The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-05-03
POWER FROM THE SIN.
An Attempt in California to Use
Solar Engines ON a Large Scale.

All Attempt Ill CalllOrllla 10 use
Solar Engines ON a Large Scale.
From the San Francisco Evening Bulletin.l
From time immemorial attempts
have been made to utilize the direct
rays of the sun as motor for indus
trial purposes. During the last ten
years considerable progress has been
made by NJ. AilIchot, a professor in
the Lyceum of Tours, France, which
has arrested the attention of the
French and Algerian governments
and scientific societies, and MuchOt
has received from these nigh authori-
ties golden medals, the decoration of
the Legion of Honor, and subscrip-
lions aggregating nearly 100000
francs.
A company with d large capital has
just been formed in Paris for the pur-
pose of manufacturing the solar ma
chimes invented by Prof. Muchot, and
over 100 of the various applications
are in actual use in different parts of
the world, pumping water cooking
food, running small agricultural ma
chimes, etc. The apparatus consists
of a conical reflector eleven and half
feet in diameter, from which the solar
rays are reflected upon boiler three
feet long and sixteen inches in diane
ter on the outside, enclosed in glass
cover and placed vertically in the
axis of the reflector. A battery of
four such machines, it is claimed,
gives three-horse power, the price of
which is, at the shop in Paris, 10000
francs, or $1,000.
Since our attention was called to
:, -, ha i-f
ton comes that a company of some
of the best mechanics and engineers
of California has been incorporated
for the purpose of purchasing Ameri-
can patents for utilizing solar heat
for industrial purposes, such as pump
ing water for irrigating and reclaim
ing lands, propelling all kinds of ma
chinery, furnishing steam and hot
water for canneries, cooking food, the
manufacture of boraX, distilling alco-
sulphur add the roasting of ores.
patents and of the plans of the Cali
fornia company shows that the old
style of conical reflectors and vertical
boilers has en- abandoned, and that
the new apparatus, which the compa-
ny has already commenced to con-
struct, consists essentially in refiec-
| tor, cylindrical in form, having a
paraboIic cross-section, and being
straight in longitudinal direction, in
combination with cylindrical heat
receiver, or boiler mounted on the
| axis of and parallel to the reflector,
both reflector and boiler being placed
horizontally, or nearly so; and pro-
Vided with suitable devices for set
ting the machine in the proper posi-
ton and causing it to follow the suns
apparent movement.
1t is confdentially expected that
fully five-horse power will be realized
from a. m. to p. m. 1t has been
found that occasional passing clouds
have no perceptible effect on the ap-
paratus. AL know that the sun gen
crates immense quantities of heat. 1t
has been demonstrated by Ericsson,
Muchot and other scientists that the
heat OF the sun, after absorption by
our atmosphere, represents rather
over one-horse power per square yard,
and that we get more heat (other
things being equaD on a day in win
ter than in summer, for the sun is
nearest to US in our northern winter
| by several millions of miles.
There are millions of acres of the
| finest land in the world in the San
Joaquin and other valleys of Califor-
mia and Arizona, which land needs
only to be "tickled with water t. make
| it laugh with the harvest" Only
small part of this land can be irrigat-
| ed by the usual methods, but water
exists in ineXhaustible quantities in
most localities at from ten to one
hundred feet from the surface. By
| driving number of tube wells, say
fifteen feet apart, and coupling them
together at the tops and applying a
sun engine, a supply of water can be
obtained for irrigation and for cattle
| which would raise the value of the
land from So to So, its present price,
to $50 and $50 per acre, and fill these
valleys with a prosperous and happy
population. This is phase Of the So
lar engine business which should COM
mend itself to the owners of the large
ranches in the interior valleys,
where the conditions are most favor
able for the development of this en-
terpriSe. We are not unmindful of
the objection that the solar rays are
sometimes interrupted by clouds, and
that at best such an engine would be
available only in the daytime, but we
answer that in the summer time, dur
ing our rainless season, when their
need would be greatest, the sky is sell
dom obscured by clouds, and the pow
er of the engine could be used for
COMPRISING air or generating cleo
tricity, which might be stored, and
the electricity or compressed air
would serve to run the machinery in
the night. In this way the cities on
the plains could also be lighted by
electricity at a minimum cost.
The Solar heat power company Of
California to-day filed articles of in
corporation in the county clerks Office,
with a capital stock of 100000 shares
of 800 each.