Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-02-06
Power From the Sun.

The New York Herald prints an In
terview with Dr. william Calver, OF
Washington. d. c., VINO for some
years has been working upon an In
ventlon to utilize directly the heat Of
the sun. A part of Dr. Calvers per-
fected apparatus consists Of a series
mirrors in frames. The mirrors ex-
pose n fat surface to the suns rays,
but the arrangement of the rows is
slightly convex Each frame con-
tains twenty-seven rows of thirty mir
rors each, total Of $40. To the inter
viewers questions, Dr. Calver said:
Each Of the small fat mirrors is at
tached to a simple gearing device by
which It can be moved at pleasure.
Each or all of these little surfaces can
be concentrated on very small sur
face at any desired distance. In prac-
tice they are concentrated on the res
ervoir in the center of the yard. Each
glass reflects from twelve to fifteen de-
grees of heat from the sun. The
frame is geared and adjusted in such a
simple manner that in can be moved
along the circular track by even the
most ignorant attendants. All that is
required Is the occasional adjustment
OF some pulleys.
Now, as to the exact value Of the
frame, / have estimated that each mir
| Ia, ,f1y
equal in the course of a year to that
generated by the combustion of a
hundred pounds Of the best anthratic
coal. Therefore the frame is about
equal each year, in heat giving power,
to forty tons of the best coal. This Is
more than the actual cost at which
the frame could be constructed, 1t
must be remembered that this frame is
only an experimental one, having re-
fleetlng surface of only about one
and thirty feet. Upon this model
structures immensely broader and
taller can be fashioned. When l eX-
planned the working Of this reflector
to Professor Alexander Melville Bell
some time since, he exclaimed: why
by an application of this principle you
can collect acres and acres Of sunlight
in a single spot" This, as matter
of fact can be done.
From the 1000 mirrors in the lab
oratory here | have generated on the
coolest days sufficient heat to weld
copper and Russian iron. | have
burned a brick half way through in
less than an hour. have concentrat-
ed the combined heat from mirrors on
an unburned brick and have burned it
so hard that 1t scratched steel.
Dr. Calver described a number of
experiments which demonstrated the
efficacy of his methods and the terrific
amount of heat-nearly 10000 degrees
which hecan concentrate on single
spot Some of the simpler of these
experiments he performed. The rays
from a couple of smaller helio-motors
were concentrated on the corner of
reservoir. Some one walked near and
held handkerchief for moment at
the point OF conceneration. A dazzling
brilliant white light was reflected,
causing every spectator to close his
eyes. DR.. Calver picked up stick
from the frozen soil. He mounted the
reservoir and focused the heat of the
mirrors upon a portion of the frozen
wood. In moment it cracked,
smoked and burst into fierce fame.
Sixteen feet in front of small hello
motor, whose rejecting surface was
but ten square feet, he placed a tin
boiler full of water. A few minutes
later the water was boiling merrily.