The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-03
BATTERY IS
JUST LIKE HUMAN
Requires Proper Amount of
Food at Right Time, Says
q. s. L. Manager.

"A man must have food and exer-
clse to retain his health and strength.
Moreover there must be a proper ball
ance between the food and exercise.
Unused muscles become stiff and weak,
and food alone viii not restore their
strength. A man who takes more food
than his body needs becomes fat, slug
gish and diseased. II, on the other
hand, he works hard, and does not eat
a sufficient amount Of food his body
unable to work. Even when no exer-
else Is taken, the man must have food,
or he viii die Of starvation.
THE storage battery. 10 quite hu.
man in many respects" says Fred
Bauer, Of the U. s. l. battery service
amount of food and exercise in order to
be In the best OF health. II must have
food. even though 1t may be idle; but,
on the other hand, 1t must not. have
too much food at any time, even though
it may be working regularly and using
up energy supplied by h food.
"A battery, unlike a mar has no
mind to enable it to regulate its food
and exercise, and is entirely at the
mercy of the a owner and battery
man. When called upon it must work
as long as a bit Of energy remains.
and often hopelessly injured. II must
also accept all the food offered to 1t,
even though the amount Is far in ex-
cess Of that needed to restore the
amount Of energy used up in doing It's
work. Since the battery is thus UNI
able to defend itself against any abuse
and mistreatment to which it may be
subjected, it becomes necessary for
the car and the repair man to think
for the battery, and to treat it as he
does his own body, giving II the proper
amount of food and exercise.
Electricity is the battery's food, and
you feed the battery when YOU charge
1t. The electricity must be digested
just as our own food is. The process
of digestion in the battery consists OF
from the lead sulphate. When all the
sulphate has been thus charged, the
battery has received as much food as
1t can digest, and II 1t is given more,
the energy of the food will be wasted.
Needs Slow Feeding.
THE battery works by using the en-
ergy resulting from the digestion Of the
electricity, and 1t should not be forced
to work until its energy Is completely
exhausted, any more. than a man
should work until he drops from wear,
ness. A man in such an overworked
condition Is sick, and requires careful
nursing and feeding TO restore his
health. An overworked battery. or
starved battery requires slow FEEDING,
because its weakened elements can not
absorb the food or charging current
quickly, but must be charged at a low
rate, the y. S. l.. way.
The feeding of a battery Is in the re-
pairman's hands, and he must see tnat
the battery is not overworked o.
starved any more than he oyerworks
or starves himself. Thus, charging the
battery means more than sending a
current through it. The current mus
not be supplied faster than the battery
can absorb it, Batteries OF different
sizes must not be given, the sans
amount Of food any more than men OF
different sizes must be.
1.-THE great majority of the battery
men have adopted the plan of connect
ing batteries In series while charging
them. This 10 undoubtedly the cheap.
est and most convenient method ou'
has several disadvantages;
Batteries which have different volt,
ages and capacities require different
Charging currents, And great care must
Be taken that the batteries which are
connected In series require approxi'
mately the same charging currents,
and are Of the same voltage, sas.ery'
o~yercharssd and literally boiled. te
DEATH In charging the smaller bat
> teries will heat up In their attempt y
absorb the h hsayiss oa ans ms sa1 be pe Z
Ln6 larger DdllciiSo 1uN Ah~S -
manently injured. .,
l "Furthermiofe, the batteries shout
be in approximately same state OF dis
. charge, as shown by the specific gray,
considerably among the various bat
t teries, those with the highest readint
+, must be watched carefully, and, re
moved from the circuit when there Is ne
further rise In specific gravity after al
cells are gassing freely. II REQUIRES ex
and the U. S. L. method 10 far superior
to any,"