The record-union., 1895-05-31
BATTERY RESULTS ON EXHIBITION.
Electric Lighting by the FeIts Primary
Battery Successful
What the Inventor Claims-A Room
Nightly Illuminated by True
Primary Battery.

Professor W. w. Felts has on exhibi-
ton now nightly at the Office OF the Felts
Primary Battery Company, 1109 Tenth
street (Grangers' building). one OF
his batteries brilliantly lighting the
room.
This is the first time in the history OF
successful lighting from primary bat
terry. Sacramento can therefore claim
the honor of being the cradle of what is
believed to be a most important discovery
in electrical science. It may be that, if
all comes Of the discovery claimed for it
by Professor Felts. seven cities will con-
test the claim of being the birthplace of the
invention, but the files of the RECORD
UNION must meet with the fate of the
Alexandrian library if any city but Sac
ramento appropriates this honor, for they
show that here the discovery was de-
veloped.
This invention was held to be barely
possible by the greatest electricians OF
she age. The brightest electrical in
ventors have sought in vain for a comDi-
nation of elements and chemical con-
stituents that would form a perfect
primary battery. 1t was reserved for a
w uldko tu0 ulSCUf0Iys dilU
to be honored for its development and
demonstration.
The RECoRD-UNIoN has from time to
time made note of the claims of the dis
coverer and of the progress he has made.
There can now be seen at the office of the
company two twenty-candle power lamps
burning with perfect steadiness and great
brilliancy from the new battery. This
battery consists of thirty cells connected
in series, giving fifty-two volts and over
seven amperes. The carbon surface is
about equal to that of No. 2 Samson
carbon.
AS to the required zinc surface, Pro-
lessor Felts says that he has recently dis
covered that he can materially reduce the
quantity OF zinc necessary for given re-
suit. By using six thin strips of COM
mercial zinc, each one inch wide, and
about thirty-five surface inches of car
bon, he kept a cell running continuously
at normal voltage and six ampereS for 2l6
hours. The zinc then began to fail, but
for forty-eight hours longer the cell kept
up over five emperes.
The zinc used was originally one-thirty-
second of an inch in thickness, but had
been used in battery for lighting until
half the thickness had been worn away.
The zinc used in the battery now in
operation at the office Of the company is
one-sixty-fourth of inch in thickness,
and is ordinary commercial zinc, by no
means pure. ut would be a dead waste
OF time and material to use such zinc in
any other battery in the world" says the
dlscoverer, yet it will produce brilliant
lights for great length of time from the
Feits battery"
The feature of electric lighting attaches
to the inventions the greatest interest,
since this is result that has been con-
sidered only among the bare possibili-
ties. To the thoughtful however, it goes
without saying that battery that will
operate electric lights successfully will
eclipse all otner batteries in use tor all
purposes for which they are used.
Those who have used batteries at all
know something of their unreliability.
The Samson battery has wide reputa-
ton and extensive sale, but it cannot be
relied upon for any use but sounding
door bells, sparkling for gas engines, etc
1t has so much zinc in action that it will
not stand constant run. In most bat
teries only pencils of zinc are used, and
even then the greatest care is required to
keep them from polarizing.
In the Eelts battery there is practically
10 limit to the quantity of zinc that can
be used. Professor Felts says that on a
test he has had as high as 2SS surface
inches of commercial zinc in action in
one cell, and that il worked perfectly.
AS to the perfect constancy of current,
the lights, as they are OK hibited at the
the Grangers' building at Tenth and K
streets, will attest. Professor FeIts in
vites that doubling ThOmases" come at
some appointed evening and sit up with
the lights all night if they wish, and to
establish the fact that the lights are ope-
rated from real primary battery. He will
let them see enough to satisfy their minds
that such is the case. This is certainly a
fair offer