Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-06-10
the eXpense.

cannot aHOrd the expense.
Thereupon Mr.. Edison takes up a
yellow pad and pencil and drawing a
diagram of building plot sets aside
a little space in one corner for barn
and begins to calculate the cost of
keeping horse. M
First place." he says, there is the
man. You can't keep a horse unless
you keep man to look after him. You
have to feed and uniform the man, as
well as pay him, to say nothing of
feeding the horse.
And then there is the veterinary
surgeon and the horse shoer, and they
all keep coming around.
Now an automobile doesn't cost
anything for food, and you run it your
self and don't have to hire man,
and there are no doctors coming around
and horseshoers or that sort of thing.
All you need is Il little shed in n back
yard that won't cost $50 to put up,
and there you are"
Which explains one reason why Mr..
Edison pursued the automobile. He
says it is not his intention as yet to un-
dertake to do anything with his new
storage battery except to use it in
automobiles. When that service has
been developed to satisfactory point
it will be time to consider other things
which may be done.
AS for the battery itself, that is
something else. TO begin with, it
is not storage battery, or at least
Mr.. Edison is not yet ready to call it
one.
A storage battery, he says. ought
to be like gasometer, Just as good
after ten years wear and use as it is
when new. But the practice is just
the reverse.
Nowadays, storage batteries, So
called, do not last a year They wear
out. He has one at his place ut Lew
ellyn which has been used on an auto
mobile for less than a year and it is
so nearly used up now that ii will not
move the machine on the floor, to say
nothing of taking it over Il country
road. Besides, Mr.. Edison says. all
the books say that storage batteries
must be made with lead. Ii is imposl
sible, according to the books, to make
such II battery without lead. The
. new battery, however uses only steel
and nickel. Therefore, it cannot be a
storage battery, for the books are
right.
So far then, as the experiments with
it have gone, Mr.. Edison is ready only
to call his battery primary battery,
although it has shown some results
that seem to indicate that 1t will he
more permanent than the ordinary So
called storage battery now in COM
mercial use. \ small one. for instance,
has been in operation in the factory
at Ilewellyn for something more than
a year.
1T has been charged and discharged
616 times. Recently it was examined
under a microscope and also weighed.
No change whatever could be detected
by the microscope, and the weighing
showed that it had not lost one-tenth
of milligram.
Tests have also been made with the
battery in an automobile, and next
week there will be more extensive
ones. Recently battery was fixed in
light runabOut and two men were
sent out to see what it would do.
They chose n rough road. for, says
Mr. Edison, it is no test of the machine
to have it run well Oh the floor. They
went over grades that ranged from 9
to II per cent.
The battery was expected to furnish
power for 10 miles. When they had
made 62 miles they returned to the
factory. The battery had not run
down, and had lost only II per cent OF
its power.
The next day another test was made
AS before, the battery was charged
for 10 miles. This time the run was
over smooth road and was continued
until the machine ran down. Eighty
five miles was covered, 10 more thar
had been expected.
In the tests which are to be mad,
next week, five automobiles will h,
: used. They will be subjected to ever,
test to which such. II machine can bt
put on the road. s.
In all, 5000 miles will be covered
If then no defects develop which viii
require further experiment to remedy
the new battery will be manufacture,
for sale.
The battery will be made in differen
sizes, 20. 40 and so mile power. A .,
mile battery is small thing, about ,
: foot and half long and six inches o.
Il so square In the steel case there ar,
! Il cells. 1t can he charged easily an,
{ quickly and cheaply.
!. The people who live in the 7s barn
: less houses which haye been such al
eyesore and yet an inspiration to Mr.
Edison will then have their chanc,
to put up their sheds in the back var,
: ana go touring for their amusement 4