Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1904-09-17

not suggest a remedy!
The above is probably but one IN
stance of many similar experiences.
The gasoline engine is certainly a boone
to the miner, as it furnishes power
wherever needed and theoretically at a
minimum of cost.
1t has been but few years since
nearly every gas and gasoline engine
was ignited by hot tube or torcn'
This means of lighting the charge IN
the combustion chamber of the engine
was uncertain, dirty, expensive ana
dangerous. Today there are very few
engines that use the hot tube, so the
moter builder discarded it in faver OF
electric ignition, and at present tne
electric spark is the principal method OF
ignition on automobile, marine, traction
and stationary gasoline engines.
!; While electric ignition is superior to
the old-time means, there have been
disclosed few defects in the new sys-
TEN, and as will be seen from the letter
quoted above, the. source of current
used is the chief cause of trouble.
e For this work, liquid primary batter
ias of many types and storage batteries
of various designs have been used.
Salammonic batteries, bichromate of
potash batteries, caustic potash batter
les and many other kinds have been
tried and are still installed for station
airy work, They all give an ample sup
ply of currant for a time, but soon
become exhausted and need renewing.
This invariably means dirty work,
trouble, annoyance and expense for the
owner of the engine. Storage batteries
are not adopted to use on the mine
engine, as the average miner has no
immediate means of recharging the
same. If battery at all is used it
should be simple, easily removed and
inexpensive.
A battery filling these requirements
has never been made, but the dry bat
terry of today, thrown upon the market
by the millions, has been very generally
adopted for automobile work and can
be used likewise for stationary engines.
1t is simple and compact; it gives an
ample supply of currant when new, but
Iitsylength of life is short and uncertain;
1t. may last three months or three days
the user never knows how long until his
engine stops and he finds his cells dead.
They must then be relegated to the
scrap heap and new ones installed.
Some manufacturers have followed
the lead Of the continental makers ir
the use of dynamo and magnetic gener.
ators, others have seen and appreciated
the sphere of usefulnessso f mechanical
generators and yet have,t hesitated tt
adopt the same for their engines, merely
because of the additional expense in
volved.
To the unbiased but experienced USE
of gasoline engine, it seems that i
can only be a question of time before
every maker will equip all machine,
with mechanical generator, either a
the sole source of currant or to be uset
with an auxiliary set of dry batteries
The latter combination is good one
as the batteries can be used for starting
thus getting rid of the necessity O
cranking to get the initial spark from
the generator. After the engine i
started it is an easy matter to throw tn
switch from the battery to the .dyham
and so let the latter do the heavy worl
Of furnishing the,current just SC long a
one wishes to run the engine. IF use,
; only for starting, the batteries will las
a long time, generally full season, be
fore they will need to be replaced. =
And now a word regarding the kin,
Of generator to buy. 1t is not necessar,
to look to France or Germany for higl
priced machine shat will do the worl
and do it effectively. We can. fin
Americanlmade dynamos and magnetic
that surpass the foreign-made gener
ators in every respect. If you use tn
make and break or contact system,
magnetic will answer your requirements
A magnetic is generator with perma
nent magnets and isinexpensive. Their
are at least a dozen American-mad
magnetos on the market that will Civ
ample current for successfully workin
primary coil. Select one that wi
give about 10 volts and one to one an
a half amperes at its established speed
but do not expect amachine of this typ
to do good work with jump-spark col