The St. Louis Republic. [volume], January 21, 1900, Magazine Section, Page 11, Image 47

About The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO

                
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HAS HE HARNESSED THE SUN'S RAYS?
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Letters Patent Have Been Granted to Doctor William Calver of Washington, D. C on an In
vention Which May Revolutionize Existing Systems of Obtaining Power.
THE REPUBLIC: SUNDAY. JAXUAFvY 21. 1000.
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IN ONE OF THESE PICTURES, WHICH ARE FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC, DR. CALVER IS SHOWN STANDING BY ONE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL
HELIO MOTORS, OF WHIGH SEVERAL ARE SHOWN IN THE GENERAL VIEW OF THE INVENTOR'S LABORATORY THE UPPER PICTURE IS OF DR. CALVER SETTING FIRE
TO FROZEN WOOD BY MEANS OF THE CONCENTRATION OF REFLECTED SUN RAYS. . & & j.
Tha writer alighted about 3 o'clock tha
coxt morning at tha end of tho North
Capitol street car Una. Following direct!' ti3
ha made hl3 tiay up a high hill to the right
and passed around behind a largo mansion
and found himself confronted by a board
fenco some ten or twelio feet In height.
This inclosed a lut about half- on iliu la
extent.
Tho mornlnff was cold and a samlfog lay
ever the city and pattlj- obscured tho sun,
whoso beams btruggled over tho domo cf
the distant capitol building and down Into
the lnclosuro In a fitful uncertain fashion.
A chilling wind blew- from tho Marjland
hills to the west, whilo tho ground under
foot was frozen.
Doctor Calvor was promptlj- on hand with
a small partj- of persons who nro ac
quainted with his secret and are interested
In his scientific work. "I am afraid that wo
havo rather an Inauspicious daj- fur our ex
periments," ho said.
"However, I can explain somo of our ma
chinery und methods to j-ou."
Tho sight which met tho reporter's caza
as he entered was cne at tho Eamo lime
both novel and Interesting. At the center
cf tho lnclosuro stood a small houce, about
twelve feet through, roughly contructcd
and resembling in general appearance a
rough upright water tank.
This tank seemed to form the center of
a sj-stcm cf circular wooden tracks. And
ROMANCE OF AN
EXPRESS PACKAGE.
WRITTEN' FOR TlfD SUNDAT ItirntUC.
Down In the basement of tho building oc
cupied by the I'acillc Kxprcss Cei.tiisiny. at
Et. Charles and Fourth streets. Is a lit of
old plunder, that Is sold oft every ruw atid
then to make room for mere that Is comi'ig.
And about one of tho old bundles that
ttayrd there for six months or so and lias
sold for $3.73, there hangs a tale.
7lt was como ten years ago tt-at this
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It was on these tracks that tha unique
feature of the exhibit was located. Theso
were nothing more nor les than a number
of mirror frames. There weru In all somn
seven or eight of tbe-e, ono to the front
of the tank, two to tha left and three to
the right. Hack of tho tank was a frame.
irhObe exposed surface would seem to equal
tho comLmed burfaces of all tl.o other
mirrors.
The construction of the mirrors with
which these frames wero lltted up proved,
en closer examination, to he different from
anything of tho kind ever before heard of.
In the big frame, for example, to which
Doctor Calver ltd tho wnj instead of a sin
gle solid mirror or reflector, which might
naturallj- have been exp'-'Ctid. there were a
great number of small mirrors bet In a
series of ruvs one above another. Theso
mirrors, which were only four by K Inches
In size, exposed to tho sun a 5crfe.-tlj- flat
surfaces The method of arrangement of
the rows In the framo was sllghtlj- con
iex. It was found bj- n. simple count that
thero were twentj'-seicn rows of thlrtj
mirrcrs each in tho entire frame, or (10 mir
rors In all.
"It will be understood." said Doctor
Calver. by way of explanation, "that tho
great question which confronted anj- one
working In my ticld was that of arranging
tho rellectors of the sun's rajs so that anj
number of them could be concentrated on
tho same point as the same time, and kept
bundio was on hand as unclaimed It was a
verj- ordi-iarj- bundle simply a roll of old
bed clot. dng. It came In en nn early train
ono rrorning In June. 1SJ1, udJrt-tMl to
Thorn is Johnson. No street r.umtc- waq
pile i. and the bundle was held f c r a caller.
It as sent from scno paii i near St.
C .arles, Mo.
Two or three dajs after th bundle ar
rived, a man who looked like a fanner who
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s-gyy I J I'm I am
Sun Heat
and Force Con
centrated for Practical Use.
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thro throughout tha cntlro daj It Is al
most superfluous to state that all who
havo worked on this question agreed that
If this could bo done tho problem was
Holvesl. An attempt has been made to do
this through concentrating tha rays of the
sun bj- means of a number of concave mir
rors. This has proven to bo Impossible over
any great extent of territory and Imprac
tical from a commercial standpoint. An
other experiment of my onn In which I
had tho bunllght from a number of mirrors
thrown Into tho largo end of a great fun
nel and concentrated at tho small end
proved scnrcelj- moro successful.
