The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-12-29
Storing the Electric Current.


Storing the Electric Current.
MIR. BRrsH's INGENIOUS DEVICE BIZ WHICH
SWAN LIGHTS ARE FED.
New York Tmcs.I
Several hundred gentlemen, including
many who are pecuniarily interested IN va
rious methods OF electric lighting, were
present on invitation at the offices OF the
Brush Electric Light Company, in the Do
nestle Building, at No. Sj3 Broadway, last
evening TO witness thc results obtained 10y
practical application Of the secondary OF
storage battery. The occasion was note
worthy because the exhibition was the first
ever given Of Mr.. BrUsli's secondary bat
terry "a applied to system OF lighting by
incandescent lamps. The lamps were OF
the swan pattern and consisted Of carbon
filament which il heated to incandesccncc
in a vacuum. The fiament has on extra
loop, which is wanting in the Edison pat.
tern Of lamp. and it is cylindrical in struc-
ture. II occupies less space, and the bulb
in which it is placed is smaller than are the
Edison bulbs. At last nights exhibition
twenty-seven lights were shown in opera
| ton. They were fed from
STORAGE BATTERY
s feet long, IL inches wide, and 16 inches
high, and they burned without flicker Oh
any diminutiOn OF light whatever. Besides
these lights there was exhibited an electro
motor OF one-horse power. which supplied
power to 4 blower OF ordinary form, and
which was moved by the current from the
secondary battery. There were largo
number Of distinguished visitors present
and they watched the lights and motor in
operation for several hours, and all eX'
pressed their qualification Mt the success ol
| the test in its details as well rs in IT, gene
raj application. The insurance representa-
| tives approved the :" "cut-away." Whereby
in case Of interference with the current
ii automatically shut off by the inStanta'
ncous melting OF strip Of tin foil wlnch i
| introduced into the circuit. This pre-
vents the occurrence OF fires from the use
Of the electric system Of lighting.
An inspection was made Of
THE ACCUMrLATOR,
or storage battery, which was explained
| by Mr.. Brush. The battery was fed, OF
charged, by current from the ordinary
are circuit, and it gave out a current OF
| low electro-mOtive force. The cells OF thC
battery contain corrugated lead plates COW
cred by 4 composition which is kept Sc
cret. The plates are immersed in veal
solution OF suphuric acid. There is nc
oxide OF lead or felt or packing OF any kind
as is Tn case In the Faure battery. Mr.
| Brush says that his battery, once made i
practically indestructible, and needs NJ
care or attention beyond the occasional ad
dition of little water to replace that taker
up by evaporation. The lead plates ART
not acted on and need no renewing. anC
the acid does not waste. The cells OF the
| battery may be arranged in series just a
are the cells OF an ordinary galyanic-bat
terry. In one point Mr.. Brush claims tc
| have
ACHIEVED A SUCCESS,
which of itself is noteworthy. He ha'
practically avoided the interference caused
by polarization which has impaired The
usefulness Of the ordinary secondary bat
teries. In the feeding Of the battery wifi
the supply current a check to waste oil
overflow is Afforded by an ingenious mag
hectic device whereby the cITrent-as soor
as one cell is filled-is automatically
switched off TO feed another cell, and aitel
that another, and so on until al are full
| The number Of cells to he used is variable
| being suited TO the resistance OF the lamps
! in the circuit. The loss of power by trans
mission through the accumulation is from
| ID 10 30 per cent. Only--that Is, there II tina
much less force sent from the accumulatoi
than is given out by the dynamos. How
| quickly the secondary battery ccn b'
charged depends on the intensity OF th'
current used. the more intense doing tht
work in shorter time.
TIE BATTERIES
made are Of four kinds-the first having
capacity Of from to lights, the plate
being S inches by s.; the second for from
10 TO ID lights, with plates by lG inches
the third for from 20 10 so lights, Will
| double plates by 1G inches, and the foultl
for from 40 to GO lights. with plates l6 b,
l6 inches. All batteries have 20 cells. Mr.
Brush announces that the batteries vii
furnish nine to ten lights OF the size o.
power OF an ordinary fiye-io0t gas-burne
for each horsepower used by the dynamo
They may be charged from the same wir
used in furnishing the arc-lamps, ant
while these arc-lamps are burning, 81
that lights of both kinds may be on tn
same circuit and produced by TIN
same source OF pOwer--an importan
consideration in mills and othe
large establishments where arc-light
are needed for the large areas and incande
scent ones FOR the smaller ones. The bat
tery used last night was charged by il
current from No. dynamo-machin
the Eizabcth-Street station, which at
same zine furnished about 81 arc-lamp
a circuit $4,000 feet, or over ten miles
length. over No. 6 copper wire. Beior'
the close OF the exhibition the announce
ment was made that Mr.. William +. Bar
row, president Of the Willimantic Liner
Company. had ordered one Of the Brusl
storage batteries for the Linen Company
works. The light from the Swan lamp
with the Brush storage battery can be fur
nished at about the price Of gas.
| Tsoulsln NJ f,airo -Gcarchincc the Hin