The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-02-17

LOS ANGELES February l4.-sHltch
vo,lr- wagon TO a. star was the lofty coun-
sell of the Concord Sage TO aspiring youth.
And 10. after more uhan a Senefaulon'
practical farmers are accepting ms sllVlce
mora IteraIIy than amy one colN-u nave
ina giEeti. They are hitCtllng their engines
to 1.-THE sun.
The osltrches at the farm near this city
surrendered one OF their paddocks to a
mechanical engineer and & businessman
from Boston a. few weeks ago, ana the
newcomers proceeded to set up a strange
device which CASUAL onlookerS nave Varl-
Cllsly considered a Windmill, a search.
light, a merry -go-round, and looking
grass of gigantic size and Fantastic
design, but which proves to be new
Invention of extraordinary interest and
wide practical usefulness. 1t IS the solar
motor, and it solves the question OF apply
ing the suns rays directly to the produc-
ton of steam power.
There were "a good many attempts
during the past thirty years-and, indeed,
more than a century ago-to make COM
mercial proposition of sun1power. Some
Of the more recent of these efforts have
been announced in a highly sensational
way as likely to furnish power for moving
trains and steamships and even for level
ing down great mountains. No such
ahsurdtt&es have been associated with the
solar motor, which is now attracting the
attention of scientific men and popular
crowds at South Pasadena.
Indeed, nothing has been claimed for
it, The device speaks for itself, in the
modest, but impressive, language Of actual
daily performance
ITS CHARITABLE POWER.
It drives a 10-horse power engine from
an hour and a half after sunrise to Within
half AN llour of sunset. Its performance
has gradually increased with each days
trial and the psrfecting of details, and
there is no reason to suppose that its max
lmum has been reached, nor that it win
be with the present model. AT this
writing it's best record is the raising of
LOO gallons per minute at a lift Of twelve
feet. The average percentage of sunshine
in the arid region as q whole is 70 per
cent, and this figure would correctly
represent the proportion of the year in
which sun-power could be relied upon.
Making due allowance for the hours of
idlenesss after sunset, 1,409 gallons per
minute, which equal 155 miners inches
would irrigate about 300 acres of alfalfa,
about 800 acres of oranges, or about 500
acres of decidCous trees. Although there
are large districts where water may be
had at d depth of twelve feet, that is
by no means an average lift, so that the
actual capacity of the solar motor can
not fairly be set so high. It's capacity
will wary with the aft, with the character
of crops, aAas with differences of soil.
The important consideration is that the
new power effects a complete saving of
the item of fuel, since it gathers all the
heat for it's boiler directly from the sun.
Wnter-power might be just as cheap if
it were as widely diffused as the sun-pow-z
er, which unfortunately it is not Water
power is being more and more used to gen
10 o1a jhiS
can only be supplied by companies which
have made a large investment and who
then charge the irrigator nn annual rent
of $50 per horse power. In addition to
this, the irrigator must supply his own
pumping plant, so that his expenditure for
electricity is practically a total loss as
compared with sun power The natural
com parison of the Solar Motor is with the
Windmill, since both are automatic, being
operated by the elements.
HOW 1T WORKS.
How does it run and how does it
look?" will naturally be asked. 1t looks.
not unlike a huge umbrella, although this
illustration should not be construed to
mean that the Solar Motor is a frafl struc-5
ture On the contrary, it is large and sub
stantial, weighing $500 pounds. But in
shape it much resembles an umbrella open.
and inverted, and is so disposed as to
catchAthe suns rays on the mirrors Which
line its inside surface and-to reflect both
light and heat with concentrated energy
on a dong, slim boiler, which is where
the umbrella stick ought to be. It should
be noted that no lenses are used, but that.
the heat is redeced from plain mirrors
and SO centered upon the boiler.
This reflector measures 50 feet across
its diameter at the top and 10 feet at the
bottom It contains exactly 17ss mirrors
1-2 by "a inches in size. The reflector
is set in meridian like q telescope, the
axis being due North and South and the
movement from East to West. The boil
er is tubular, 10 feet 6inches long, with
a. capacity for 100 gallons Of water. and
s cubic feet additional steam space. It
is made OF fire-boX steel, covered with
#lamp-black and other absorptiye mate
rial. Before this boiler is thrown into Il
focus its black cylinder is but an. in
conspicuous feature of the novel mechan-@
ism which stands face to face with the
sun. But when, with a few turnsSof the
crank. it swings into the concentrated /:
rays reflected from hundreds of@mirrirs,
it suddenly assumes the appearance Of
shining silver. or perhaps Of a great
cleaning icicle, and becomes the irresis-
tib1e cynosure Of all eyes. Here. at last.tsg
the sun: 1arnessed long pole is reached
to the glittering boiler, and soon begins
to smoke and then takes fire and bursts