The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-20
FORCE AT SLIGHT COST.
Discovery Of a New Method Of Producing
Electricity.
DOES AWAY WITH The DYNAMO.
4 Patent Issued 10 Inventor jacques Gov
ering "a Generator Which, IL IL CiaimedII
VIII EeYoluiioni1c the Present
Wasteful Method Of Converting
Latent Heat Into Electrical
Energy.

/ new method OF generating dcctilcllY
which, if all that is claimed for u can
De substantiatol. Is likely TO sUpcrsede the
I expensive dynamo and reduce the cost or
producing the subtle force 10 minimum.
/ The inventor j. william W. Jacques, OF
/ NcwtoWn Mass, graduate OF the Mas
J sachusctts Institute Of Technology, whose
! claim Of having discovered the secret or
/ cCmOingg oxygen with carbon IN such a
way as TO produce electricity instead OF
/ heat is backed up by number OF emf
nent scientists. Edison has said that 90
/ per cent OF thc energy contained 10 coal
goes up the chimney. and e IS claimed
/ that jacques invention ubl1es 80 per
cent. Of the total energy contained DO ih>
/ coal. II f. difficult TO estimate the saving
which this would effect.
/ DIRECT CONVERSION or ENERGY.
1T is well known that carbon and car
| Eonaccous m8tcriais-such as anthracite
] and bitumin0us Goals, coke, and gas caf-
/ bon-have q chemi al affinity Tor oxygen,
/ and that when brought a. proper TOM
/ perature in contact with oxygen. whether
I pure or lilpted. rs in ihc case Of air. such
carbons enter into chemical combination
/ with the oxygen and the potential encrsy
| Of the coal is converted into heat This is
/ termed combustion. SIR. Jacques claims
/ TO have discovered that II oxygen, wheth-
or pure or diluted, be caused 10 combine
with carbon or carbonaceous materials
/ not directly. as IN the case Of combustion,
but through an intervening elcctiolyle
the potential energy of tie carbon may
/ he converted directly into electrical O..
gv instead OF into heat. Upon this dis
cevery his invention is founded ana he
/ has been granted patent for method
] of converting potential energy or carbon
into electrical energy
Tho method Of generating electricity by
Mr.. jacques method 81 simple. con-
venient and practical way Of carrying 10
ont Is to immorse cylinder or carbon lh
molten sodium hydrate. and force n cur
rent or blast OF air into the molten sodi-
um hydrafe IN such manner that il De-
comes irnpregnatcd with oxygen in excess
Of that which sodium hydrate normally
contains. 4 circuit being completed from
the sodium hydrato, which IS the electro
lvtc. by means Of a collecting oloctrode
not chemically acted upon by the electro
lyte or sodium hyiratc, and an eXtraneous
conductor 20 the carbon. an electric cur
rent flows continuously from the so"lum
hvdrate through the collecting electroue
and the exterior conductor 20 the carbon.
The strength OF the current depends pIl-
marily upon the radidity with which the
air is blown into the sodium hydrate and
the oxygen Of the air caused 10 combine
with the carbon I'm this process the car
hon IS gradually converted into carbonic
acid which mostly bubbles up through
the electrode and ESCAPES.
A NEW KIND or BATTERY.
The sodium hydrate SIS contained IN a
vessel of pure iron. and this iron vessel
serves as the collectine-electrode or posi-
tive pole Of the generator VINE inc car
bon forms the oXidizahlc olccirode or neg
alive pole. The iron vessel. or generator,
q furnace fine DUP
pose of keeping the sodium hydrate az
nr0por ternperature Of from 400 to SOD de-
eroes contigrade. There SIS also a pump
attached. for the purpose Of forcing the
mir into the clcetrClyte. causing violent
chullition which supplies TO The electro
lvto the ucceesar excess or oxygen.
While the volume OF current from the
generator. as described above is very
large the voltage is smaller than is ae-
mandcd for most commercial puIpos.''
Greater voltage may. Of course. Doe OBJ
tainer by coupling any desired number OF
such generators in series, or the VOLTAGE
of a single generator may he increased
at tho expense Of tho volume Of current
hv wcll-knovn methods of transformation.
la connection with this Prof Cross, or
tho Massachusetts Institute OF Icchnol-
oey saws he has witnessed Jacques gem
orator maintane Nirry-siN lo-ean"l'.
mower lamps at their usual comneINal
Irilliancy. Ii will be noted that incr
continuance simply depends upon me car
bo, inserted fin the hydratc and the suiil-
cient blast OF air from the air-pump.
WHAT IS CLAIMED FOR IT.
Tests made by Jacques. involving the
consumntion Of one pound OF coal, gave
the following comparative results VIII.
steam engine and dynamo OF the best ana
latest design 100 Watt hours jacques
electric generator. $3.50 Watt hours inc
oroticany Dbtainable (calculateD' f''''
Watt hours This is for actual coal con-
sumption. and the Jacques generator gives
a result twenty times in excess OF lle
amount Of energy derived by the dynamo
and about s. per cent. Of the total energy
Of coal.
Henry 4. Rowland. Of Johns Hopkins
University. referring 90 Jacques lnNtn-
ton. said. 1T has long been known tha'
a. the oxygen of the air or free oxygen
could he made to combine with room
I'm such a way as 20 produce electrical
energy instead Of heat. an enormous econ
omy would be effected. Mr. Jacques mas
accomplished this. and l believe he is the
first who has done so.
" W. swan. Of the Fell Telephone
Counauv SAYS. "Thc Invention is me
,noet important one Of the age We can
INT family imagine its secuences Ine
patent will probably soon undergo tne Or
deaI Of judicial Investigation. in W1ic1
will be arrayod against IL the sclenuIo
lnovledgc. and the best legal skin ~ the
world" .-. .~.-.
CREATDsT DISCOVERY or THE AGE.
Mr. Jocoues claims 10 have accomplish
ed a scientific problem which mas peeh
unsuccessfully essayed by eminent IN
ventors time and time again.
Prof OSWALD. the great German au-
thorltv on electricity and chemistry SAID
In The London Electrical Magazine June
90 1901. "Had we cell in which electro
I'll energy was produced by the direct eXi-
So,ion of carbon with an output approach
inc The theoretical we should be on the
brink Of an Industrial revoiution COM
rarad with which the steam engine SINKS
into insgnihcance.'
Iacnuos Is thirty-nine years OF age. iie
graduated from the Massachusetts, lnSii-
tute OF Technology I'm 1876. studied adj
vanced electricity ar Johns Hopkins and
received degree Of Ph. d. also siudied
electricity and chemistry az the leading
German universities. For tho past four
teen years he has been electrician OF the
Bell company.
Mr. A. Narcan. MANAGER of the vest
orn Union TELEGRAPH Company, evinced
great interest I'm the invention when 10
was brought TO his attention. Anything
which tends 10 reduce the cost Of produc-
ing electricity" he said. els n valuable
discovery At present this invention seems
TO he n subject for scientific electricians
Il.