Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-30
"T"sh-storage Batteries-Swau Incan,
descent Light

descent Light.
great revival of interest in electric lrhtinp
Is going on in New York since the Brush-Swan
E'ectrlc Light Company began exhibiting prac-
Ideally the value of new storage system in.
vented by Mr.. Brush.
Inc electricians have been surprised at the
eiiiciehcy OF the invention, and it is now adj
hlItted that by it the problem of cheap house
lighting is solved.
The Tribune, commenting edjtoriallv on the
results achieved. says that the system is fully
hty per cent more efficient than any vet offered.
There can now be no question but that AN
economical system of lighting houses by cleo.
tricity has been perfected Each storage bat
terry now in use is charged from a dynamo at
the central station of the company. which at
the same time furnishes thirty -four arc lights on
an electrical circuit over ten miles long. About
ten lights to each horsepower of the steam en-
CINE are produced. all loss in the transmission
beng included. The best result of any other
system so far has been but six lights to the
horsepower. Each battery now being used is
shIncient TO Keep about thirty lights burning
1lve hours. The reservoir consists OF twenty
Tour cells In which are lead plates chemically
treated by secret process. The energy from
the batteries is conveyed through small wires to
lamps Id the offices. Electro-motors are also
light Speaking of the advantages of the new
system of incandescent lighting from storage.
MT Brush, the inventor. said In a newspaper
interview to-day that there was now no cues
ton as to the ability Of his company to furnish
the light in competition with gas This was to
be accomplished by the use OF high-tension
dynamos, which are much more economical in
distributing current than any other system of
dynamos. and enabled the greatest amount OF
energy to be transmitted at the very least ex-
n,ff ,,i%4;,
py such dynamo was only One-third that of
other systems
The best informed electricians understanding
the loss involved in lOw-tension systems became
convinced some time ago that electric light in
order TO be practicable for domestic use must
be furnished from high-tensOn machine. and
must be aided by some means of preserving
Nearly all the energy created by the steam en-
CINE. 1t was conceded that something must be
had which, in an electrO-mOtige power system
would take the place represented by gasOme-
ter in the gas system. With such a battery, q
high current machine might be used to deliver
electricity to the point where needed and where
it could he drawn off as current of low and
safe electro-motiTe force to supply incandescent
lamps.
This is my invention" he continued. "With
1t it is immaterial whether one lamp is used at q
time or all given battery is capable Of supply
ing. They all burn with perfect steadness and
uniformity. Each lamp takes it's portion of the
power and no more, and there is no waste how.
ever rapidly or slowly the current is used Do.
nestle lighting, where incandescent lamps will
be mainly used, is ordinarily confined to about
SIX hours day, though some light is required
throughout the night.
In district requiring ten thousand lamps by
direct system OF lighting it would be neces-
sary to provide say one thousand horse power OF
engines and apparatus. and have all this power
ready Tor use during the hours required for if
could not be known in advance how many lights
would be needed at any given hour. 1t must be
80 that the whole number could be lit any mo-
ment desired, though during large part of the
time much less than the full number of lamps
would be in use, and at such times the station
would be running at a disadvantage.
BY the storage system this difficulty Is avoid
batteries to run the full number OF lamps fo1
say six hours. If any less than the full number
Of lamps are in use the batteries give off that
much less current and will last that much longer
without renewal. Then, too. a much smaller
and less expensive plant in engines and appa-
ratus Is required, for they can be run through
out the twenty-four hours.
III one thousand horse power running steadily
for six hOursWou furnish a current required
for ten thousand lamps, two hundred and fifty
horsepower running twenty-four hours would
furnish the same amount. In this way the items
OF cost OF plant and interest on Investment
would be greatly decreased.
In direct system, like that of Edison's. when
the engines or machines stop the lights have to
| stop. but in the storage system each user OF
light has his own reservoir of electricity, and is
| Independent, to a great extent, of other GUS
toners OF Of the station. and stopping the ma
chinery would not necessarily stop his lights.
Each storage battery is provided with an ar-
tomato switch, so that when the battery needs
charging it is automatically switched into the
circuit of the dynamo machine kept in circuit
until it is fully charged, and then automatically
cut out of circuit again.
Attached to the switch is meter which re-
gisters the amount of current used The life of
the incandescent lamp is heightened by the fact
that from the storage box it is subjected to no
variations Of intensity in the current This is
one OF the bad features OF all direct systems for
in them the lamps. being subjected to great va
riations of intensity of current, are soon de-
strOyed.
The current from the storage boxes has very
low intensity. and the wires can be grasped with
both hands without experiencing the shock OF
even toy battery. 1t is only equal to 40 Ordi-
nary telegraph batteries. and is, therefore, en-
tirely harmless. The light is more healthful,
safer and more pleasant than gas. The BRUSH
COMPANIES throughout the country are now
making active preparations to introduce their
new system commercially in connection with
THE SWAN LAMP. so that the public may now
look for some relief from the oppression of gas
mOnOpOiies.