The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-26
Especial Corrcspondcncc.l

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Especial Corrcspcndcncc.l
| WASHINGTON, Dec. SIT is not to
this Capital City, this city of politics
and society, of laziness and intrigue,
that ono would naturally turn for the
signs of II coming NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
And yet information has reached inc of
possibilities which are too vast to DO
easily credited and which have had their
origin i'll this town. A Washington in
ycntor will soon give to the world what
he confidently believes to be the greatest
industrial revolution effected since the
introduction of steam power in the
world. He is not alone in this belief
Men Of great practical skill or scientific
attainments who have had an opportu-
nifty TO note what he has accomplished
| join with this inventor in the declaration
that the world is upon the eve of one of
those topsyturvyings of industrial and
mechanical forces which come about
once in one or two centuries.
Tanning the Suns Rays.
The inventor has plans which, if fully
realized (and his prospects for doing SO
are now very bright, will revolutionize
all known methods of obtaining power
He proposes to extract power from the
rays of the sun and to apply it to all in
dustrial purposes. Inasmuch as this
power is simply heat, it can be used
wherever heat is now used-for the
warming of buildings, the making of
steam and all manufacturing processes.
This idea Of taking heat directly from
the sun is not II new one. Innumerable
inventors have worked upon it and have
met with more or less success i'll applica-
ton of the simple principle tina. If we
use rejecting surface and concentrate
large number of the rays of the sun in
to one spot we shall obtain fierce heat.
This part of the operation is compare
lively simple. Scoresby, the famous
whaling captain of the north of England,
used to astonish his sailors in the arctic
region by carving out smooth, solid
piece of ice and making n mirror of it
and then lighting his pipe from the heat
of the focused rays of the sum- This
was done, too, greatly to the amazement
OF the sailors, without any melting of
the ice. The rays were reflected without
absorption and without wasting of the
cold mirrors.
have seen wood instantly set on fire
by the Washington inventor of whom 1
am writing. the mirrors from which the
suns rays were reflected covering but a
few square feet. While he has had great
er success than any one else in deriving
heat. with simpler methods, from suns
rays, this inventor has in this part of
his work followed substantially we'll
known principles, the same that were
used some years ago in Paris to drive a
steam engine and work printing press
by the heat of the sun.
An Obstacle Overcome.
An industrial revolution could not be
effected by simply extracting heat from
the rays of the sun. If it could, it would
have been effected long ago. The trou-
Bile ID that the sun does not shine all the
time. He might not be shining at the
very hour that power was most wanted.
a factory could not afford to shut down
when cloud obscured the heavenly lu-
mlnary, or to stop operation during all
the days in which the sun was not visi-
BILE in the heavens. If the sun motor is
to be limited to the time when it will
work directly by reflected rays, it is q
failure, and it is against this great OBJ
stacle that every sun motor inventor has
hitherto come to a stop. 1t has been the
stone wall he could not climb over.
Now VIC are promised, in addition to
an improved method Of obtaining the
heat when the sun does shine, a success
full method Of storing the heat thus OIL
tanned. We are promised a plan by
which the heat thus obtained can be bot
tied up in reservoirs, justa tho gas COM
no af
torts. am able to state from positive
knowledge that enough has been accom-
plished in this direction to make it rea-
sonably certain that complete success
will follow further development of the
idea.
a General Principle.
The time may be near Mt hand when q
man may put sun reflector, costing q
few dollars, upon the roof of his build
ing. During the days the sun shines
enough heat will be reflected to warm
the rooms underneath, and in addition
to run a steam engine, or to do any work
requiring power or heat. Moreover, the
surplus heat will be stored away in q
reservoir, and can be used when wanted
at night, when the sun is on the other
side of EARTH or during cloudy days or
storms. With q reservoir Of heat that
has cost nothing, the owner of the build
ing may turn a stop cock, Just as he
would turn the faucet of the water pipe
or the stop cock of the gas jet, and take
heat as he needs it. What could be done
by householder could be done by a
| great factory. If the principle will work
| in q small way it will work on q Iaroe