The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-18

when there is a breeze, also acts as a
| motor during a calm, and can be used
with the energy always on hand in
the storage batteries. This double
| service by a dynamo has never before
been accomplished.
In the comparatively light breeze
which was blowing when the first trial
was made. the wheel of the windmill
began 20 slowly revolve, then faster
and faster it went until it looked IKE
one solid piece of circular wood spin
ming about in the air.
A number of electric lights had been
! put uD in the stable as test anG
when these were turned on after the
windmill had been working some time
they showed a brilliant steady light,
the equal of that supplied by any
electric light company in the country
The experiment was success and
a combination of windmill and motor
! had been found at such a compare
lively slight cost that the matter OF
| expense was hardly worth consider
! ing.
Once the practica bility of the ma
chinery was assured, Mr.. Feely lost no
time in putting electric lights through
| out his house and stables and about
| his private grounds and utilizing the
new agency for various household and
! farm purposes.
The whole secret of the success of
his work is in the dynamo, which, in
a number of ways, is different from
| the usual electric dynamo. In an or
binary dynamo the voltage depends
upon the speed with which its arma-
| ture is driven, and ii was found that
owing to the various speed at which
the windmill was driven an ordinary
| dynamo would be entirely useless for
such purposes as Mr.. Feely intended,
he
! special one.
In devising such a dynamo three
things were essential. It must be self
regulating, free from all mechanical
contrivanceS and above all it must be
efficient.
The self-regulating part of the requi-
sites was accomplished by peculiar
and somewhat complicated arrange
ment of its integral parts and not by
any mechanical addition. 1t required
no little thought and many trials to
eventually accomplish this end, but it
was finally done and moreover 1T was
done without adding to or taking any
thing from the machine.
When the dynamo was tried it was
found to work perfectly. BY keeping
the voltage constant, it was found
that substantially all the power of the
windmill, however cratic, could be
utilized by simply increasing the cur
rent in proportion to the increase of
the speed of the windmill.
During his experiments in ascertain
ing the varying changes in the veloc-
ity of the wind, Mr.. Feely f@ind that
there is not as great difference as is
generally supposed between winter and
summer winds.
During the midsummer months he
found that the wind averaged eight
miles an hour while during the winter
months the average was about nine
miles an hour.
One of the most important features
of this new contrivaEce is what is
called a speed equalizer of special con-
struction by which the surplus energy
generated by high winds is mechanic
ally stored and delivered to the bat
teries in comparatively uniform man
ner.
AS it is necessary that a dynamo
must attain sufficient velocity to
give an electro-motive force sufficient
to overcome the back electro-motive
force of the battery, it was therefore
necessary to devise some means of
preventing the current from the stor-
age battery passing back to the dy-
namo when not needed.
This was accomplished by a device
which, when the electro motive force
of the dynamo rose to a given point.
would connect with the circuit, there
by sending it into the storage battery,
and again opening the circuit when,
owing to decreasing speed of the dy-
namo, the electro-motive force falls
below that of the storage battery.
In every way this windmill electric
plant has proved itself a success under
even the most varying conditions. The
lights in the house, stable and those
scattered about in different partSof the
estate burn as steadily as anv electric
lights, maintaining an unvarying uni
formity, no matter whether there is a
gale blowing or a dead calm.
The entire plant is as nearly self
acting as it is possible to make ma
chinery, absolutely no attention being
necessary except once in two weeks
when it is cleaned and oiled.
The first cost is practically all the
expense and following this example,
the time is not far distant when pri-
vate electric light plants, operated by
wind will be the property of every
owner of country estate when a large
number of lights is desirable.