Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-08

interviewer and then saturated with oxy-
genated copper, from which by treatment
afterward the oxygen is removed, making
what is practically solid copper plate, but
as thus constructed better for this purpose
than sheet of copper would be. In caustio
soda, also in the battery in liquid form, zinc
Is held in solution, and when it Is desired
to charge the battery, by mechanical con-
trlvance current of chemical electricity is
established. The effect of this is to take the
zinc Immediately out of solution and it is
attracted at once to the steel plates which it
heavily encrusts. The amount of storage is
determined by the amount of zinc thus used.
Thus the battery is charged and is placed
aboard street car or wherever else it is de-
sired to use it. When it is desired to start
the car, mechanically reactionary current,
SO to speak, is established through the
chemical properties of the copper mat
which causes the zinc to leave the steel
plates, 60 again into solution, and this Gre
ates an electric current which furnishes the
power for running the street car.
Both Light and Substantial.
Many experiments, some of them severe
ones seem to indicate that nothing but
collision or a pick-ax could destroy this
battery. The full force of the current was
applied instantly, and there was no effect
powerful electric force was thus generated.
Were the full force to be applied to the old
storage batteries instantly, it would have
caused buckling, and thereby destroyed
them. This battery, moreover, is very light,
and aside from its safety meaning by that
its slight liability to accident, it was
claimed for it that it was cheaper to make
and cheaper to operate than any battery yet
used.
This battery has been used on one street
car line in Chester, Pa, experimentally
and if the reports Of the managers of that
line are to be believed, with entire satisfac-
tion. 1t was taken from the car few weeks
ago for purely business reasons, but it is
quite likely to be fitted again to all the cars
running on that street railway. If the pre-
dictions are correct and the impressions of
electricians who have no pecuniary interest
in this motor are justified, it is quite likely
within year that it will revolutionize the
use of electric power as applied to street
railways and some other purposes. Mr..
Carly does not hesitate to say that if this
battery is what it seems to be within five
years the majority of street cars in the
United States will be equipped with it. At
all events its development is one of the
things which the intellectual giants who are
engaged in the commercial and scientific de-
velopment of electricity are now most
discussing.
First-Class Scientific Sensation.
Another development of electricity which
is occasioning vast discussion are the exper-
lments of Nicola Tesla, VINO is we'll known
in Pittsburg. Some months ago Tesla con- |
Quoted series of experiments before the |
American Institute of American Engineers |
1t Columbia College in New York City. |
His experiments were so fascinating and as |
that the society remained nearly |
al night Tesla is a Montenegroan, still a |
young man, who has lived number of years
in this country and has become an enthusi-
,stic student of electricity. Taking as a
basis some experiments made in Berlin,
Tesla still further developed them until he
vas able to show these electrical engineers
'ome remarkable experiments His discov-
,ries did not, outside the electric world, at
ract much public attention until last fall,
when he went to England and repeated
hem before some of the leading scientists
# that country. These men were so amazed
hat Tesla became really scientific sensa-
Ion and an elaborate account of his expert
nents was prepared for one of the reviews
' vhlch attracted wide attention, both in
europe and America
Word has just been received by the
American Society of Electrical Engineers
hat scientists all over Europe have been
rglng Tesla to repeat his experiments,
nd he is now on the continent actually
maz1ng the scientific electricians with
n exhibition of his discovery, for it is
hat Tesla has, by means of an electric
urrent whose waves are extraordinarily