^Electric (Bcnerators. 65 



The cell is filled with dilute sulphuric acid, 

 and there will be no electrical action till the 

 cell has been charged by running a current of 

 electricity through it and forming a lead oxide 

 on one plate. Now, take off the charging bat- 

 ti TV and connect the two poles, and elec- 

 tricity will flow until the oxide nas partly 

 changed back into spongy metallic lead, when 

 it must be renewed by recharging. 



I remember perfectly well the first galvanic 

 battery I ever saw, for it was of my own con- 

 struction. It is now nearly fifty years ago, 

 and yet it seems but yesterday such is the 

 flight of time. I related to you in another 

 chapter how I made a voltaic battery or pile, 

 as it was called by cutting up my mother's 

 boiler and her stove-zinc, and the domestic in- 

 cident that followed. Well, a little later I 

 made a real galvanic battery as follows : I lived 

 in the country and far from town or city, and 

 my facilities were extremely limited, so that I 

 pursued my scientific investigations under 

 great difficulties. My only text-book was an 

 old Comstock's Philosophy. In the book was 

 a crude cut of a Morse register and a short 

 d.-criptinii of it< , mstruction, including the 

 ry. I determined to make a register, and 

 I did. It was all constructed of wood except 

 the magnet and its ami at ure and the emboss- 

 .'.int. which hitler was made of the end of 

 a nail. The thing that seemed out of reach 



