The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-10-08
STORAGE BATTERIES.


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From one point of view IL may be
regarded as remarkable that the tel
egrapb companies. by far the most
conservative of electrical organiza-
tions, should lead in the use of the
storage battery. Their conserva-
tism, however, is q matter Of neces-
sity rather than one of choice or vo-
htion, for it is essential in the prop
er conduct of their business that the
source of the electric current neces-
sary to operate the lines must. first
of all. be such that practically abso-
lutte dependence can be placed upon
1t. For many years primary bat
teries furnished the only means Of
obtaining current for telegraph
work, and in large Offices, like those
of New York. Chicago. etc. as the
business expanded the question of
battery space and maintenance even
tually became n very serious prob
lem. The necessity for n more sat-
isfaotory method Of generating cur
rent in such Offices was met in the
adaptation OF the dynamo TO tele-
graphic requirements. While dyna-
mo plants at large stations have
proved both efficient and economical
and displaced thousands of calls of
primary battery. yet there are q
very large number of places where
it would not be economical TO subsri-
tute dynamo plant for batteries.
In such the storage battery meets an
ideal field of application, and that its
advantages are fully recognized by
the telegraph officials Is evident
from the fact that their use in tele-
graphic work is increasing rapidly.
Some idea of the growing impor-
tanoe of the storage battery in its re.
lation to the telegraph may be OBJ
tanned from a few figures. Up to
July, 1895. according to Mr.. Maurios
Barnett in an article on the use of
storage batteries in telegraph work,
3, l16 storage cells of different ca
paoities were at that time doing the
work which formerly required 20.
407 primary gravity cells to per-
form. The original cost Of the bat
teries is given as SIC, 2O3. so and that
of the storage cells between IS, 400
and IS, 500. After adding to the lat.
ter figures the cost of the auxiliary
apparatus necessary for the opera
tion of the storage battery plant the
difference il still in favor of the stor-
age battery.
The advantages and economies are
still farther increased by the large
saving in space. Output for output
the primary battery requires four "a
six times more space than the stor,
age battery and space in most busy
centers nowadays is easily resolved
into its equivalent in dolla-s and
cents. Another economy in favor
of the storage battery plant Is in the
cost of maintenance. The primary
battery, such as is used in telegram
work, is proverbially wasteful, yet il
use has been tolerated because moth
ing better had been put forward &c
take its place until the advent Of the
motor dynamo and the improved
storage cell. The latter as manufac
tured today is a device far more re
liable in service than formerly, ant
it is quite as much due to the Ger
tAinty that a given cell will supply {
definite output rs 70 the NOR,
weighty economies above referret
to that the storage battery is findinl
so much favor in this particular
branch of electrical industry. .-Elec
trical World.