"After this experiment I was forced to
the conclusion that the true solution of
tho situation must lio In tho fiat mirror.
Working on this idea I have constructed tha
form of reflector, which j-ou see before jou.
To this I havo given tho name of 'pan-l.ello-motor,'
tho Greek, which translated
meHns 'universal 6unpowcr."
"This motcr consists, ns will bo Been, of
the simplest arrangement possible. Kach of
tho small flat mirrors Is attached to a
simple geaiing device by which It can be
moved at pleasure. Kach and all of these
surfaces, four by six Inches In size, can ba
concentrated on a verj- small surface at
anj- desired distance. In practice thej- ara
concentrated on tho reservoir In the center
of tho jareL Each glass reflects from
twelve to fifteen degrees of teat from the
sun."
had come to town and rigged himself out
In a suit of stcre clothes applied at tha
ofllce of the express company and asked
for tho bundle. He described It and stated
that he was moving hero from out In the
State, nnd sent tho bedclothlng by expre-sa
so It would get here In time for use be
fore the rest cf tho furniture got hers by
freight. W. J. I.nne, who was then one of the
clerks In the office, but who Is nuw in
charge of the el'j- money order business cf
the companj-, was tho clerk of whom the
lnqulrj was made. He questioned the fel
low closely, not that ho suspected any
thing, but because It Is a habit of express
clerks to ask questions. Then ho went
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IlillMllillfd iT- I - T(BFtv - WTm!l It ItP I'd
fej iLziL-'Sl 65sil
Epo!I CorrfrnnCenre f T!i Sun Jar I'.-p it 1 .
t Tim human mind grasps t,r.-at things
Js!or.Ij I'hllt.sopht rs haiu i-fr Hoiked at
4; prrbltms wiihh uppear utterly .tIn t tins
Jicrc.it mass of jitoplo. Miu.kliij la as promt
'. to doubt as nro tin- sparks to Hy uanl.
J1 Galileo was Imprisoned fur his Imtntloa of
,tth telescope. tVlonibus at that is hooted
J! f-r a fool and at last died In chains be
4 causa of his Idea that tlio world was r-iuinl
JjJustcaJ of flat. Mursti j.cilJU.J his -l.ctrl.j
J. nrrdle tmtlS lie w.is footaoro and Imot at
itho jiolnt of stvlns "P W Invention, and
mon laiiAhdl to siorn his wild n-itloiu of a
rnab-nitio tetrRnilh. IV-uplo said that IVII
'h.id only dt--ovred a irctty pU)th!tit; for
children. hcn tlio youns tn.ntur wna ul
niost hcartbrolvcn with the MrugKin for the
J rccoKiiltl.m of tlio rt'S'lo'lltles which ho
5al. tif .-..n in tht tel.-phon".
$. Within tlio vast tv.o Hfka a man of sol
"r::ti Dorinr William Oliver, who has U-rn
J working for twenty odd jcars on tho ast
; ct material iiroblem which has ir pr
' sontod Itself to mankind for 'llton, has
Jt'Oin crantfil letters patent Mmultnneous-
ly In th.. United States. KnglanU. Germany
and Prance en an Invention nhl h eontaiiti
S, within Itself ;o"iarollIties of a ievolutlon .1.1
V r.olit al .it of a reorBanizalli'ti of MKiMy
J us Kreat as tho:.e which followed the hr.st
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"How about the point of concentration
when the sun moves around?" was asked.
"That i simple enough," sold Doctor
Calver. "The frame movts Coo. It Is geared
and adjusted In such a simplo manner as
to be moved along the circular track bj
even the most Ignorant of attendants. One
man could keep a great number of those
machines focused on a blngio point. All
that Is required Is tha occasional adjust
ment of pome pulleys.
"Now as to tha exact value cf tho frame
before us. I havo estimated that each mir
ror, four bj- six inches, reflects a heat
equal in the course of a jear to that ren
erated bj- tha combustion of a hundred
pounds of the best antt-racito coal. There
fore the frame befcre us is about equal each
year In hcnt-gtvlns power to forty tons of
tho best coaL This Is more than tfco
actual cost at which th frame could bo
constructed. It must bo remembered that
this framo Is only an experimental one,
having a reflecting surface of enly about
120 feet. After the same fashion that this
frame Is built, structures Immensely broad
er and taller can be fashioned. When I
explained the working of this reflector to
Professor Alexander Mellillle Iiell forae
tlmo since-, he exclaimed: 'Whj-, by an ap
plication of this principlo you can collect
acres and acres of sanllght In a single
Bpot.' This, as a matter of fact, can ba
done."
"But how about ths cloudy and rainy
back Into the frelghtrocra for the bundle.
