Electrical Review  - March 15, 1899

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To stimulate the aror of the !ealous e"perime#ters, who belie$e i# the re$olutio#ar%character of this isco$er%, it mi&ht be well to su&&est o#e or two such simple e$ices fori#terrupti#& the curre#t. 'or i#sta#ce, a $er% primiti$e co#tri$a#ce of this ki# comprises apoker - %es, a# ori#ar% poker, co##ecte b% mea#s of a fle"ible cable to o#e of the mai#s ofthe &e#erator, a# a bathtub fille with co#ucti#& flui which is co##ecte i# a#% suitablema##er, throu&h the primar% of a# i#uctio# coil, to the other pole of the &e#erator. (he# thee"perime#ter esires to take a )oe#t&e# picture, he bri#&s the e# of the poker to white heat,a#, thrusti#& the same i#to the bathtub, he will at o#ce wit#ess a# asto#ishi#& phe#ome#o#*the seethi#& a# boili#& li+ui maki#& a# breaki#& the curre#t i# rapi successio#, a# thepowerful ra%s &e#erate will at o#ce co#$i#ce him of the &reat practical $alue of thisisco$er%. mi&ht further su&&est that the poker ma% be co#$e#ie#tl% heate b% mea#s of aweli#& machi#e.

 #other e$ice, e#tirel% automatic, a# probabl% suitable for use i# suburba# istricts,comprises two i#sulate metal plates, supporte i# a#% co#$e#ie#t ma##er, i# close pro"imit%to each other. These plates are co##ecte throu&h the primar% of a# i#uctio# coil with thetermi#als of a &e#erator, a# are bri&e b% two mo$able co#tacts oi#e b% a fle"ible cable.The two co#tacts are both attache to the le&s of a &oo-si!e chicke# sta#i#& astrie o#the plates. eat bei#& applie to the latter, muscular co#tractio#s are prouce i# the le&s ofthe chicke#, which thus makes a# breaks the curre#t throu&h the i#uctio# coil. #%#umber, of such chicke#s ma% be pro$ie a# the co#tacts co##ecte i# series or multiplearc, as ma% be esire, thus, i#creasi#& the fre+ue#c% of the impulses. # this ma##er fiercesparks, suitable for most purposes, ma% be obtai#e, a# $acuum tubes ma% be operate,a# these co#tri$a#ces will be fou# a #otable impro$eme#t o# certai# circuit-breakers of ol,with which two e#terprisi#& eitors u#ertook some %ears a&o to re$olutio#i!e the s%stems ofelectric li&hti#&. The e#terprisi#& eitors, are wiser #ow. The% are to be co#&ratulate, a#their reaers, scie#tific societies a# the professio#, all ou&ht to be co#&ratulate, a# - all iswell that e#s well. The obser$a#t e"perime#ter will #ot fail to #ote that the fierce sparksfri&hte# the chicke#s, which are thus put i#to more $iole#t spasms a# muscular co#tractio#s,this a&ai# i#creasi#& the fierce#ess of the sparks, which, i# retur#, causes a &reater fri&ht ofthe chicke#s a# i#crease spee of i#terruptio#s* it is, i# fact, as ipli#& sa%s:

#terepe#e#ce absolute, foresee#, orai#e, ecree,To work, %e2ll #ote, as a#% tilt a#2 e$er% rate o2spee.

