New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-01
NEW USE OF ELECTRICITY.
INVENTION OF TWO BERLIN SCIENTISTS
A PROCESS BY WHICH GREAT HEAT is QUICKLY
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF THE

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF THE
INVENTION.
fBY TELEGRAPH THE TRInUSE.J
Washington, May 3l.--A most important discovery
in the use Of electricity for heating purposes Is oe
scribed In n report from Consul General Mason' o'
Frankfurt which will be published by the o'h'e De
partment within the next few weeks. The ,hNehio"
Is the Joint achievement Of two Belgian hclehuS'S'
Messrs Lagrange and Hobo. When they applied Tor
German patents, some months ago. the means rs
designated In their claim appeared simple ana me
results therein described incredible, that the patent
examiners demanded that before issuing the patent
practical demonstration OF the process should De maoe
I'm their presence. This successful that II was
repeated before the ElectrO-Tcchnical society OF Der
lin by permission OF the inventors ana win prii"h'
results.
The apparotus consists OF n glass porcelain vase
lined with lead which Is connected with strong
conductor OF positive electricity. The vase Is ne "
tlree-fourhs its capacity with acidihed ~a'er' 9.
pair OF iron tOngs with insulated handles u a'"c"eu
by a flexible conductor TO the negative poie vi al"
electric current generated by an ordinary uynaih"'
The electrical current having been switched Oh oar
Of wrought Iron or otlier metal Is taken up win 'ne
tongs and plunged into the water which Immediately
begins TO boil at the point OF contact; the immerseu
norton OF the iron quickly rises TO req, 'heh 10
white heat, emitting a stream OF brilliant whi'e sn''
and I'm few moments the heat becomes 81 '".e''e
that the iron mels and falls off In sparks ana o"oe''
leaving a clear glowing surface III perfect conouVn
for welding The heating process Is SO raP'u u'"'
neither the water the end OF the par he'u "i''
the tongs IS more than slightly warmed
By the use OF stick OF carbon, Instead OF oar d
metal II has been demonstrated mat II temperature
OF 1000 degrees Celsius Is developed IN the manner
described The rapidity OF the heating ana the limit
OF temperature desired are easily governor py 'he
strength OF the current employed, so that the wnoe
tba ohcnlu r..
During the Berlin experiments tension OF 10 volts
and an energy OF 30 amperes were registered, and
II was estimated that fully 80 per cent OF the current
was directly utilized as heat, whereas The practical
limit has not hitherto exceeded 20 per cent. Inc
inventors say that by employing still stronger eur
rent n temperature Of 900 degrees Celsius has been
developed or nearly three times greater than that
REQUIRED to extract iron from the ores the most re-
ractory OF which fuse at about 200 degrees. Consul
General Mason explains the process IN these WORDS :
one OF the well.known effects Of electricity is 10
separate compound fluid bodies through which 1t passes
into their primitive elements, The cnrre', pass,ng
dcconposcs the latter into its two gaseous elements
oxygen and hydrogen The oxygen Is a',rac"d ana
gathered the relatively large surface Of me isao
lining and produces noticeable effect The hydro
gen the other hand, gathers around the immrraed
poriion of the bar and ~ this has comparatively
limited surface area. 1t Is immediately "nrrounuea
win co,s rnyciop or lhss 81 yrp1ss w "ownr
fl resistance 20 the passage OF the current ana mus
acvelop, the heat which causes the bar TO gov ana
melt II T. merely application OF the well known
law that friction or resistance to the passage OF an
electrical current causes heat and The apparent para
dox OF a piece Of cold metal plunged into cold Mhter
rising RAPIDLY melting glow l. as simply nhd
clearly explained the incandescence OF platinum
coil ia "A vacuum bulb"
Respecting possible applications OF The new process
Mr. Mason writes: /" The quality which entails The
largest possibilities and which has been ~ yet Only
upercay irye gated Is the CAPACITY OF tn, process H
heat quickly and 10 any desired teinpcrt 'ur' .nc
end submerged Surfac" OF mass oi iron While me
remainder Of the Is ~ cool and comparatively
una fccted by the heat. r Is believed that THIS may
lead To other important results In the hardening ana
tcmpcrlng Of nrnor plates and other objects III iron
riu ,te, IN which great resistance To peile raoh
or abrasion friction I, requisite. while pre'eN ing the
Interior tough and nbrou> to resist conclusion or
strain. n IN many parts OF machinery. ~ Essen
McsSrs Krupp Go. experimenting with IL IN the
hardening o steel cannon, and II l. believed that III
chemistry This method Of producing an intense ana
easily regulated temperature NAV lead 10 The sue
cessfu manufacture 81 diamonds rubes aud sipphires
through production OF the larger forms OF crystal
LIZ,