The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-05-10
LIGHT, HEAT, AND POWER AT LITTLE
COST

uc s5cH al the electrical EXDlDlbl0l now
going on at the Crystal Palace, London,
is the new secondary electrical battery of
Sellon and Volkmar, the operation of
which appears to mark the opening of a
new era in electrical progress. fall that
is said about the new invention be true,
the storage of power by electrical means
is now reduced to commercial practice,
and, as results, we may soon expect to
observe some curious changes in the arts.
habits and wants of the people.
For example, anybody who chooses to
put windmill upon his house or barn
will be able, by means Of the secondary
battery, to light his dwelling at night
supply it with heat and hot water for
washing and cooking, drive sewing ma
chimes, churns, washers, pumps, keep
electrical carriages that will run anywhere
about town without horses, do his plow-
ing, draw mowers, reapers, seeders. prope !
boats, and perform almost any sort OF
work that may be required. The rota-
tion of the windmill, running day or
night steadily or intermittently, costing
nothing except repairs, will have its pow
er stored up and held in the secondary
battery, and by the touch of q button to
be instantly delivered aud put to use
when wanted in the form of light, heat
or power. The battery forms in effect a
reservoir Of force, which when connected
with an electrical lamp yields light, or
with an electric machine yields heat or
motive power. Furthermore, the battery
is quite portable, and may be placed in an
ordinary carriage, giving motion thereto,
like locomotive. But there is no boiler
to explode, and no fuel or water to be
supplied. Women and children may
safely use it. Every class of society,
from highest to lowest, every art and in
dustry in the civilized world, will benefit
by its adoption. These, we say, are only
some of the indicated uses and advantages
of the new invention, if all that is claim
ed for it be true.
A trial and exhibition of the new bat
terry was lately given at tho Crystal Pal
ace, before large number of distinguish
ed guests, among whom were Mr.. Warren
dc la Rue, Professor Crookes, Professor
Dewar, DIR. Higgins, Alexander Siemens,
Professor Thompson and Professor Adams.
Mr.. Sellon, the principal originator of the
invention, was called on for speech and
gave the following particulars. He stat
ed that the capital stock of the new com
pany, "The Electrical Power Storage
Company, was 1000, 900, that it was
all subscribed within few hours, and
that he could have obtained ten times the
amount had he desired. The distinctive
popularity Of the Sellon- Volkmar battery
is that the plates composing the cells are
made Of perforated plates, the oxides
used being held by and within the perfor-
ations Heretofore, as, for example, in
the Faure battery, it has been necessary
to hold the oxides in contact with the
plates by means of packings or wrappings
of cloth or other fibrous substances, the
use of which was always attended with
expense and difficulty, and has prevented
the actual success of the instrument The
action Of the acids soon destroyed the
wraps.
In this new form of battery all the
clumsy wrappings are removed, and SIM
pie perforated plates are used, tho result
being the production OF durable and more
powerful cells than heretofore. Mr.. Sellon
said that he looked forward to the time
when huge plates of half ton or ton
each will be used, and thousands of lamps
supplied from one battery or reservoir.
He further said
| "Of the sizes now made, one standard
size of the dimensions of forty-three one
hundredths of cubic foot, and containing
pOuuuS.
will yield when properly charged an ag-
| gregate amount of current equivalent to
| fully one horse power of electrical energy
for one hour, giving off from $50 to 400
amperes at any required rate up to &c
amperes per hour. The next standard
size contains of metallic composition
rather less than 800 pounds, and can yield
| five horse power of electrical energy fol
| hrs. tufp no t..O
peres at any rate up to 200 or $50 IL re
aaiged 0ge t Ell na9 fpBS ss S ss viii Ri t bt
Alhambra Courts. The plates have nc
supports, and are simply in appearance
solid pieces of metal separated by slips OF
wood, and immersed in calculated water.
In reality they are full of ntestices or
holes, which contain the packed material.
| This is applied in such form that it
makes solid alloy (if | may use the
term with the plates themselves"
He then proceeded to request that a
scientific committee should be appointed
to examine and verify his statements and
test the battery. He then continued
!" Now as to the practical application OF
these batteries. To my mind their EN-
! ployment will be almost unlimited. l can
conceive no installation of domestic cleo.
trio lighting to be complete without them
whether as supplying or as q regulating
medium. For motive power anticipate
immense demand /; and although the fac
| tory now nearly in course of construction
is upon o scale somewhat commensurate
with the business in hand, yet feel con
! fident that 1t will form but the nucleus oil
an immense and important industry.
"The application of the forces of ma
| ture, such as wind, running and tida
water power, will now, doubtless receiv,
more engineering attention than hereto
fore and electrical energy, which upor
| its generation can now be stored and re,
served for use as required, must become q
much sought for and highly priced source
of power. To regard the use of these
batteries only as q small matter of per
sonal convenience, take, for instance, my
own case. Up to the introduction oil
these batteries it had been necessary foi
me to keep ono of my gardeners every
evening attending to the engine and dy-
namo machine up to whatever hour light
might be required for the future he need
only set the charging of the batteries in
action during the day. and my store will
DO ready for evening use without fluctua.
ton or intermission. The durability OF
! the incandescent lamps Is also greatly in.
creased, and the lights can DO regulated
| to any required degree of intensity il you
diminish your electromotive force by cut
ting off so many cells, and you thereby
conserve SO much of your electrical
power
The practical exhibition of the new
battery is described as having been at
tended with great success. Many lights
ware shown the hrilliancv af ~ hich could
be readily Increased or diminished by
switching on or off ona or more cells OF
the battery. american.
All cases of weak or lame back, back