New-York tribune., 1901-05-22
THE EDISON BATTERY.
AN AUTHORIZED STATEMENT BY DIR .
E KENNELLY.

IT is COMPOSED OF IRON AND NICKEL.
EDISON TO ESTABLISH NEW FACTORY.
Some of the mystery that has involved the
storage battery which Mr.. Edison has been
engaged for months. if not years. dispeIled
last evening by Dr. A. E. Kennedy before thA
American Institute of Electrical Engineer.
This statement is the first that has been A.
thorzed by the West Orange inventor and reu-
resents the latest advances in his long series o,
experiments.
1t now appears that Mr.. Edison has abandoned
the copper-cadnium combination described in
his English patent and has adopted iron and
nickel as his metals. The former is used in the
positive plate and the latter in the negative
The fluid employed is an alkali, but is hydroxide
of potash, and not caustic soda, as at first pro-
posed The amount of liquid used is somewhat
smaller than that in the lead battery.
The plates are prepared in the following man.
ner: 4 light frame. suggestive of gridiron or
a microscopic window sash. is stamped out OF
sheet Steel 24-10O0 Of inch thick. II meas
ures about nine inches high and five inches
broad. From this cut out long. narrow
holes. three rows of eight each. The holes are
upright. three inches high and half an inch wide
Into these are fitted shallow sheet steel boxes.
a tenth Of an inch deep. and otherwise cor
responding TO the size of the hole. And the
boxes are full of minute perforatious.
Each of the twenty-four boxes of the positive
plate incIosed a brtquette composed of finely
puIverized iron and graphite in about equal pro-
portions and compressed into one solid cake.
The pockets of the negative plate contain
briquettes of pulverized nickel combined with
graphite and similarly solidifed. Between ad-
jacent plates is inserted a plate of perforated
hard rubber and six plates (three pairs) can be
so combined that their united thickness is about
an inch and half. The iron and nickel are both
obtained in finely divided state. for the prep
aration of the briquettes. by a special process
not described.
Regarding the capacity OF this kind Of battery
DR.. Kennedy made the following comparison
He said that the lead battery weighed from
1245 TO 1863 pounds to each horsepower,
whereas the Edison battery weighs only 5SS
pounds. thus rendering fully two or three times
as much service for the same weight
Mr.. Edison says that for automobiles he would
emplov only about the same proportion of a full
charge before recharging; that is. he would re-
duce the charge from a starting point Of Ia
volts TO IL But he declares that ne could run
the charge down 10 very much lower point, if
it were requisite useful 20 do So without
damaging the battery He also insists that
rate of charging and discharging might be
adopted lnaI Is lnuCu IlOIE Idpiu IIIeih ONSlpLi-
airy without injuring the battery And he thinks
that all chemical action that would destroy his
plates has been averted. so that the battery will
practically last forever. Some buIging of the
pockets occurs when the battery is charged. but
not enough 10 burst them. and during the tests
made thus far no material has been elected from
the briquettes through the perforatiOns. Mr..
Edison says that his battery can eventually ba
made at a price that viii make each horse
power Of output cost as LITTLE as one from the
lead battery.
When Dr. Kennedy had finished reading his
paper. inquiries We're addressed TO him from a
dozen sources, and extended comment was made
on the subject All or this was amiable. but
there was good deal of polite scepticism
evinced. Doubts were expressed about the dura-
bility of the battery. 1t was suggested that IN
foreseen difficulties might arise from the use
OF graphite. and from impurities in the water
of his eleCtrOIyte. While the hope was expressed
that Mr. Edison's dreams might be realized, II
was deemed entirely possible that he might De
disappointed 20 some extent.
Before DR.. Kennelly's paper was presented
the announcement was made that DIT. schuyler
s Wheeler had presented 70 the institute the
most valuable library Of electrical books IN the
world. II includes six thousand volumes, ana IS
valued at several thousand dollars Mr.. Car
negie has promised 70 give the institute an
equivalent in money for the maintenance OF the
library.
MIR. EDISON To OPEN \ FACTORY SOON.
Orange. y. j. May n (SpeciaD--Thomas A
Edison said tonight that he believed he had
reached success in the storage battery investiga-
ton that he had been patiently pursuing for
some years ago. The advantages that he claims
are TIE following: Light weight indestructioity.
rapid charging the ability 10 climb the heaviest
hills with little no difficulty. and indifference
10 cold.
Mr.. Edison said that he had electric run
about which. with battery weighing only =4O
pounds. had run seventy-ive miles on a single
charge. He added that he had just completed
the purchase OF the old Hayden mill IN Glen
Ridge. and would take possession OF IL to-nlor-
Here he proposes to establish a factory
for the manufacture of the batteries. He stated
that he would organize a company 70 be called
the Edison Storage Battery Company, but that
he would be the company.