ut to retur#, i# all ear#est#ess, to the electrol%tic i#terrupter escribe, this is a e$ice withwhich am perfectl% familiar, ha$i#& carrie o# e"te#si$e e"perime#ts with the same two orthree %ears a&o. t was o#e of ma#% e$ices which i#$e#te i# m% efforts to prouce a#eco#omical co#tri$a#ce of this ki#. The #ame is reall% #ot appropriate, i#asmuch as a#%flui, either co#ucti#& or mae so i# a#% ma##er, as b% bei#& re#ere aci or alkali#e, or b%bei#& heate, ma% be use. ha$e e$e# fou# it possible, u#er certai# co#itio#s, tooperate with mercur%. The e$ice is e"tremel% simple, but the &reat waste of e#er&%atte#a#t upo# its operatio# a# certai# other efects make it e#tirel% u#suitable for a#%$aluable, practical purpose, a# as far as those i#sta#ces are co#cer#e, i# which a smallamou#t of e#er&% is #eee, much better results are obtai#e b% a properl% esi&#emecha#ical circuit-breaker. The e"perime#ters are $er% likel% ecei$e b% fi#i#& that a#i#uctio# coil &i$es lo#&er sparks whe# this e$ice is i#serte i# place of the ori#ar% break,but this is ue merel% to the fact that the break is #ot properl% esi&#e. 4f the total e#er&%supplie from the mai#s, scarcel% o#e-fourth is obtai#able of that amou#t, which a wellco#structe mecha#ical break fur#ishes i# the seco#ar%, a# althou&h ha$e esi&#ema#% impro$e forms, ha$e fou# it impossible to i#crease materiall% the eco#om%. Twoimpro$eme#ts, howe$er, which fou# at that time #ecessar% to i#trouce, ma% me#tio# forthe be#efit of 2those who are usi#& the e$ice. s will be reail% #ote, the small termi#al issurrou#e b% a &aseous bubble, i# which the makes a# breaks are forme, 2:&e#erall% i# a#irre&ular ma##er, b% the li+ui bei#& ri$e# towars the termi#al at some poi#t. The force

 

which ri$es the li+ui is e$ie#tl% the pressure of the flui colum#, a# b% i#creasi#& the fluipressure i# a#% ma##er the li+ui is force with &reater spee towars the termi#al a# thusthe fre+ue#c% is i#crease. #other #ecessar% impro$eme#t was to make a pro$isio# forpre$e#ti#& the aci or alkali from bei#& carrie off i#to the atmosphere, which alwa%shappe#s more or less, e$e# if the li+ui colum# be of some hei&ht. uri#& m% earl%e"perime#ts with the e$ice, became so i#tereste i# it that #e&lecte this precautio#, a# #ote that the aci ha attacke all the apparatus i# m% laborator%. The e"perime#ter willco#$e#ie#tl% carr% out both of these impro$eme#ts b% taki#& a lo#& &lass tube of, sa%, si" toei&ht feet i# le#&th, a# arra#&i#& the i#terrupti#& e$ice close to the bottom of the tube, witha# outlet for e$e#tuall% replaci#& the6 li+ui. The hi&h colum# will pre$e#t the fumes from$itiati#& the atmosphere of the room, a# the i#crease pressure will a materiall% to theeffecti$e#ess of the performa#ce. f the li+ui colum# be,. sa%, #i#e times as hi&h, the forceri$i#& the flui towars the co#tact is #i#e times as &reat, a# this force is capable, u#er thesame co#itio#s, of ri$i#& the flui three times as fast, he#ce the fre+ue#c% is i#crease i#that ratio a#, .i# fact, i# a somewhat &reater ratio, as the &aseous bubble, bei#&compresse, is re#ere smaller, a# therefore the li+ui is mae to tra$el throu&h a smallerista#ce. The electroe, of course, shoul be $er% small :to i#sure the re&ularit% of operatio#,a# it is #ot #ecessar% to use plati#um. The pressure ma%, howe$er, be i#crease i# otherwa%s, a# ha$e obtai#e some results of i#terest, i# e"perime#ts of this ki#.

 s before state, the e$ice is $er% wasteful, a#, while it, ma% be use i# some i#sta#ces, co#sier it of little or #o practical $alue. t will please me to be co#$i#ce of the co#trar%* but o #ot thi#k that am erri#&. M% chief reaso#s for this stateme#t are that there are ma#%other wa%s i# which b% far better results are obtai#able with are e+uall% simple, if #ot moreso. ma% me#tio# o#e here, base o# a iffere#t pri#ciple which is i#comparabl% moreeffecti$e, more efficie#t a# also simpler o# the whole. t comprises a fi#e stream ofco#ucti#& flui which is mae to issue, with a#% esire spee, from a# orifice co##ectewith o#e pole of a &e#erator, throu&h the primar% of the i#uctio# coil, a&ai#st the othertermi#al of the &e#erator place at a small ista#ce. This e$ice &i$es ischar&es of aremarkable sue##ess, a# the fre+ue#c% ma% be brou&ht withi# reaso#able limits, almostto a#%thi#& esire. ha$e use this e$ice for a lo#& time i# co##ectio# with ori#ar% coilsa# i# a form of m% ow# coil with results &reatl% superior i# e$er% respect to those obtai#ablewith the form of e$ice iscusse.