The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-07
STEP IN SCIENCE.
Light Weight Electric
Storage.
A GREAT PROBLEM SOLVED.
To Be Used for Traction
Purposes.
1T PROVES A PERFECT SUCCESS.
The inventor Explains the Obstacles
Which he Has Overcome-A
Surprise for Savants.
\ GREAT PROBLEM SOLVED.
1T PROVES A PERFECT SUCCESS.

cess. accomplished what the greatest cleo
tricians of the world have heretofore con-
sidered impossible. He has constructed a
storage battery of such light materials and
at so slight cost as to enable it to be used
as a means of traction. After repeated
tests the batteries have proved perfectly
satisfactory.
The inventor is about q years of age and
for the last six years has been studying
eleclro-chemlstTy In London. lie was the
first man to Introduce the storage battery
system in the service of the new telephone
company of that city Mr. Bennett. the
famous London electrician. after many
tests of HOugh's cells. declared that they
were the only ones good for telephone
work, and upou his recommendation they
were then Immediately put into the Cen
trail Exchange Building, the Royal College
of Music and the houses of the subscribers
TO the aforementioned institutions
Arthur HOugh was continually working
on his storage batteries there. but owing
partly Co the heavy expense and partly to
the conservatism of the London people.
for whom "horsecaTs were good enough"
be was unable to get just hearing or any
encouragement.
Then il was that a firm of this city hap
pened to hear of his efforts and ability
ID spite of he enormous disadvantages he
would have 10 contend with in the way of
lack of material, etc, to carry him through
all financial difficulties.
Upon his arrival here they furnished
him with a complete laboratory and
chemical outfit, and al the other materials
necessary to his success.
Hough's first achievement, was TO con-
struct cells for Illuminating purposes
which met with the approval OF all the
leading local aud Eastern electricians.
He then completed a set of storage bat
teTies, ffty-hve IN number, weighing only
from thlTty-fVe TO thirty-slX pounds each,
which, after repeated tests, gave the
same results as 14S batteries of sixty
pounds each, viz. twenty horsepower.
Under the old system nineteen plates are
used to a cell while under the new system
only three are necessary.
Inc discovery has been kept a profound
secret Tor nearly two months.
Yesterday afternoon public trial trip
was made for the first time on the Wander
cook Electric Railway track at East Oak
land. The car used weighed 1000 pounds,
the motor weighed 2l00 pounds. A list of
readings was taken every few minutes
with an ampere and volt meter which
showed the average horsepower to be
q 17s4.
Inc storage capacity of the batteries was
about $50 ampere hours. The discharge at
starting was 100 amperes, which dropped
when the car was in motion to so.
The car ran along very smoothly and at
tanned an average speed OF ten miles an
hour, which could have been increased to
twenty IL desired.
About twenty people made the first trip
on the car, among the number being Super
in tendent Of the Y andercOOk lines, T. c.
Priestley, electrician, of Salt Lake and V
Z. TObin of San Francisco.
After the trip Mr.. HOugh was inter-
I'D
leading facts about the difference between
his batteries and those commonly in use
and which have so often proved unsatis-
factory.
The batteries which l have succeeded
In completing, he answered, "are much
lighter and more durable than any others
now in use. They could even be made
lighter yet, but. owing TO the impOssiblity
OF getting Vulcanlte on this coast, | have
been placed at great disadvantage. This
vulcanlte, which can only be obtained in
the East, is used TO form the outside case
or containing vessels for the plates. My
plates are differently formed from the 9TH
ers, otherwise the ordinary shape would
have suficed to contain them.
I'm lieu of the material have had to use
heavy wooden boxes lined with lead, so as
to render them Watertight Consequently
we are working under the very worst con.
dItlons on account Of the enormous weight
Of boxes alone.
again, the electrical leakage due to the
moisture hanging about the wood is an
additional disadvantage. Yet with all
these defects in detail we have been able
30 discharge the ffty-fVe cells at the rate
OF from eighteen TO twenty electrical
horsepower. If we only had vulca mite
here we would do things in better sha pc -
When asked about the difference be-
tween the plates of his battery and the
others MIR. Hough replied:
Of nj of fire
comes the so-called pasted lead plate,
where the paste, consisting of an oxide of
sead mixed with some suitable solution, is
put Oh the lead plate. The second type of
secondary battery is one which has a lead
plate ana the active material is formed by
an electrolytic action out of the lead it.
self.
1.-THE chief defect of the former is that the
active material OF all ordinary forms be-
comes soft and falls out of the grid, which
acts as the support and the conductor TO
the paste. moreover the lead grid itself is
gradually eaten into by the electrolytic &C.
sion and in time will fall to pieces, OF
course, this does for the plate.
"Ihs defects of the second or 'plante
type of plate are that the active material
being formed out of the lead support itself
with the combined action of the current
and the acid although making very good
plate while it LASTS. it is only a matter of
time when the whole thing will become
rotten,
my plates" Mr.. Hough continued,
''are neither pasted nor 'plante'
plate. Owing to a peculiar chemical
process have been able to manufacture
active material for battery which is ex-
ceediDgly hard and yet is very porous.
Although the active material is self-sup-
porting, L prefer TO place it in ar inoxi.
diZable support so as to reduce the actua
resistance of the plate as much as posi- bic
After this active material has heen in use
for some time it becomes crystalline ant
assumes even a more porous condition
These plates when completed can never
under any condition, even by discharging
at ten times the normal rate. disintegrate
or buckle. Bucklng is prevented by the
peculiar form of the support and the com
position OF the active material.
For example, with my three-plate
cells. although working under the dsad.
vantages of which | told you, discharge
has been obtained of over 200 amperes
with scarcely any fail of potential at the
terminals of the cell. Consequently the
internal resistance of these cells is remark.
ably low. This is partly due to the fac
that no lead support whatever is used for
the spongy lead plate, and the resistance
from edge to edge ia onlV ono ~