The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-08-16
THE SUNS GREAT HEAT.
REMARKABLE APPARATUS ERECTED
BY A swEDE IN CHICAGO.

REM A IL II BILE All ma -
BY swEDE IN CHICAGO.
If Consists of aa Immense Curved Mirror
which Gathers and Focuses the sums
Rays. Great Heat MeIts Metals
That We're Never Melted.
One of the largest glass refiectors IN
the world is housed in little wooden
shack on the prairie near Kedzle ave>
nue. and Fulton street, Chicago. Its
area is 24 square feet and diameter l24
inches. The most wonderful thing
about 1T is That it can be changed at
will from mere plane mirror to a
concave reflector. The mirror, or
reflector, is the invention of Knute 9.
Widen, young Swedish civil
engineer. He claims to have gener-
ated more heat already than has ever
before been produced, and his appa-
ratus is still in a crude condition. A
reporter for the Chicago Tribune VINO
visited the workshop with Mr.. Wloeen
saw strips of anthony and other
metals shrIvel like dry grass In flame
and disappear in gases when held be-
Meath lens in the focus of the big
reflector. The idea is an old one, but
the value of the invention lies in the
cheapness of the apparatus. Widen
claims to be able to manufacture such
refectors for the market at $500 each,
and with group of them he says it
will be possible to concentrate such a
degree of heat on any desired point as
Will revolatiOnize all ideas of welding
AMI the use of heat for generating
energy.
SECRET PROCESS OF CURVING.
The process by which the huge glass
plate is curved to form reflector is
SAID to be extremely simple, but the
secret is closely guarded. The glass is
mounted on a huge casting and behind
it is a cavity several inches deep. 1t is
here that the apparatus for curvlng
the glass is contained,
At present the mirror is hung by
chains and blocks from a CrOSSbeam in
the roof of the shed, and by means Of
braces can be placed at any required an
gle. When in use the front and top of
the shed are opened and the mirror
is placed in position to catch the SUMS
rays. A broad path of brilliant white
light shoots from it to focus in which
the weeds and grass shrivel. In this
focus reducing lens is placed, and the
point of the second focus is the solar
furnace.
The inventor is handicapped at pres
ent by the lack of large reducing
lens. He has been able to secure one
only eight inches in diameter, and has
sent to Germany for one of larger
size. With this he expects to secure a
heat Of 5000 degrees over an area a
foot square. Mr. Widen is confident
he has more than doubled the advant-
atges of the electric furnace.
FUSES REFRACTORY METALS
with the electric furnace, which
produce the highest heat of any of
the devices for manufacturing purpos
esq he said, "the area of intense heat
is extremely small, and 1T has reached
its highest TALLY. With reflect
ed heat, the intensity and area are
only questions of equipment. A small
sun glass will ignite finder or dry
grass, and with a reflector of 100
square feet | am able to burn tanialum
erbium, osmium, molybdenum, an.
tmony, and half a dozen other metals
whose fusion requires the highest
and some which never
have been melted before.
IN OF only that, bat the mel ting IS
instantaneous. There is no fire, no
smoke, no waiting-nonp of the ditfi>
culties that accompany ordinary
combustion"