The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-12-23
PROBLEM
STILL A PUZZLE
Demonstration by the Generation
Power Machine OF TuCh
Is Startling.
CFrom Thursdays Advertiser,

tFrom thursdays AdvertiSer.n
A demonstration was given yesterday
afternoon in the old tannery at Kalihi-
kai of the electrical generation power
machine invented by Christian TucL,
and while the practicability of the ma
chine was not fully shown, due to sew
eral causes, its possibilities were dem.
onstrated in way which was startling
to more than one expert present. But
the consensus Of opinion is that il Is
too soon to assert either that the ma
chine will revolutionize the industries
of the world, or that it is failure
Mr.. Tuch had announced that all who
were interested would be made well
come Mt two CLOCK yesterday after
noon, in the rude shed where his machine
is set up, with the result that there
was such crowd present that only
about half could get into the section
where the crude working model was
operated.
After Mr.. Tuch had explained briefly
something of the principle of the cen
trifugal force applied by his machine
to the periphery of the outer wheel,
and how, by starting the machine with
two one horsepower motors IL would
generate nearly four-horsepower, he
turned the button which connected the
power derived from the Honolulu Flee
trieal Company's plant with his mech
anism to give it start.
Starts to Work.
Slowly the large fly-wheel began TO
revolve, then faster and faster it went,
until at last it was making approx
mately sixty revolutions a minute, while
the maximum is seventy-fve.
All those present in a position to see
turned as one man toward the meters
and watched the little pointer register
the voltage To ten, to thirty, to sixty
at last 10 one hundred it rose-it
passed the mark. Then the big wheel
slowed down again. But the ampere-
meter showed very little.
Everybody took an interest but L.
II. Wolf, expert for the Honolulu Rapid
Transit Company; Charlie Hustace, Mr..
Frazee, of the government service; G.
p. Denison, of the Oahu railway, and
a number of others, started in TO make
Impractical examination of the machin-
cry. The motors on the inside of the
hy-wheel were tested, the generator
was looked into, the wire connections
examined and even the betting gone
over.
Fails in Part.
But there was one thing that the
machine did not do to the satisfaction
of the experts; it did not generate \
"'load'' sufficient to run itself, or to
pile up power in excess of that ex-
pended.
This, apparently, was not the fault,
entirely, of the demonstration, so far
as the principle of the applied force
was concerned, but it was conceded
that it might well be due to the crude
style of the machinery, the need OF
oil on bearings, all tending to increase
the friction 50 greatly that il swallow
ed up the extra force generated in the
first place.
AT first it was stated by some of the
experts that at least thirty per cent
of power was lost in this way, but
after second test of the machine,
it was generally acknowledged that
fifty per cent. of force is lost under
the present arrangement.
During the second demonstration Mr..
Wolf made an effort to test the genera
tor of the machine by short circuiting
it, but before sufficient power could be
generated one of the contact rods on
the big wheel broke and the generating
power from the other motor was not
even sufficient to operate the machin-
cry
Excessive Friction.
This accident demonstrated beyond
dispute that the entire force to operate
exceeds fifty per cent. of the available
power
Mr.. Wolf secured a spark ON his
short circuit but it was only while
The wheel, which generates the power,
was making less than forty revolutions
At the end of the demonstration,
brought to a sudden close by the break
ing of the contact rod, those who wit
messed the test divided into groups dis
cussing the matter Many felt that
they might be at what in the years to
come will be spoken of as a historical
affair. No one would assert that the
is n failure, for all felt that
initiated against u fair
showing being made.
AS it wass the machine demonstrated
possibilities which, when the mechan-
ical and scientific ends Of the problems
are perfected may become tangible
forces to Htartle the world