San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-06-01
ELECTRICITY ON TAP.
.,,. pOsss to De Used When Occasion Requires
s'''N ~ Novel Contrivance.
New York Sun.


n. hoard the steamship Labrador, of
VI Frenoh Line, which arrived yester-
the several wooden cases of about the
Gs Of soap boxes were stored. Mr..
s Lockland, an electrical engi.
under whose care the cases came,
hsoU0nected an Edison lamp with seri-
0us Of them by means OF wires, and,
OH turning button, the lamp shone
SS On In the boxes electricity is
Iant 10 be drawn off as needed.
AV lrThe electricity was stored in them
=, ,ar hack as April a." he said. "They
ware then shipped from Paris to Havre,
WI taken aboard to Labrador. On
Saturday evening, April 30, We lighted
some electric lamps from them. We
have been lighting eight lamps from
them all the way across the ocean, and
ave off only a small quantity of the
sslactricity stored in them. The lamps
ranged from five to fifteen candle
The apparatus is known as the Faure
accumulator. It's function is simply to
store up electricity for. use when it is
wanted. The accumulation is placed in
c;rcuit with an electric dynamo" and
tbe electricity transmitted to it is stored
M. The packed.up electricity can then
be sent anywhere, kept any necessary
length of time, and will be gradually
and equally discharged along any cir.
cult that may be attached to the appa-
ratus.
The fact that the storage of electric
ity is possible has long been known.
The Leyden jar stores electricity, but
gives it nearly all off in one discharge
as soon as a circuit is made. About
twenty years ago Gascon Plante found
that lead plates, frequently charged
with electricity under conditions, ac-
CURED the power of storing electricity
and parting with it gradually. But he
could not get his discovery into the
shape of practical apparatus.
This was done by M. Camille Alphon-
Sc Faure something over year ago.
It did not attract public attention until
May, 1881, when Sir William Thomp-
son published description of it. The
apparatus is simple in construction.
A sheet of lead, perforated with small
holes, is coated with layer of red lead
on both sides. Against each face of
red lead is laid sheet of parchment.
The plate thus overlaid is sewn up in
cloth jacket, with the exception of a
small portion of one corner, left bare
for the purpose of connecting plates
together in metallic circuit. A wood
en- case, such as one of those of the
Labrador, contained fourteen such
plates. They are arranged like voltaic
pieces, seven of the plates being con-
nected by metel strip at ope end of
the box to form the positive pole, and
the seven alternate plates connected at
the other end of the box to form the
INACTIVE pole. There are several forms
Of accumulators, but all are constructed
upon this principle. Acidulated water
is poured over the plates so as to cover
them, and the apparatus is ready for
use. There is no waste of substance,
and the same cell may be charged and
recharged. A Contemplate cell, like
those on the Labrador, is charged with
300 amphores of two volts tension. A
sixty.cell battery would keep fifteen.
candle power Edison light burning for
400 continuous hours. One of the
merits claimed for the invention is that
the current given off is steady, even
flow, so the electric lights fed by it do
not auctuate inintensity. The quaint
ty Of power stored can be multiplied
indefinitely by increasing the number
of cells.
A Faure company has been formed
for the United States, with capital
stock of $1O,O00,000, $250,0O0 paid up.
Mr.. Walter B. Whiting is one of the
promoters.
What are you going to do?" he was
asked
"We are going to sell force for
any purpose. We can drive loco
motives, steamboats, or train cars, and
light streets or buildings. We can
drive Locomotive 200 miles an hour
with ease and with smoothness, for
there will be no piston rod to rack the
machinery. In Paris last July we ran
tramway car carrying fifty people with
the force supplied from forty Faure
accumulators, placed under seats. We
lifted wheel and got the car off the
track. Its motor was strong enough. to
turn it around on the cobblestones and
put it back on the track again. Any
rate of speed can be obtained. The
power is self-regulating, and can take
any gradient"
What about the cost?"
we will contract to run any number
OF street-cars eighteen hours a day at
Il day each. We have submitted an
offer to light the Labrador at the rate
OF $40 day, which is less than the oil
lamps cost. The uses to which porta-
ole electricity can be put are endless,
irom lighting a stand lamp, rocking a
cradle, or running a sewing machine,