The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-02-06
Early Days Were Limited, but
Progress Now Causes a
Big Demand.

Ever since the day, more than twen-
ty years ago, when w. w. Gibbs OF
Philadelphia. recognizing the bound
less possibilities OF the storage bat
terry, organized stock company and
acquired all the p.->nt rights Of value
there has been steady progress in
Of manufacture and quality
OF product, writes Robert C. Coffin in
the New York Sun. Even at that early
day there were several manufacturers
in the field, each claiming for his
product superiority over all others
and monopoly Of all good features
OF design. Each maker was trying
strenuously to show some result be-
fore his financial hacker tired OF adj
funds. 1t was Mr.. Gibbs who
first realized that the chaotic condi-
ton could not last and that it threat
ened TO strange In its infancy an in
dustry that gave great promise,
Strange as II seems to us now, in
the early days the uses for batteries
were somewhat limited. 1t was the
search for an outlet for their product
OH the part of the storage battery man
ufacturers that gave an impetus TO the
Of the electric vehicle.
With vehicle development fairly I'M
der way the battery manufacturers
found themselves hard put TO it to
keep pace with the progressive de-
mGnd for better batteries. From that
day on steady progress has marked
the path OF both vehicle and battery.
Now each stands well nigh perfect
in its respective field.
The storage battery OF today bears
but scant resemblance to its fOrebear
OF twenty years ago. To be sure the
same materials in great measure en-
ter into its makeup, but the design
has been modified and sjmplifled until
in place Of the heavy cumbersome cell
we have a neat, compact, efficient cell
Of very much greater capacity.
The title electric storage battery
Is somewhat a misnomer. 1t is in
reality a converter and storer OF en-
ergy. The electrical energy given to
the battery during the process or
charging is transformed into chemical
energy and stored away. When the
battery is discharged this energy is
again transformed, this time back into
electrical energy and is available in
hat form.
The principle upon which the stor-
lge of secondary battery operates was
discovered by Plante In 1860. He found
hat if two plates, one Of pure lead
md the other Of lead peroxide, we're
in dilute sulphuric acid
electric current would flow through
IN external circuit. After a time the
surface of the plates became charged
md the current fell to zero. Upon
a current through the cell in
he opposite direction the plates we're
restored to their original condition
md the cell would again give forth
This comparatively simple
process is then the foundation Of the
storage battery industry.
Many attempts have been made to
discover some combination OF ele-
nents other than lead and sulphuric
lcid which would prove practicable
IS storage battery components. OF
he numerous combinations tried the
,nly one so far found commercially
has been one which en-
,loys nickel hydrate and iron oxide
or the electrodes and a solution Of
.austic potash for the electrolyte. Such
| battery is known as nickel iron
II alkaline battery.
The current output Of a cell, either
cad or nickel iron, is determined by
he number OF plates composing the
ell, while the voltage per cell Is in
dependent Of the number Of plates and
$ a constant for cells composed Of
given clements.
The nickel iron battery Is a COM
1arative newcomer in the storage bat
cry world. Until its advent the lead
,ulphuric acid battery had the field
Ill to itself.
The earlier lead batteries were all
II what is now known as the fiat plate
type. With the development Of the
art under the demand for lighter and
larger capacity batteries various forms
IF fiat plates we're produced. Today
every manufacturer Of
cad batteries produces not one but
several types OF plates in order TO
meet the various demands Of the cleo
.ric vehicle service. The usual prac-
lice is to produce a standard plate,
also known as a thick plate, which
will give a moderate discharge capac-
ity and a very long life. The next
type is the medium or medium thin
plate, which gives a somewhat higher
capacity on discharge, but its life is
not quite as long as the first men,
toned type. A third type is the thin
or extra thin plate, which has the
largest discharge capacity Of the three.
The plate life is somewhat shorter,
but this is more than compensated for
in certain cases by the additional
obtained from each discharge
Of the battery. The choice OF type OF
battery to be used in a given case is
governed by the operating conditions
encountered and the mileage to be COW
cred on each discharge OF the battery.
For moderate daily mileages the thick
plate battery will give entire salts
faction, while for a somewhat greater
the medium thin plate will do
the work, but when a large distance
is to be covered the thin plate can
be used to advantage.
A somewhat radical departure from
accepted fiat plate design has now been
in successful operation for sufficient
length Of time to establish 1t firmly as
a dependable and efficient battery. This
is the "Iron Clad Exide" battery. The
difference between 1t and the fat plate