Rock Island Argus., 1900-02-14

discovered new material for storage
batteries. which promises TO create
considerable stir in the electrical world
and at the same time reVolutionize the
method of propulsion OF motor car
riages ana perhaps street ears, says
the PiJtSburg Dispatch. Mr.. Churchill
has an office i'll the Hamilton building
and 1T the present time is in New York
interesting capitalists in his discovery.
1t WAS while Mr.. Churchill was
student ut FreiburE. Germany. that he
found 4 metallic substance that TO him
seemed 10 possess peculiar properties.
In appearance il reSemhled furnace
Stag was dark gray in color and SEEM
ed to be Il combination of iron and
stone. He brought it with him when
he came To the United States. and one
day while in the National museum, in
Washington. ne saw Il specimen of the
same substance. He traced it to Geor-
gia. in the vicinity OF the nickel mines
OF that state. and At once took options
on many acres of the deposit. He
came To Pittsburg with the purpose OF
making experiments and showed his
metal To various electricians. at the
same time explaining TO them the pc
culiar properties il possessed. as learn
ed from the experiments he had made.
He found the substance 10 be 4 perfect
absorbent OF electricity ana ut the
same time would resist current with
out generating heat.
1t was this characteristic that led to
its use for storage battery purposes.
In working with y specimen one day
he noted that while the current flowed
into the metal it did not 80 through.
and at the same time the substance
did not get hot. Therefore the current
must lave remained in the metal, and
a test showed that it did. Mr.. Church
i'll in his storage battery places one
disk above the other ana i'll this man
ner is able To store in each pair two
volts and in one cell of the ordinary
size by building up the disks is able to
place 81 volts. whereas in the form
of battery now in general use the total
pressure does not exceed two and one
half volts.
When Mr.. Churchill took the option
on the Georgia property. he received 4
map of the, tract. which lie uncon-
sciously exhibited TO Il few Pittsburg
men who SAW the possibilities of the
discovery. Ii was only Il short time
after that the agents of the property
wrote to Mr.. Churchill that there SEEM
ed to be n number of Pittsburg people
anxious to get some of the land, but
there was no more for sale. Mr.
Churchill has been interesting money
ed men in the matter. and ut the Ham
ilton building il was stated recently
that parties from San Francisco. Chi
20. Boston and New York had been
to see him about participating in the
promotion OF Il company 10 handle the
battery.
The statement is made that whereas
it requires Il battery weighing from
500 to 1000 pounds to operate Il motor
vehicle. the Churchill battery will do
the same work With about one-tenth
the weight. The power of the APP
paratus has been shown by the fact
that two cells have made 40 volt
lamp glow with great brightness.
MI Churchill has been in touch with
several of the electric supply houses in
PittSburg. but they we're often unable
TO furnish him apparatus of the nature !
desired. as much of it. such as high !
and low voltage light globes. would !
have TO be made specially i'll the east.
Harvey NJ. Doubleday OF the Double !
day-Hill company said that lie had !
been greatly Interested i'll the sub |
stance with which Mr.. Churchill had |
been experimenting and that the lat |
ter'S claims We're true concerning il, |
that il would revoHtioniZe the storage !
Of electrical power and through that /
methods of transportation by means OF |
electricity. According TO ChurchillS |
claims. il would have. he said, about |
Il times as great Il storage power as |
any substance now known or In use.
Mr.. doubleday said that lie was un-
able to tell anything about the resist
ng powers and hence the value of the
substance. inasmuch as Mr.. Churchill
would not allow him To put any test
ng instruments 10 it. Without this no
electrician could. he said, tell anything
the metals value.
Mr.. Churchill he said. seemed to he
rather at sea himself as to the nature
II the substance. although he appeared
confident as TO its great value in the
Electrical world. According to Mr..
'hurchilrs claims. Mr.. Doubleday
'aid. the metal. or whatever it was,
would not yield any results under the
ordinary laboratory tests, as no acid
would dissolve il; it could not be fused
With any other metal nor could the
,lowpipes he used on it,
In regard to Mr.. Churchill. Mr.
said that he appeared to
ave had much experience in labora- |
ory electrical work and was. as we'll.
chemist and metallurgist. He had
IISO while abroad been connected fn |
ONE way with the school Of mines at
Berlin. Mr.. Churchill is a man OF over
% years OF age and can speak five diff
ereDt languages.