The herald., 1897-02-19
YOUR OWN ELECTRIC LIGHT
Electra May Be Harnessed 10 OF.
Boreas
James J. Feeiy, Well Known Bo7to, Law.
yer, Laughs II His Sleeve at E,:c-
trio Light Companies

Windmill has just been accomplished by
j. j. Feaiy, we'll known lawyer of wal
pole, Mass, with penchant for me-
chanics.
With wind as the fundamental fac,cr.
this r-mechanic-inventor operates
private light plant, forces water all
over his estate, operates farm machin-
cry, cuts wood, turns lathes and fills
storage batteries for use in horseless
carriages.
1t was 70 easy task which Mr. Feely
set himself out to accomplish when he
undertook to develop this windmill
electric plant" for his own use on his am
pie private estate.
From an electricians point of view the
greatest obstacle and one which it was
claimed could not be overcome was the
variability of the wind and the corse-
Quent erratic fluctuations of the electric
pressures, which rendered their utillza
tion impossible by subjecting the ordi-
nary mechanical connections to excess
i've and fatal strains.
Early in his experiments Mr. Feely
found that one of the first problems to
be solved was to determine accurately
the wind velocities and eff1ciencies dur
ing the various months of the year.
This was determined by the use of an
thermometer, made especially for this
particular purpose and Similar to those
in use by the United States weather bu-
reau, with the exception that while the
government instruments record the mile
rate of the wind, the one made for Mr..
Feely recorded the. wind at each fiftieth
of mile
After some months Of hard thinking
and harder work, the machinery with
all its Improvements was finally set In
place and when all connections were
made Mr.. Feely anxiously awaited the
first trial which should demonstrate the
failure or success of his pains and labor.
The windmill proper Is the ordinary
kind, common in out-of-town and coun-
try places where there is no public water
supply. The steel frame or supports
extend fifty feet above the second story
of the stables as shown in the picture.
At the top of this frame are the wheel
and fan which are operated by the wind,
AS the wheel revolves under the inf1u-
ence of the slightest breeze it operates
a series of cogwheels which work upon
a long, vertical shaft running from the
head of the machine to the basement or
cellar of the stable, where 1t communi
Gates with second shaft leading direct
ly to the dynamo of the plant.
From this dynamo lead two sets Of
wires. One set carries the current to- the
various parts of the estate where it Is
utilized for power purposes, and for
lighting, while the other set oc-wires re-
ceiyes the surplus current and stores it
in storage batteries for use when the
tickle wind Is not sufficiently strong to
give power enough to supply the neces-
sary voltage.
When there is a high wind there Is
naturally much stronger current than
is necessary, and in order that 1t may
not be wasted, or play havoc with the
lights, the surplus energy is led into
these STORAGE batteries and there kept
until needed.
A feature of this dynamo is ttzt the
same one which generates the current
when there is a breeze also acts as mo-
tor during a calm, and can be used with
the energy always on hand in the stor-
age batteries. This double service by
dynamo has never before been accom-
plished.
In the comparatively light breeze
which was blowing when the first trial
was made, the wheen of the windmill
began to slowly revolve, then faster and
faster it went until it looked like one
solid piece of circular wood spinning
about in the air.
A number of electric lights had been
put up in the stable as test and when
was made, the wheel of the windmill
had been working some time, they show
ed a brilliant, Steady light. the equal Of
that supplied by any electric light COM
pany in the country.
The experiment was a success, and n
combination of windmill and motor had
been found at such a comparatively
slight cost that the matter OF expense
y orI1 -nrth nci6 or;p
Once the practicability 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 num-
ber of ways is different from the usual
electric dynamo. In an ordinary dynamo
the voltage depends upon the speed with
which its armature is driven, and 1t was
found that owing to the various speeds at
which the windmill was driven, an or
dinary dynamo would be entirely use
less for such purposes as Mr.. Feely in
tended, hence it was necessary to con-
struct the special one.
In devlsing such a dynamo three
things were essential. 1t 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 a peculiar
and somewhat complicated arrange
ment cf it's integral parts, and not by
any mechanical addition. 1t required
no little thought and many trials to
eventually accomplish this. but it was
finally done, and moreover it was done
without adding to or taking anything
from the machine.
found to work perfectly. BY keeping
the voltage constant 1t was found that
substantially all the power of the wind
mill, however erratic, could be utilized
by simply increasing the current in pro-
portion to the increase of the speed of
the windmill.
During his experiments in ascertain
ing the varying changes in the velocity
of the wind. Mr.. Feely found that there
is not as great difference as ic scuer-
ally supposed between winter and sum
mer 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 cQutrivance Is what is called
speed equalizer Of special construction,