New-York tribune., 1901-05-18
EDISON S LATEST EFFORT.
IS HIS STORAGE BATTERY SUCCESS
OR A FAILURE?
Suspicious ENTERTAINED THAT HIS ANNOUNCE
MENT WAS PREMATURE.

science has been excited during the last few
months by intimations that Mr.. Edison had in
vented a storage battery which would be far
superior to any now in use. In spite of the ad-
vances made in apparatus of this class within
the last ten or fifteen years. it still has it's de-
fciencies. One is it's weight, which is due to
the fact that the plates are of lead Another is
the limit to it's capacity. and consequently to
the distance which an electric automobile can
travel A third is the comparatively brief life
of the battery and the necessary cost of partial
or complete renewal
Something of a sensation produced, there
fore, when statements which were imputed TO
Mr.. Edison appeared in print. declaring that
his battery would not contain lead. would have
double the capacity and output OF the well
known chloride accumuIator for the same
weight. and would deteriorate only about one
tenth rapidly other batteries.
The most specific information obtainable on
this subject supplied early last month by
1.-THE Electrical World and Engineer" which
printed an abstract of an English patent that
had recently been granted to Mr.. Edison. The
description somewhat obscure. But 1t was
clear that the West Orange inventor had dis
pensed with lead and adopted copper and
cadmium. Only a small quantity of fluid was
said to be necessary. and the renewal Of this
was declared to be unnecessary. inasmuch as its
character and composition remained unchanged.
Those who familiar with the history Of
storage batteries recall many other attempts to
improve the lead plate system A promising
venture OF this kind known the WaddeIl-
Entz battery. which made of copper and
zinc and had an alkaline fluid. electrolyte.
instead of an acid. The copper in that battery
was finely divided. Mr.. Edison proposes. ac-
eording to his patent. to reduce the size OF the
ss--z IT,
World and Engineer" remarks that the resem-
blance between the Edison battery and IAN
cumulator described in a Swedish patent to
Schmidt and Junger'' is even closer than the
likeness to the waddell-En battery.
The method of using the copper and cadmium
which is described in the Edison patent is briefly
this: Reservoirs pockets made in the
surface OF a pair Of nickel plates Into those
OF one the finely divided copper is packed.
Powdered cadmium is put into the other set of
perforations. Thin sheets of asbestos are placed
between the plates. Each cell should contain
two pairs The electroIyte is 10 per cert solu-
tion of hydroxide of soda. alkan.
One of the lines of inquiry that We're sug-
gested by this announcement was where the
cadmium would come from to make Mr.. Edi-
sons batteries The chief use TO which this
metal is now put is to form an alloy for filing
teeth The iodide is of some value in photog-
raphy. and the sulphide produces brilliant
yellow color. The principal source Of supply is
the zinc OF Silesia. Inasmuch as the pres
OF cadmium renders the other metal too
brittle for service. 1t is deemed necessary to
remove il. Otherwise it would be left in. AT
best it is only by-product. and it's production
is carried by only a few concerns Some
asked 1.-The Engineering and Mining Jour-
nar' about the imports OF cadmium the other
Soy hot hat he
was so small that it is elassed by the Treasury
Department with 'other chemicals Germany's
total production does not appear to exceed %
600 or 10000 pounds year. Much Of this is
consumed as a salt. and only a limited propor-
tion remains in the metallic form. and 1t IS I'M
probable that much of the latter to
America. Doubts were expressed yesterday
whether a hundred pounds of cadmium could
be picked up in New-York at the present time.
Another sort of comment that has been evoked
relates to the close parallel between the ground
which Mr.. Edison is now going over and that
covered by Mr.. Entz years ago. 1t is asserted
that the latter conducted an elaborate series OF
experiments. trying good many metals be-
sides those which he finally adopted. 1t Is said
that cadmium was one of these. Now. Mr.. Entz
was finally convinced that certain difficulties
that he encountered were insuperabIe-a highly
instructive conviction in view Of his conceded
ability incidentally, II may be remarked that
Edison's sanguine utterances have elected the
statement that there batteries already in
the market having as great capacity he
promises for the copper-cadmium system.
While all this talk is going on in public and
private Mr.. Edison remains silent. To repre-
sentatives of the technical and unsensatiOnaI lay
press he positively declines to talk. 1t was an
nounced that he would show his battery at the
recent exhibition of the American Institute OF
Electrical Engineers. in this city. But when
the time came it was not visible. 1t is asserted
that authorized statement will be made In
his behalf during the summer by DR.. A. z.
Kennedy, OF Philadelphia The intimation has
been made. too. that Mr. Edison is still planning
improvements the battery. His present atti-
tude is therefore construed as a tacit admis-
sion by him that his earlier talk was premature.
to say the least. Men who have followed the
subject closely suspect that he is getting his
eyes open to difficulties that Mr.. Entz faced
many years ago. Even the most charitable Of
his friends evince doubt about the final OUT
come. while uncharitable people profess the bold
est sort of scepticism. 1t is certainly true. how
ever. that some men, with facilities for observ-
ing Mr. EdIson's experiments and progress. be-
lieve that he has made a great discovery. and
that he will soon be able to produce 1t in a
mercial shape.