The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-02
WILL D6TrLE Up SUNSHINE.


Selas Rays t. De Kept On Tap fer
LSghtiAg ana Heaaing.
A machine for utilizing the light OF the
sun for reheating and lighting this earth
during cold or night has been Invented by
resident Of Washington. William Calver.
whose claims are that the machines viii
do away with the use Of all present IL
luminants or the necessity for heating by
artificial means.
Mr.. Calver's machine utin1es the heat
and light OF the sun In such . way that
the portion Of tho solar rays which il
poured down on a given space during
cloudless weather may be stored up for the
future and taken advantage Of on dark or
cold days. He declares that he can turn
out power In such quantities that machin-
cry. which must now be run with steam
generated by f1re. can be used by the
adoption Of this stored heat. which will
accomplish every purpose to which the IRE
under . boiler IL now put.
The light of the sun ID the strongest
known in degrees OF brightness. Though
100000 miles away, its radiance II far
above anything every accomplished In the
way OF artificial light. and In more than
equal to 1a075. 1900 OF billions Of candle
power--candie power measure being the
degree OF light furnished BY sperm cam
die one-sixteenth OF pound in weight.
That the vast energy OF the sun IL SIM
ply being wasted. as far as any utilization
Of II In mechanics Ii concerned. Ia fact
that has been long acknowledged. and
though many have sought for ages to con-
struct some machine which could be prac-
tical-somc invention which would use this
heat In doing the work Of the world--no
advance has ever been made In that di-
rection which led TO any useful result.
August 3. 1859. there was an experiment
H. t. N~0.x, Hx-n nfnH% t-yp 4Fvc
cessfuliy printed a paper by q machine
which was run by solar heat. but the
work seems to have been dropped at that
stage.
HIS machine consisted OF large. horn
like disk nearly II feet in diameter, this
throwing the rays down into mirror, by
which they were concentrated beneath
boiler in which enough water was heated
to generate good steam. This boiler was
connected with a Marconi press. which
ran by this means all the afternoon. print
ing 500 copies Of paper which was called
the Journal Of the Sun.
Mr.. Calver, who has taken out many
patents for his invention. says his machine
Will store up the radiant energy from the
sun. which Ii delivered In such vast guam
titles In bright weather. and release 1t in
any desired quantities on dark nights and
cold days. This bottled sunshine. which
Il caught by the meshes of science In the
summer, can be put away In the storeroon
just as canned goods are now kept. and
II will be on tap in January. The details
OF the machine are. fully given in The
specifications OF the patent. but are too
technical to DE Of popular interest.
The possibilities Of a machine that will
successfully utilize the rays of the sun.
Transforming heat to power. are almost
beyond the imagination. Instead OF gas
bills and electric light bills to worry the
householder, all he would have to do
would be to see that the sunshine ma
chine had taken advantage OF the rays
that warmed the days of June. From the
store OF sunshine thus accumulated he
could supply his kitchen range and h,s
parsor stove with heat lie could apply
the power derived from the stored rays
to running motor that would ac.onn-
plish wonders In household duties, He
could illuminate his house as brilliantly
he pleased every night I'm the week with
out the dread thought that the never
firing meter In the cellar was eating UP
his income.
Applied to transportation. the sunshine
machine offers too wondrous horde of
advantages. Heretofore the great prob
lem OF the aerial navigator al. inventors
are potentially aerial navi:ya.ors- mas
been to find a motor the weight s.f which
will not keep his ship f,om sailing on tie
hreeZes. Electric motors ann the iEufnesS
of aluminium have he'd ont glowing nrcm-
ises. but how much more could oe accom-
plished with stored sInshina.
Railroads, with no coal to buy, could
declare larger dividends. Farmers. able
TO dispense with horses, could drive their
plows and thrashing machines with stored
sunshine. and could get to market on week
DAYS and to church on Sundays with old
Sol safely hitchea to the farm convey
ansCeS
II the invention OF Mr.. Calyer proves to
do all he claims for 1t. the art of war may
well be revolutionized No longer will IL
be necessary for the maritime nations 10
have ccaiing stations, and no longer VIII
wars be fought over the possession OF
small islands, valuable only for such par
poses. When each man-of-war carries its
own machine for condenslng the suns
rays a vessel can remain away from port
100 days, ee days. or year for that mat
ter, as long as provisions last. cruising
about the enemy's coasts II necessary. no
longer troubled with the present great
drawback to foreign naval warfare. the
difficulty Of obtaining supply Of coal