Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-20
ELECTRIC HEATING.
AN INVENTION THAT MAY RGVOlU-
TOME ALL METHODS.


A discovery so original and so wide in its
practical application that 1T is believed TO
open new and important chapter in the
use of electricity for heating purposes has
recently been announced from Brussels
and tested at Berlin The invention is the
Joint achievement of two Belgian scientists,
Messrs. Lagrange and Hobo, who applied
to the imperial German patent Office for
patents on a new method of heating melt
ing and refining metals by means of cleo
trical heat.
The means, as designated in their claim,
were so simple and the results as therein
described so incredible that the patent ex-
aminers demanded that before issuing the
patent practical demonstration of the
process should be made in their presence.
The matter was referred to an eminent and
disinterested electrical expert at Berlin,
who made the first essays in his private
laboratory and was so delighted with the
result that he asked by telegraph permits
sion of the inventors to repeat the demon
strations before the Electro-technical soci-
ETY. at the German capital.
Permission was readily granted, and the
experiments were performed before group
of expert electricians with brilliant sue
cess. From the account given by one of
the experts who was present at these dem
onstrations and from various other sources
the following report of the new process has
been derived;
The apparatus consists of glass or porce-
T lain vase, which may be of any size con
veniently adapted to the purpose, provided
with lining of lead connected with
strong conductor of positive electricity. The
, vase is filled to three-fourths its capacity
with acidified water. A pair of iron tongs
with insulating handles is attached by a
flexible conductor to the negative pole OF
an electrical current generated by an ordi-
nary dynamo With this simple and mex
pensive equipment the following phenom-
enon is produced:
The electrical current having been
switched on a bar of wrought iron or other
/, metal is taken up with the tongs and
plunged into the water within the vase.
Immediately the water begins to boil at the
e point of contact The immersed portion of
7 the iron rises quickly to a red, then to a
I white heat and emits stream of brilliant
. white light. In a few moments the heat
becomes so intense that the iron melts and
e falls off in bubbles and sparks, leaving 8
y clear, glowing surface in perfect condition
for welding.
The heating process has been so rapid
that neither the water nor the end of th'
bar held within the tongs has been more
than slightly warmed, and the current be
ing switched off the bar with its submerg
- ed end glowing may be readily held in thu
naked hand. If instead of a bar of meta
'e a stick of carbon is used, the heat in few
'e minutes produces detached fragments o
II amorphous carbon, which prove scientif
Is ically that a temperature of 1900 degree
a. ha 4,
Is the heating and The limit of Temperature
ne to be reached are easily and accuratel
governed by the strength of the curren
Is employed, so that the whole process is III
10 der absolute control of the operator.
= Divested of all merely technical phrase
IS ology and reduced TO its simplest terms
a the process under consideration may be eS
III planned rs follows: One of the well know
OF effects of electricity is to separate con
III pound fluid bodies through which it passe
~ into their primitive elements. The curren
II passing through the tongs and metallic ba
VI into the water decompOses the latter int
III its two gaseous elements, oxygen and hydro
er gen. The oxygen is attracted and gath
% cred on the relatively large surface of tn
NC lead lining and produces no noticeable e
feet.
~ The hydrogen, on the other hand, gather
- around the immersed portions of the bal
Y and as this has comparatively Unite
surface area it is Immediately surrounde
re with close envelope or jacket of hydrogen
ue which. being bad conductor of electricit.
We creates a powerful resistance to the passal
90 Of the current, and thus develops the hes
W which causes the bar to glow and melt.
er Is merely an application of the well know
ne law that friction or resistance to the pa
ol sage of an electrical current causes hea
OF and the apparent paradox of a cold piece
'er metal plunged into cold water rising ra
e. idly to a melting glow is as simple al
"a clearly explained as the incandescence of
as platinum coil in a vacuum bulb.
1t is as vet too early to form any defini
So estimate of the practical range of this d
III covery or its commercial value. Thus t
NJ it has been applied experimentally only
VI the welding of various metals, but wi
GIG such success that it promises in that speci
al field to inaugurate complete revolutio
Hitherto electrical energy transformed in
ol heat has found but few successful apple
!, tions in industry. For welding purposes
ler has been not only too expensive for genel
U.S. adoption, but it has entailed certain tee
zen nical defects which have proved serio
Ma and difficult to overcome. As the temp
US AZURE of the electrical furnace has be
heretofore difficult to govern, the iron b
hB- often been overheated to the point of p
$ tial melting This seriously affects
ms quality, as on cooling the metal does 1
OF resume its original fibrous texture, but
Dir comes crystalline, with an important Il
w. of tensile strength.
'eso Another disadvantage has resulted fro
70 the fact that iron when used for practi
! II purposes is rarely or never entirely pu
JUS but contains more or less carbon. st
and wrought iron contain less carbon tn
the cast iron, and when heated in the ordini
Oh electrical furnace, where the heat is &
sea Grated by the passage of the current
10 tween two carbon points, particles of 10
onl carbon which have been detached by
YES current combine with the hot metal 9
men convert it into something analogous to C