726 Transactions of tee American Institute. 



cutters iuformed the company that he had read his newspaper by- 

 it at the distance of nearl}'- six miles, and at the Narrows the ordi- 

 nary gaslight displayed from the tower of the Barge office was 

 entirely lost sight of in the greater brilliancy of its new rival. 

 The apparatus for producing electricity is quite simple, consisting 

 of several series of horse-shoe magnets — fiftj^-six magnets in all — • 

 arranged in a cylindrical form in a frame, within which is a revolv- 

 ing cylinder thickly set with bobbins of soft wire, which, b}' the 

 motion of the cylinder, are made to pass very rapidly between 

 the poles of the magnets. The action of the magnets on these 

 revolving points generates a large amount of electricity, which is 

 carried through a conducting wire to the point where the illumina- 

 ting apparatus is placed, and thence back to the generator. At the 

 illuminating point the circuit is broken, and the two ends of the wire 

 are tipped with pencils formed of the resinous substance which 

 collects in the retorts of gas works. These points become intensely 

 heated by the passage of the current, and give out an intense white 

 light. As the points burn off, these carbon pencils are fed up by 

 clock work, so as to preserve a uniform distance between them. 

 The expense of producing the light, exclusive of the cost of the 

 power required to drive the generating machine, is said to be about 

 two cents per hour. In this ca^e, the generator was driven by a 

 small Andrews oscillating engine, of about eight horse power, 

 three of which was ample for the purpose. The same generating 

 apparatus may be used to supply separate currents to several 

 lighthouses at the same time, if in the same neighljorhood, as thi« 

 electricity can be conducted, through wires, several miles. 



NEW METHOD OF COMBUSTION. 



After the reading of scientific news items, Mr. Calvin Pepper 

 took the stand, and explained his improved stove, and his method 

 of combustion. In the illustration of his stove, the top was com-' 

 posed of a sheet of iron which was peiforated with minute holes. 

 No lower draught is required, as the air necessary to support com- 

 bustion, is fed through this perforated metal, and comes to the fire 

 in minutely divided streams, and in the exact quantity to afford 

 complete combustion. He claimed for his plan a saving of fuel, 

 and that in the kitchen stove the process of cooking can be accom- 

 plished by radiated heat, above the perforated jolate. He asserted 

 that he could broil a beefsteak in this way in five minutes, and this 

 fact drew out considerable discussion. 



