New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-31
STORAGE OF ELECTRICITY.

THE COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF MINES SOME OF THE
EXPERIMENTS.
Professor George f. Barker, of the University OF
Pennsylvania. delivered lecture last night IN
Columbia College. on the " Storage of Electrical
Energy" The lecture was under the auspices
of the Chemical Society of the School OF Mines anu
in the invitations issued to limited number oil
friends for Professor Drsslers room was used, and
there were chairs for only 200 listeners
or thcreabouts the subject was an
nounced as "The Storage of Electricity"
To this Professor Barker demurred pleasantly in the
course OF an address, expressing his preference Tor
the form given above, for the very good reasons
which appeared in his discussion of the elementary
principles of the storage batteries. which IL 10
believed will play a very important part IN the
future history of electricity.
The eminence which DR.. Barker has attained In
this department of science was guarantee oil very
interesting discussion of his subject, and nc
had an excellent body of listeners to tax TO-
including among tho scientific men Professor
Mendenhal of Ohio University, besides nearly all
of the professors of the School of Mines.
Elaborate preparations were made for illustra-
tions by means of stereop!con pictures aud expert
ments. nearly all OF the great electrical companies
having contributed something to the apparatus EN-
ployed. Mr.. Edison sent an electroier with
the centre of the ceiling and ilumi-
mated the room and which, being completely
under the control of the lecturer, enabled him to
coniure up darkness or light at his will in
an instant The Faure Company sent
samples of their storage batteries, some
new and some that wero used by the
steamship Labrador in a recent voyage across the
Atlantic in order that the effects of chemical action
might be seen on the plates. Mr.. Lachlln, OF the
company, also entertained the ladies among the
auditors bv an exhibition of the tiny electric lamps
which, it was purposed the ladies' in Mrs. Astors
quadre at the Vanderbilt ball on last
Monday night should wear in their hair. Professor
Barker explained that the plan bad failed through
want of time to determine correctly the relative
size of the lamps and batteries il being found after
both had been made that the resistance OF the
lamps was too great for the miniature batteries.
MIR Lachlin connected three of tie batteries, and
attaching one OF the tiny lamps. it blaz,d out
with dazzling brightness, to the delight
of the spectators Finally score of
experiments performed. There was a
failure in only one. through a fault which
il was thought not worth while to lose
time in discovering. nasmuch as it WAS only
a phase of an experiment that had been very salts
factorily performed n short time before.
KNowLrDGE OF TIE ANClFNTS UN TIE SUBJECT.
The lecture covered in a manner the entire his
tory Of progress in electrical knowle ge and invcn-
ton Professor Barker stated at the outset that be
would be Obliged 10 state many things
that were familiar to al Intelligent people
but this was necessary in order that his hearers
should he Tn rapport with Tire discoveries of cleo
rica science The know .dgc If the aucients on
the subject Was much condensed. The philosopher
of 1halcs discovered that amber wcud attract
llht bodies on being rubbed. Tins fact was cx-
p,aincd by the ancicnts on The theory that amber
bad a soul. 1t was easy IN those days 10 explain
everything by saying ,oEl II j, now by saving
electricity. Thcophrlstas added that which
we now call tour'qaln to the electrical
substances and Piny jet. That was the limit of
ancient know ledge on ne subject The progress ol
tie science IN modern times very gradual, but
the Americans had taken very CT table part in a.
Professor Barker caused some mculm'nt bv reading
an advertisement printed ~ The PH1'y rIHia Paric'
The Gcagd' AdrTii-cr. of December -, 1873, aud
some extracts from old book the title Of which
begin. "Experimrn:s and Ohs'fvlto n5 on EIcc-
t.icity made by Benjamin Franklin Esq The
advertisement announced course of exp rimeuts
az the college in Philadelphia by Nj Kinner,l. v.
be having lately malo somc considerable
addition to his electrical Apparatus. partcu-
larry having added elegant caso OF
seventy bottles, each lined and coated with tin
fol- There were h. h. two lectures and
above forty cnrions and interesting experiments
Among In 'mwcrc the following: Flash, ~ real
lIehtuing visible under water. iron heated red hot
contact with common cod water Experiments
on that wonderful electric stone from
the East Indies. called the tpnrmain",
winch will become clccfi ed by being dipped
~ boring water; one side c.rctfit'd positively
and the other negatively. curious representation
of The astonishing electric cc., lately seen in this
fpff linn AT tsfI La Ii tgi ttpf
electric shock may ne rs scn-by f-lt as from live
one \ representation OF part of the s'afry heavens
exhibiting variety 81 b ad;iiul electric stars
I'm Franklin book were ia" familiar "X pertinent
Of the kite. and some descriptions Of which Pr
fessor Barker read, IN the use Of electricity IN Nil
ing chickens and turkcys. The account concluded
with the quaint observation that birds
Killed in this way eat uncomnoniy
G Sa the a 1GS Gad dcys " an sagG%
mcnt on the banks of the >chuylkill at
which lannon's were to be fred chickens
Killed ana roasted and other diversions
practisel, all bY the aid o. cleci'icitr.
DISPUTES WITHOUT DFFEEHNcEs.
Professor Barker continued the history Of cleo
trical progress through the discoveries of Gal
vaui in his experiment with tine frogs legs
while searching for the vital force
the controversy between The Galyanis.s
and VoltaIats, the invention Of the Voltaic
pile. the researches aud chemical discoveries of
Faraday, and finally the conclusions OF SIR William
Thomson. Concerning the controversy whc. had
all the time been kept mp, he aid
Now what do we hnd hcrc'he old battle Of the shield
repeated over agan. sir William Thomson has now
proved r.t tEa tue very cfimcnt, OF FarLday which
he had relied upon with DAYS T. prove that tho electric
ity that from the Me il dnr 10 contact mrd him.
T.raIIy's mistake not that he said contact,
bat metallic contact YOn can produce electricity
W hOut metallic contact. hut yOu cannot produce II
0nout cDttsct ~ hctcr0 2cdcOus subst- Not only
that but curious still. the animal electricity which
GlIyaui had observed came rom the contact 81
dis,imia A. tissues i'm the ORGANISM. 50 that We
Gud To- Iay that the animal electricity Of Galyani, the
contact electricity II Volta AID The contact of chemical
agents Of Fuada AL came from the contact Of hrtcr
optutols substances, and Gdyau AMI Volta and Fart-
day were all righ and wasted their woods.
After tins, said the lecturer, batteries multiplied
the world over, and II became a5 common thing
for sc,rl tllic men 10 invent batteries as ii ~ now
for thc,n 10 invent telephones. The galvan-
onrt rr was next exhibited, and the principle OF the
dyu1m0-machincs explained Nv the introduction OF
- man. into a cOI the cucct being seen ~ the
iatlnn of the needle of the gdivauOmclor. Fol-