News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-04-26
POWER FROM THE sun.
An Attempt in Calff0. MIA TO Use Solar En-
gfmcs Oil a E.'I"ge scale.

From time immerloHaI attempts have
been made to utilize ihe direct rays Of
the sun as a motor Cor industrial pUlr-
poses. During the last ten years con-
siderable progress has been made by NJ.
Muchot, a professor in the Lyceum of
Tours, France, which has arrested the
attention Of the Fuoach and Algerian
| Governments and scientific societies, and
Muchot has received from these high
authorities golden medals, the decora-
ton of the Legion Of Honor, and sub
scriptions aggregating nearly 100000
| francs.
4 company Wit .lie-< - capital has
/ just been formed Il PaIis for the pur.
pose of manufacturing the solar machines
invented by Prof. Muchot, and over 100
of the various applications are in actual
use in different parts Of the world, pump
ing water, cooking food, running small
| agricultural machines, etc. The appar-
atus consists of a conical reflector IL
feet in diameter, from which the solar
rays are reflected upon boiler three
feet long and sixteen inches III diameter
outside, enclosed in a glass cover, and
placed vertically in the axis of the re-
fector. A battery Of four such machines,
it is claimed, gives three horse power,
the price of which is, at the shop iu
Paris. 10000 francs OF s., 600.
Since our attention was called to the
machines in France, says a San Fran
cisco paper, the information comes that
a company composed of some of the
best mechanics and engineers of Cali
fornia has beenincorporated for the pur-
pose of purchasing American patents
for utilizing solar heat for industrial pur-
poses, such as pumping water for irriga-
ting and reclaiming lands, propelling all
kinds of machinery, furnishing steam
and hot water for canneries, cooking
food, the manufacture of boraX, distill-
ing alcohol, drying fruit, the sublima-
ton of sulphur. and the roasting of ores.
An examination of the American pat
ents and of the plans of the California
Company shows that the old style of
conical redectors and vertical boilers has
been abandoned and that the new APP
paratus, which the company has already
commenced to construct, consists essen
TALLY in a reflector, cylindrical in form,
having parabolic crOss-section, and be-
ING straight in longitudinal direction, in
combination with cylindrical heat Ie-
ceivcr, OF boiler, mounted on the axis OF
and parallel to the reflector, both refec-
tor and boiler being placed horizontally
or nearly SO, and provided with suitable
devices for setting the machine in the
proper position and causing it to follow
the suns apparent movement.
1t is confidently expected that fully
hvo-hot.-, power vi. - .~et.'1~.1 t,,nr,\ :
am. to pm. It has been found that
occasional passing clouds have no per-
ceptible effect on the apparatus. All
know that the sun generates immense
quantities of heat. It has been demon
5trated by Ericsson, Muchot, and other
scientists that the heat Of the sun, after
absorption by our atmosphere, repre-
senrs rather over One-horse power per
square yard, and that we get more heat
(othcr things being equaD on day i'll
winter 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 California
and Arizona, which land only needs to
be ''tickled with water to make it laugh
with the harvest" Only a small part
Of this land can be irrigated by the
usual me thods, but water exists i'll mex
haustible quantities in most localities at
from ten to 100 feet from the surface.
BY driving Il number of tube wells, say
fifteen feet apart, and coupling them to-
gether at the tops and applying a sun
engine, supply Of water can be obtained
for irrigation and for cattle which would
raise the value Of the land from 50 to So,
its present price, to $50 and $50 per
acre, and fill these valleys with pros
porous and happy population.
This is a phase Of solar engine bust
ness which should commend itself to the
owners of the large ranches i'll the in
terror valleys, where the conditions are
most favorable for the development Of
this enterprise. 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, during
our rainless season, when their need
would be the greatest, the sky is seldom
obscured by clouds, and the power of
the engine could be used for compress
ing air, or generating electricity, which
might be stored, znd the electricity OF
compressed air would serve to run the
machinery in the night. IN this way the
cities on the plains could also he lighted
by electricity at minimum cost.
4 Conductors Punishment,