this force for subse-
quent use the difficulty will disappear, and
electricity Will take rank as handy man.
ageable, and unequalled means of illumina-
ton. The mere supposition opens out vista
which cannot be successfully thought out or
described seeing that for domestic, railway,
Mining, manufacturing, and scientific pur-
poses, the electric current would individually
replace gas and all other Illuminating medio.
Before counting these as accomplished facts,
however, many economic and other points
must be satisfactorily explained. The out.
come of Sir William Thompson's investga.
tons will be awaited, therefore, with more
than ordinary lnterest,-IrOnmonger, N0y2l.