Telegram-herald., 1889-10-23
THE ELECTION.

erunting brass tube that makes naphtha
launches smelly and musical. No sailor
man who saw her could take his eyes pff
her. They all seemed 10 have fallen into the
trance-like state Of the Chinaman who,
when he first saw cable car, murmurd in
his artless, sing-song way: mo pushed, no
pullee, al samee go like helleew Now the
Electron passed under Castle Williams
crumbling brown walls, gray with moss
and faky with age. and headed straight
for the Narrows. The only visible thing
about her that suggested machinery was
set Of switches such as you may see in any
big electric light outfit These switches
were on the wall OF the little pilot-house
perched over the wheel and took up very
little room. They started, stopped, backed
or slowed the boat just as the pilot wished.
As for sound Of machinery, there was none,
not even the faint June-bug hum OF the
naphtha launch. The Electron moved
through the water as noiselessly as swan.
There was certain skilly tugboat man
who had watched the little white yacht
leave her moorings. He had first looked
her over carefully after the wise manner Of
his kind, and, seeing absolutely no machin-
cry in her. came to the conclusion she didn't
amount to much.
"What makes her got" he asked Elec-
trician Ballard.
ooh, she has patent keel" was his an
swer.
"Well," after long pause-''well, I'll
be -" said the mariner. He then and
there, to all appearances, made up his mind
that the Electron must move by springs
like clock and therefore must quit going
as soon as the springs ran down. Where
upon he climbed up into his pilot-house.
rang the Jingle bell and followed the little
white magic boat down the bay. How he
would sock il TO the men aboard OF her and
make them pay big price TO be towed
homel Break downl OF course they'd
break down. The Electron sailed along and
the tug followed her. When they got half
way to Sandy Hook the tug ranged along
side and her captain yelled: Don't you
want towl"
"No y
"Are you running by clock-workp
"No, electricity
''Well-rll-be-bla ~
SO saying, the tug man put about and ran
for home, musng.
The Electron didn't misbehave one mo-
ment. Electricians +. V. Ballard and
Alexander Welsh had charged her by using
an electric light current at the Pennsyl-
vania pier in Jersey City. That was mat
ter Of a few hours. Poked away in the
cabin lockers were 200 ''Faure accumula-
tors"-that is, black hard-rubber jars, each
somewhat larger than Belgian pavement
block. The electricity from the iluminat-
ing circuit was stored up Ia these accumu-
lators as successfully as branded peaches
are stored up j.. jars. Each Of these 'Faure
accumulatOrs" was sealed tight. They
were Of the '23 c" type. Inside Of each
were II positive and - negative plates. in
terleaved. These plates were made OF lead,
grIdiron fashion, in the intcrstices Of which
was q paste of peroxide Of lead in the posi-
tive and oxide OF lead in the negative. These
were in a bath CT acid. In these 200 accumu-
lators was stored an amount Of electricity
which represented sGjx horsepower. No
other form of storage cell hss ever been
practically successful. Each cell has a
pressure Of two volts and capacity OF 80
ampcre hours. The outfit can be charged
in SIX hours from any incan4escent or arc
Lighting system. II neither were available
q simple gravity battery would serve. There
is absolutely no danger with this system,
for the maximum potential IS only 20J volts,
and this IS far below the danger point The
vital difference between this craft and sll
other vessels viii make II difficult for Gov
ernmcnt inspectors 10 classify IL. How VIII
they call the man who runs itl VIII he %
an electroneeri he certainly woa't be
sailor
Down under the floor of the cabin was q
long shaft, at the middle Of which was a
ridge Of copper. against which brushes" or
bunches Of fno brass strss were placed.
l. f.f a IT 10
chinery tnat moved tho shin. This was
ten horse power motor. With this motor
and with the 90 cells al charged, the Eleo-
tron would run eighty niles az an average
speed Of q ght miles an hour. The boat, by
The way. is 20 feet long. ~ feet drRughi,
and was built ty J. NJ Bigler, the famous
boat builder 2 Newbureh. Y Y. who is 90
much interested in electric matters that ha
built this first electrical yacht
TIE Electron behaved nobiy all the way.
There was enough sea = make her roll q
little. bat she skinned along without skip
OF "a break Evon the journals were not
heated. and every thing went As smooth as
smooth could be just before sunset Pdot
Hood pressed little button. and. prestol
the tiny ships port and star5oard lights
sh0ne ost brsvelF 10 red and green. Ihey
Nere big inosntesoebt globes behind col.
orsd screens GA the side of the pilot house
A. A. after voyage of three honrs and
6fiseu minutes the Elestron was tnch hored n
che ltfle baFhor back of the Arverne Hotel
R0ckawsY The distance she had trsVeled
was twentF-eiEtt uAes and she hs6nt
been driven FOR speed 70 say that her pas
senEer ana crew we're del gated vita tae
success of the 6rst ocean cruise ever made
by a. electrical yseht would be Yatling it