The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-19

the magnetic poles, produces In the second dairy
coils OF the magnets inserted in the battery
circuits nn induced current In one direction,
but. on the other hand. In those OF the magnets
outside the battery circuit. an induced current
in the opposite direction. Tho two induction
currents would neutraiize ono another. and no
| current could Mt all arise in tho secondary cir
| cult, unless at two opp ositoly situated points
| OF this circuit there WAS u continuous contact
by which tho opposed cur cnts OF both halves
were taken up AMI unitel into u continuous
current. This contact is effected 10y means OF
| brushes which are movod round by tho pro-
| lonGcd axis OF the iron como.
The plate" machine was constructed by
Siomons In 1854 and shown Mt several Uni
! versal Exhihtions. first at tho one held i'll
| Paris in tho year 1850 Tho machine is intor.
esting because it represents tho first solution
| OF tic problem how to generate by induction
| continuous currents in one direction. and fol-
| lows precisely the same course as that taken
| by Prof pacinotti ten years later in construct
| ing his famous mhGneto-inductor; the princi-
Die Of current rnmiilcation which is carried
out in the ring Of racinottl being a!rondy con-
| tanned in 1t. The plate machine Of Siemens
| was thus tho precursor VI tho molern
| dynamo machine with continuous current.
| and. Mt tho same time. OF the ansfofmeE
| Had the sef-mo;ion OF the plate not been made
! point of. and had it been Effected by me-
| CHaNlVHl revolution OF tne axis. together with
| the brushes. an effective dynamo electric ma
| chine would oven then havo been obtained.
siemcns tells vs. in this autobiography that he
| can only think with n certain sense OF shame
| OF the circumstance that, after establishing
| tho principle Of the dynamo machine. he did
| not at once hit upon the parallel connection Of
| the two halves ofthe coils with opposed induce
ton. but was only led to it several years later
| by Tacinotti's example.
| 1t was in the decade now under review that
Siemens published in PogGendoril's Anna'en
an article in which bo described the apparatus
| known by the name OF tho Sicmens ozone
| tube and explained the theory OF its action.
lie succeeded with its help in converting oxy-
gen into ozonc BY electrolysis Siemens be-
ltercs that there is great future In store for
that APPARATUS. as it enables us to subject
gases to electroysis. They are put by 1t into
| the so-called active state. rendering them ca
pable OF forming directly with other gases
chemical compounds which would otherwise
only be obtained in very roundabout way.
| 1t was also at this epoch that the duty
| intrusted to Werner Siemens and his
brother William by the English Govern
ment. OF controlling the manufacture Of ca
bles subsidized by it. caused them to make
! very exhaustive experiments with regard to
| the properties OF submarine lines. and esps-
| cially to elaborate a rational method for tho
| testing OF their electrical condition The
| Malta Alexandria cable was the very first
| which was subjected to a systematic testing
| and controlling during its entire preparation,
| and which, in consequence. proved perfectly
| faultless after being made. and has remained
| So Such rational testing was rendered pos
sible by the exact standard Of resistance pro-
| posed by Siemens and eventually adopted. and
| by an arrangement OF resistance coils which
allowed the com bination Of any desired resist
! anreS In mercury units in the sal mo maDner q
| weights are used in scales: furthermore. by
| essential improvements which the methods
| Of investigation and tho measuring instru-
ments underwent at the hands OF the Siemens
| Brothers. For investigating the influence
| which the high pressure prevailing at great
depth eSerts on cable. steel tanks that could
be closed were constructed. and tho ms ulatlon
OF the cables was measured while they were
| subjected therein to a strong pressure. The
fact already observed by the Siemens Brothers
during the laying OF the Red Sea cable was
hereby confirmed. that the insulating capaci-
ty OF the gutta percha is increased by the pres
sure of the water. whereby the possibility was |
established OF laying submarine lines. even |
at the greatest depth. Siemens further |
drew up tables for calculating the extent /
OF the diminution which the insulating capaci- |
ty OF Cutta percha. India rubber. and other H.
euleting materials undergoos through increas- |
ing temperature. well for the diffusive |
capacity-specifc induction-of these insua-
tors. His experiments showed that. In these
points, India rubber and its compounds are far |
superior to gutta percha. circumstance
which caused him to institute extensive ex-
periments to obtain a good insulation OF con-
ductors by coating with India rubber. These
experiments. however. did not quite lead to
the sought-for practical result.
paper communicated by Werner Siemens
In the year 1880 to the British Association
summarized the main results Of his inquiries
and forms the foundation OF the system OF
testing cables and detecting their faults
which has since been generally adopted But.
although this paper was published in English.
and Siemens's communication to tho Paris
Academy Of 1850 in French. yet later writer's
and inventors have only in few cases taken
note OF them. and have. with slight variations.
published new discoveries the methods
therein gwen. Siemens tells us that he mere
history Of the DEVELOPMENT OF electrical tech
nology may not be permanently ialsifed.
VI.
II we have dealt somewhat In detail with
the earlier part Of the career of Werner Won
Siencns. It Is because this Is relatively unfa-
mar to the general reader. His remarkable
achievements during the last thirty years have
made him widely known. and caused him to
10 universally acknowledged as one OF the
greatest electricians OF our times Perhaps
mono Of his discoveries has moro tended to
advance his fame than that Of tho dynamo
electric principle underlying all dynamo cleo
trir machines. The discovery and first applt-
cat ion OF this principle was made by Sienens
in IL ~ hut his claim to priority was afterward
impuGncd in various quarters when it's enOr-
NOUS Importance came to be fully recognized.
At FIRST Prof. Wheatstone was regarded In
England n u simultaneous inventor. But the
claim Of si"m"ns to have been the first to
theoretically establ ish the principle and to
give It practical encdnt!on was finally do
cided in his !avor. The name given by him to
tho apparatus, dynamo electric machine"
has also como into general USE although fire.
uurntly corrupted in practice into - the dyna-
M" Another notable performance of Sic
mrrS which belongs to the same period WAS
his invention of the alcoholmctcr or. which solved
IN extremely difficult problem. and. conse-
uuenlly. excited much attention. The problem
consisted in constructing apparatus to |
reg "irr continuously and automatically tho |
nNANLltN OF Nhsnlntc llcnhOl contninhl In The |