Figure 36. — Gassner's dry cell, 1888. From 

 T. Karass, Geschichte der Telegraphie, Braunsch- 

 weig, 1909, p. 84. 



Once cells that produced a lasting current had 

 been invented, the first commercial applications of 

 electricity began to take place. ^' In 1839 M. H. 

 Jacobi introduced electrotyping as a means of accu- 

 rately reproducing casts and engravings in metal. '^ 

 A short time later, T. Spender and J. Wilson =' 

 applied for a patent on a similar process in England. 



Essentially the same process of electrolysis used in 

 electrotyping was used in electroplating, which 

 appeared commercially at this time. However, it 

 was quite difficult to discover the proper chemical 

 and electrical conditions for electroplating. Auguste 

 de la Rive devised a process to electroplate gold on 

 silver and steel.''' It has been reported °' that Jacobi 



used his electrotyping technique to gild the iron 

 dome of the Cathedral of St. Isaac in St. Petersburg. 

 The Elkington firm in Manchester had started elec- 

 troplating with zinc as early as 1838. Two years 

 later John Wright of Manchester invented the 

 cyanide process of gold and silver plating and sold 

 it to the pioneering Elkington firm.=^ (This firm 

 also was the first to make commercial use of a gener- 

 ator — for electroplating. The Elkington techniques 

 were introdued into the United States through the 

 Scoville firm ^' in Waterbury, Connecticut.) These 

 new processes of electrotyping and electroplating 

 soon replaced reproduction by stereotype and silver 

 plating by heating silver in intimate contact with 

 copper. 



Besides the chemical effects of the electric current, 

 other effects were noticed. One of these was the 

 mechanical effect produced by the galvanic current 



5' The process of electroplating shares with the electromag- 

 netic telegraph the distinction of having beeen among the first 

 commercially successful applications of the electric current. 



■>- M. H. Jacobi, "On the Method of Producing Copies of 

 Engraved Copper-Plates by Voltaic Action; on the Supply of 

 Mixed Gases for Drummond's Light, by Electrolysis; on the 

 Application of Electro-Magnetism as a Motive Power in 

 Navigation, and on Electro-Magnetic Currents," Philosophical 

 Magazine, 1839, vol. 15, pp. 161-165. 



53 "A Patent Is Granted to Mr. Spencer and Mr. Wilson, 

 Both of Liverpool, for Certain Improvements in the Process of 

 Engraving on Metals, by Means of Voltaic Electricity," 

 Sturgeon's Annals of Electricity, 1841, vol. 7, pp. 380-381. 



=* Auguste de la Rive to Dominique Arago, April 2, 1840, 

 "Sur Un Procede electro-chimique ayant pour I'objet le 

 dorage de I'argent et du laiton," Academic des Sciences, Paris, 

 Comptes rendus, 1840, vol. 10, pp. 578-582; "On the Progress 

 Effected in the Process of Gilding by the Electro-Chemical 

 Method," Sturgeon's Annals of Electricity, 1842, vol. 8, pp. 

 216-219. 



»= Edward H. Knight, Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary, 

 1882, vol. 1, p. 790. 



56 Charles V. Walker, "An Account of a Method of Electro- 

 Gilding and Electro-Plating at the Expense of a Gold or a 

 Silver Anode," Philosophical Magazine, 1841, vol. 19, p. 328. 

 Jean B. Dumas, "Rapport sur les nouveaux precedes introduits 

 dans Part du doreur par MM. Elkington et De Ruolz," 

 Academic des Sciences, Paris, Comptes rendus, 1841, vol. 13, pp. 

 998-1021. George R. Elkington and John De Ruolz, "Report 

 on the New Processes Introduced in the Art of Gilding," 

 Sturgeon's Annals of Electricity, 1842, vol. 8, pp. 125-146. Dic- 

 tionary oj National Biography, New York, 1921-1922, vol. 6, pp. 

 658-659 (George R. Elkington). Journal oJ the Royal Society 

 of Arts, December 1, 1865, vol. 14, p. 46 (obituary of George R. 

 Elkington). 



5' P. W. Bishop, "Scoville — The Oldest Brass Company in 

 America." Unpublished manuscript. 



254 



BULLETIN 228: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



