Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-09-26


duced 10y a small tube, is driven
through this solution electrical
action is set up, producing
current of extraordinary volume.
To gain the necessary voltage
or electrical pressure a hundred
or more of those iron pots are put
together. their rims connected by
a wire. The whole plant-it can
hardly be called a battery-is
enclosed in an oven in order to
keep the solution at a uniform
temperature of about 400 degrees
centigrade.
Practically that is all that three
is of this invention. With the
exception of pump to drive the
air through the solution If sofia
there is no machinery ut u J..
Compared with this simple affair
steam engine and dynamo are,
as Professor Jacques OBJ serves,
"hopelessly complex" There are
no boilers, no engine, no dynamo,
no ashes to be removed, no water
to be paid for, n endless quantity
Of supplies needed,
Roughly speaking, DR.. Jacques
estimates that the first cost OF an
electric light plant, per horse
power, will be something like II
fourth or fifth of the present cost.
The expense of maintenance, or
rather, of attendance, is reduced
almost to minimum. The car
bon cylinders last for 100 hours
or more; the enclosing oven has a
self feeding attachment. Practi-
cally this generator requires little
more attention than an ordinary
steam heating house plant.
From series of tests extending
over many months, DR.. Jacques
estimates that already he is able
to generate electricity for fifth
or sixth that of the best plant in
the United States, and for one
tenth that of the smaller plants.
In other words, pound Of coal is
made to produce five or ten times
as much as at the present time.
Perhaps this does not bring to
the mind any clear or Wv d idea
of the immense value Of this in
vention. Take it in another way.
The other day DR.. Jacques and
Edward Atkinson the statistician
sat down and undertook little
speculation in figares. Surprising
that by DIR. Jacques process all
the engines and power plants in
the United States co Id be- repro =
duoe for. say one fourth of their
pre- ent value, and next that they
could be run for one-fifth of their
present cost. In the United States
th' re are upwards of 81, 100000,
600 invested in steam engines
alone. This, of course, includes
locomotives and the like. In the
matter of first cost, DR.. Jacques
invention would therefore re-
present a saving Of upwards of
three quarters of a billion dollars.
Again, steam power in this
country reureseuts an annual ex-
penditure of about $3.50 ,0C0 900 a
year. This is practically the
annual cost of running the
national government, including
all the improvements and expendi-
ture on public works which the
government undertakes Were
Dr.. Jacques process to be intro
duced, even with its present eff
cheney, this bill for power would
be reduced to less than one hur-
bred millions. 1t would save the
people of this country annually
more than two and half times
the amount that is collected from
our everlasting tariff fees. 1t
would save five or six times as
much as all the silver that would
be offered for coinage if Bryan
and his Populst brethren get the
government aud enact a free
nnino na ,na.cpra