The Portland daily press., 1894-02-13
SWUNG BY ELECTRICITY. 81
Storage Battery that Handles Weight of
3,0O0,OOO Pounds.

The swinging of the draw of the Oma-
la Bridge and Terminal Company's
structure across the Big Muddy has
been accomplished by the aid of the
Waddell-Entz storage battery now III
position. For four months Engineer V.
A.. Hewes has been working Oh the
motive power to swing the span, and yes
terday in the presence of number OF
the off of the terminal company, ana
for the benefit of Chief Engineer j. "A.
L. Waddell, who came up from Kansas
CITY to see the test made the span swung
out over the river without a jar or hlGch,
thus virtually completing the nrloge
which connects two of the great sister
hood of States.
The storage battery is of the well
known zinc-copper alkaline type, 6he
pos1tiye element consisting of an agglon-
Grafton of finely divided copper heio
about central copper wire by hne wire
netting. To still further. secure the nne-
IL divided copper in position an outside
covering of cotton is woven around 1t,
thus giving the finished product the ap-
nearance of insulated magnet wire. rms
tivira as if may be termed, is then
,ranndrsnirally to form fiat rectangu-
lar sheet the thickness of the insulated
wire number of these sheets OF
mates. usually seven. are then ulieeu
fooether to form the positive sloe OF ene
cell. and placed in an lronscase ulViuou
so that there is an iron paftlIion DC
Of potash. in which zinc has been as
solved. forms the electrolyte. opoh
charging the cell the zinc in the solutloh
is denosited upon the sides and partitions
of the case, and the copper OF tne Wiae
is oxidized; in discharglng the pae1els
NAV be considered a simple ox!de Oh cop-
ner and zinc cell, the zinc being feols-
solved from the solution form the IRON
surfaces and the copper oxide reduceo.
Eight racks are used to manlpulate ene
noxver "A cells being contained IN bne
racks. The cells are connected ms selios
on each rack, each two racks pelhS ~
series. thus forming two unlIs, peins
the same as Tor 1ndl"louai paot aauioe
These are led into contolllng tesroe
from which wires run to the armaIuIes
~ the motors. The controller hasa SIN
pJe LAYER that works a cylinder anu Oh
which are contact points, by means VI
which the batteries are coupled III Settles
giving the different speeds TO the inoSo y;
Nv turning the lever in the opposite "
rectnu there are given three dlfferehb
sneeds in reverse direction. On comIns
Ia the zero punt of the controiler the
armature forms mag letlc pTahI'
which stops the motor Instantly. Nnile
in operation the machinery is undeI one
most perfect control by SIMPLY "orhihs
the lever of the controller. -
The switch board has mum per OIL
switches SO arranged that the batteries
may be charged from the trolley Wllo
o. tbe East Omaha Street Railway Com,
many. or the batteries may pc rsheWeu
Inv the same current. Inc WEoie paOUely
may be charged in series or ~ may ~
divided into separate parts ana eacn
charoed separately. In operating from
fhe batteries the switches can be thrown
in such manner that the machinery may
ne worked from one half the bat1ery ~
0enendently OF the other halI, one nan
thus being in use while the o1her naiA
is heing charged. o,,a of tho
aramme ring type, with internal helos'
these fields being unique IN Ghelr way,
having eight poles and DuG slhsiS
u,synefiziug coil. The motors are geare91
to the tiff, aud inter locking shaII anu
also 10 the !Gail or turning smart. Gponn
fine intericckiag shaft are friction Gluten
gears, and upon the center smart wnlcn
carries the pinion driving the equallzer,
are two friction clutch couplings. line
main or turring shaft is cut at the cen
ter, and the equalizer introduced, Ghis
equalizer oeing for che purpose OF equal
izinI 5Ne strain upon Tue lafse iaoh.
This lnaiu gear Wheel of the equalizer is
i've fees in diameter. with six inch face
The matter of movsng and stopping
tbs raatioa of such an immense weight.
at present. being 3,0O0,0O0 .p2uadss,o pn od
whie:, will .5e increased TO 4,ooo,ooo
whec the carriage and taotways ara COM
pleled, has been carefully. studied out,
So that the machine in position can move S!ss
the draw as easily as d child can lift
lead pencil. In fact, child couid
swiaa the draw of the largest span In
tie world by simply moving the lever
which controls the current.
Thssa who were present pronounced
the test perfect. MIR. Waddell being par
ticularJy sangulne that the storage bat,
terry would revoIusionize the power used
In swinging draw spans OF bridges.
Omaha Bee.