The record-union., 1895-04-19
LATEST ELECTRICAL INVENTION.
The FeIts Primary Battery and the
Claims for 1t.
A Practical Permanent Battery of
Great Amperage and Low Cost
What it is Believed it VIII Do.

The published reports of the exhibi-
tions of electric lighting from a primary
battery. conducted by the inventor, W.
w. Felts, at his residence, 222S o street,
in this city, together with the published
statements of tests as to the actual merits
OF the invention, as they have appeared
in the RECoRD-UNIoN, have caused much
comment and awakened inquiry regard
ing the true status of the discovery as
claimed by the inventor.
From the reported saving of zinc while
the battery Is in action, some extray-
agant notions have become current, and
the statement is made by some more
1amlllar with the practical workings of
batteries, that the claim of the inventor
Is erroneous, in that the amount of cur
rent from a battery is exactly proper
tlonal to the quantity of zinc consumed
Ihls is law, or rule, enunciated by
Dr. L faraday, and is accepted as true. In
justice to the inventor, it is now to be
sald that, as we understand it, he laws no
claim TO the discovery of generating
power without the waste of energy or its
equivalent. He ailirms, and tests amply
afHrm his claim, that there is waste
but not Of zinc.
!
tests, detailed accounts of which will be
! published in these columns hereafter
since the matter is one OF profound
! scientific interest.
The general claims of the inventor as
to the purposes for which his inve ntion is
useful, concern the general public
more Than the strictly scientific features,
and these we give as coming directly
! from the professor.
| First, the battery for electric lighting.
| Professor Eelts has been in this c!ty for
more than two months, and during the
time has been exhibiting the lights from
! his primary battery. That it is a genuine
! primary battery we have the testimony
OF K. Watkins, City Electrician, who is
| also director, and the President of the
! corporation now formed to introdue the
| invention, and Thomas Z. FogaIsang.
| also director and Secretary. These gen
! tiemen are both electricians and have ex-
| ported Professor Felts' invention.
Many people in Sacramento have seen
the lights and pronounce them perfect,
The inventor claims great economy in the
/ cost OF lighting, as well as fleXibility OF
the system. Single residences or busi-
ness houses, or number together, towns
! ana the suburbs OF cities may, according
! TO the claims of the inventor, be success
! lulIy and economically lighted, elm
mating the cost OF power applied to dyna-
mos.
! Owing to the initial and running cost of
| present appliances, lighting on a small
scale Is impracticable.
The inventor claims that for electro
plating his battery is perfect. AS medi-
cal battery he claims that it will he q
| boon 10 the physician and surgeon.
! These claims are based on the further
| claim that the amount of current. or am
! perage, is regulated solely by the size of
the cells and the surface area of the ele-
ments. In the treatment of diseases
/ there can be no danger OF the transmits
/ sion OF impurities in the current from the
! battery.
! This battery is also good for all work
! when quantity and constancy of current
are needed.
His single fluid battery is specially
/ adapted to teIegraphic and telephone
work. The voltage is the same as the
/ gravity battery, with much higher am
| perage. The saving of zinc in this bat
| terry over the gravity is claimed by the
inventor to be fully % per cent, while
other cost is nominal. There is practi-
/ calIy no care or attention necessary
| Whlle the cleaning or reamalgamation of
| the zinc IS entirely dispensed with.
Taken as whole, the invention bids
1aIr to supplant all other batteries. be-
! sides having the distinction OF being the
only primary battery in the world from
which electric lighting may be success
! fully operated.