Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1897-02-23
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Demonstrated by the Big Gas Engines OF
The Marietta Electric Company.

~ VIZ -t'
The Marietta Electric Company.
The Marietta Electric Company was
orpanized early in 1896, 10 construct
and operate an electric railroad and IN
candescent light plant There being
an abundant supply of natural gas
available Mr.. Nelson Moore. Vice Presi-
dent of the company, conceived the
idea of operating the plant with gas
engine and to- belt the generators from
n commensurate. The company secured
the services of Mr. Il. j. NJ. Danley, OF
Columbus, o., to design and construct
the plant, carrying out the above plans
The problem of running incandescent
and railway dynamos from the same
countershaft and engine, and MAINTAIN
constant voltage on the iucandescent
machine. had heretofore remained un-
solved. The engine must regulate very
close. II must have governor that
will respond Immediately to either u
rise or fall of lond. No steam engine
has been designed which shall fuIhll
these requirements and upto th's u"le
there was no gas engine that couIo De
depended upon for such service. a me
chanical governor could not be made
that would act quickly enough when
heavy load was thrown on or OIL, to
prevent momentary slowing or rae
ing of the engine, which would last
sufficiently long before the governor
acted to be seriously felt by the incan-
descent machine. 1t was learned that
an engine had just been installed at
Lancaster, Ohio, for operating street
railway, on which a regulation APP
preaching per cent. was attained by
means of an electrical governor. y
thorough inspection of the working of
this engine convinced Mr.. Danley that
it would do the work satisfactorily and
an order was placed with the Western
Gas Construction Company for two
engines of 1876 and 100 b. p. respectively,
running at speed of $50 revolutions
per minute These engines were belt
ed to a cOunterShaft and the two dyna'
mos Ia Walker 100 XIV. railway genera
tor and a Stanley rs XIV. two.phase al
ternator) were belted from this shafts:
all pulleys have friction clutches and
any one or more can be cut in or out,
at will. The shaft runs at $50 =. p. M:
the railway dynamo at $50 and the al
ternator at 1890.
The engines are double acting, TAX
ing explosions at each end of the cyl
inder. The governor controls the ad-
mission Of gas by means of two electro
magnets, one for each end Of the cylin-
der; and the only mechanical duty the
governor is called upon to perform is to
make and break the electrical circuits
of the two electro-magnets. This gov
ernor j. so sensitive that Il variation of
per cent. in the speed either zip or
down is immediately transmitted to
the gas valve and explosions either iu-
creased or decreased in frequency as
the case may require, before the engine
has made half dozen revolutions.
Al present two 20 foot cars are running,
the load nuctuatng from 0 to 150 am
peres very rapidly, sometimes remain
ing at 35 to 10 or 60 to 20 amperes for
half minute or more, but not the
least variation can Ue detected in the
speed of The engine or countershaft.
The larger engine carries the entire
load duung the day while both railway
and incandesccnt machines are rum
ning. The smaller engine is starred
and thrown in with the other during
the evening when the load comes on
the iucandescent machine; and the
larger engine is cut ont after cars stop
running.
Hear the Workingman's Quartette,
Auditorium, Wednesday night.
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