The record-union., 1895-04-23
The FELTS PRIMARY BATTERY.
Results Of Some Tests Made of Its
Durability.
evidently Mr.. FeIts Has Made One of
the Most Important Discov-
cries In Electricity.

Aue InVenLlon OF w. w. EeltS of this
city IN galvanic batteries is attracting
Widespread attention, and INQUIRIES for
batteries Of his invention to supplant the
different kinds in use are pouring in upon
the Professor thick and fast. Batteries of
his invention for lighting residences, for
electroplatlng. for gasoline engine work.
LOT medical purposes are wanted, and
from comparison of the real merits of
TINS invention with those of any and all
others in primary batteries now in use.
those who have made the tests are per-
suaded that batteries of the Felts inven-
tlon are as much needed as wanted. In
proof OF this, the following authenticated
statements of tests that have been made
are submitted, together with a compari-
son of the practical workings of other
batteries with that of the FeIts inYen-
ton,
First, to give general idea how the
telts battery compares with others for
all purposes, the following quotations
from an authority on batteries are given.
AS 10 batteries which are applied to cleo
| trlc lighting purposes, from John w.
Urquhart, one OF the authorities of this
| century on electricity, we quote the fol-
| Rowing:
with one exception-this is the BIZ
| chromate OF potash cell-Bunsen's is the
| only real producer Of rOltaic currents
| that can be cheapIy applied ana depended
| upon IN the production OF electric light.
! Its current, once started, is almost con-
stant Tor about four hours and a good
| light may, with confidence. be depended
| upon for three hours"
! In this run Of four hours the charge OF
| acid is entirely destroyed, and before the
na ,lo y 4
amalgamated and new acid placed in the
cells. Alter using a short time the zines
! OF the Bunsen, which are now about de-
| stroyed, must be replaced by new ones,
| the zines being from one-quarIer to one
| half inch in thickness.
In the telts battery, zinc one-thirty-
| second OF an inch in thickness can be
used, and The battery produces q good
| light almost constantly for period of
thirty days and as high as thirteen hours
at run with comparatively little waste
of zinc, while the acid remains good for
| an indefinite period. The cells then re-
gain almost their original strength after a
| rest of few hours. But the greatest
value Of this invention will be found in
! the use OF batteries outside OF lighting
To give an idea as to the value OF the
depolarizer discovered by Professor
telts, the following test was made on a
gas engine by Thomas E. Fogalsang
lows:
LAS to the merits of the zinc preserver
that Mr. telts uses IN his battery, 1 do
not think there Is anything TO compare
with it. When | first heard OF what MIR.
Felts had discovered and what he claimed
| Tor it, as an electrician, / said what many
| others say now, it can't be so; sucn a
thing is impossible. But after making
some tests L came to the conclusion that
| he had ali, and more than all he claimed.
Having had great deal of experience
! with batteries as used on gas engines, l
made test on that line. IN the engine
! that used about I45 sparks were re-
| Quired in minute to do the exploding.
1Ae sparks must be Of a certain volume,
and the battery must keep up its con-
! stancy TO do the work required.
| After what l consider was q severe
| test, l placed the battery on short cir
| cuit-that is, connected the two wires of
| the battery together, something that
| means destruction TO the zinc in almost
any battery, and left it that way for
about twelve hours. l then tried the
! spark again and could notice no change
4 IL the size OF brightness, while the waste
| OF zinc could not be noticed. The Sam
sen battery, which is undoubtedly the
! best battery vet used to this time ON
| engines, l have known to be totally unfit
| Tor service after being on short circuit
| for three hours"
| As TO tests. on March I'd Professor
| Felts placed III the hands Of Thomas +.
togalsang, at 1000 X steret a sealed box
| containing two celia One was a single
! fluid copper and zinc cell, while the
| other was his tWo-tiuiG acid cell The
cells were each connected up to a gal
Vanomeier. On March I'D, alter twenty
days and nights continuous run, the
needles Indicated no variation of current.
The cells were emptied and the zines,
which were commercial and only one
thirty second OF an inch in thickness.
were left at the business Office OF the
RECORD D-UNIoN, where they are kept as a
scientific curiosity.
AS test Of the waste of zinc in grains,-
on April lst Professor Felts prepared
two cells IN which he used ordinary Sam
son zinc. The cells were sealed up in a
DoX by X. watkins City Electrician, aud
the box placed IN the business office of
the RECORD UNION. They were each
connected up to galvauometer, and,
alter running five days and nights with
out showing the slightest variation of the
curl ent, the cells were emptied.
Before placing the zines in the cells
they were carefully weighed by q drug
gist, c. J. Peters. who again weighed the
same zines after the run OF five DAYS and
! nights.
Following is the written statement Of
Mr. Peters:
SACRAMENTO, April %, 1895.
This is to certify that on April l, 1875. I
weighed two Samson zines for w. W.
| kelts marked Nos. l and 2. On April 9th
l again weighed same zines and found
! No. l had been reduced from }. 1856 grs. to
! 3,7l91 grs.; No. , from 3,7Ol grs. To ,. 1893
grs. c. J. PETERS, 9Ol K streets.
A little calculation will show that.the
waste of zinc from No. / was I5I grains:
! No. 9 602 grains. No. 2 was of the acid
! battery, giving for the time II volts and
u ampires No. l was copper aud zinc.
| voltage same as gravity battery. At the
rate of 49, grains for five days and nights
continuous run, a Samson zinc weighing
,, ,735 grains would last in a cell of the
Felts copper and zinc battery over three
/ years. The same zinc in his acid battery
would last about one month.
A ''crow- foot" zinc weighs approxi-
mately 10000 grains. How long would
that quantity OF zinc last in the FeIts bat
terry which gives the same voltage as the
crow-foot battery, at the rate Of 1874 grains
for five days and nights continuous run !?
| How long in the FeIts acid battery at a
loss of COZ grains for five days and nights
| continuous run?
| This point is worth calculating since
the zines may be worn out in the Felts
batteries without having to be reamal-