It took him a long time to locate it. It
had become buried under a lot of ether
plunder, and was hard to get at. Finally,
with the assistance of a porter, he lugged
the thing out and prepared to deliver It.
Hut the man was gone, Iine did not
know whj-, unless ho had got tired of wait
ing, and ho put the- bundle aside. This
time he put It In n. pla o where It could
be get at easily when Mr. Johnson shnuld ,
call for It again and ta -e It away. I.ane J
dil not want It He a boarding, and ,
had all the bedclothlng he- wanted. And, be
sides. It was June, anyhow.
But Mr. Johnson never returned. Lane
Insisted on keeping the bundle ia easy reach
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jirarttral Introduction of kteani pewer. As
u matter of cold sub.st.intl.il fa t the pow
crj of Imagination fail ih u one commences
to o:'teii !Ut tin- Itivtntl.in ami ii lie.ir
Iiibs on aoiity with ail tin far rathlti(j
c n-eiiiriis if Its unlit r-al liitrmluctlou.
And yet in. 'i haio In . n working at tho
IToblem, Hhieh Iiuctor falier laims to
havo completely ttdvtd, for thousands of
years. Scientists of titrv seneraiion. alncfl
the time when It was :irst projoiit.tl. j hy
Archimedes, have (studied and btruea for
Its acuni!l9limrnt.
As !s well known to every Bchoolboy. tha
bourco of all lKwer Is tho heat and llKht
of the sun. To collect this end to ha In It
directly to tho machinery which make tha
exlutenco of this period possible, and to
make It serve mankind by night and by
d3y; to do for him hi.-. tlrudKery at irac-
tl.aily no cost; to m.iko li h w his wool
and draw his water, run his railroads; fur-
nlsh lijcht ami hat to title-., to propel his
essel.s acres the ocean, and in hort to
substitute It everj where for the prt sent uso
of coal and wood and othir fuels. lus been
the dream of Ii'ou.s. of Hirschel and Krhs-
snn tmfpsnr Lanirlev ut the Smithsonian
In.stituticn has written. In powerful word,
calling attention to tho nc -itv for such
nn inVintion. !! has dfilar.d tint tho
human raie. must depend In the futuro up-
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daj-s?" questioned tha writer.
"Simple enough, we can keep !c In hot
weather; after exactly the same princlpl
we can store and keep heat In eclj weather
for use by day and by night. In sunshine
and in storm. Two well-known examples
will sufllco to explain the principle of oar
heat reservoir. Kor Instance, the heat of
the sun's rays goes through the closed
glass cf & hot bed and raise tho tempera
ture within. Heat goes through glass, but
It does not come back. It Is a universally
known fact that a brick or a bag of hot
water retains Imparted heat for a consid
erable length of t'me.
"What moro Flmplo then than to threw
th concentrated raj-s from our mirrors
through two thicknesses of glass and col
lect their heat in a reservoir of ciay and
ktane on tho Inside. This Is what has been
dono In tho present Instance and In prac
tical work on an extended scale this same
priccipio will be applied, only to a mui-h
greater extent nnd on a much larger scale
than In tho small experimental reierioir
here.
"At the samo time It may be stated, as
b. matter of Interest, that I havo kept thrt
or four hundred degrees of heat a much
higher temperature than is needed to maki
steam In thl3 reservoir for a week at a
time.
"From the WOO mirrcrs In tho laboratory
here, which can all be concentrated on a
Eicglo point, I havo generated on tho cold
until tha "boss" told him hi either had to
move It or get another Job. Then the bundle
went Into tho basement.
I.ane made a mental bet with himself that
he would have to lug the thing back again
within twcntj--four hours.
Bat six months or so passed, and finally
Line decided that ho had lost tho bet and
paid It. In the course or seme fivo or six
months the bundle was sold along with a
lot uf other unclaimed stuff. A negro was
t'.e purcharr aft r somo spirited bidding,
which rn tl.o price up from 47 cents to
13.71.
Next day tho negro camo back to the ex
press office.
"Boss, I didn't 'spec to tell anj-body; but
on the ban for he.u and jiower. It Is it
method for th" utilization of tho heat of
the fun In a jir.i. t.'jl way and for a nom-
lualt.t that lntor William all er I. un s
to hai-lll oi r. 1. In uto.taiitiatiou .it his
rl iliiis ho M.ovis inai'hiiiery and n -ulM
whi-h w..ald .steiniiiKly convlncu tho most
skeptical
Tho correspondent of jour paper called
on Doctcr I'alver at hlj homo in VahliiK-
ton. Tho loctor Is a man of Gomethlni;
lit mlddlo age. IIU hair uud tieard ara
btrtaki.I plentifully wltli Kr.ty. I'hjslcally
ho Is of medium Mature; but his Imiiw Is
almost massliu in Its proportions. In man
ner tho dotor Is Kcnl.il. kindly and er-
K title I.lko many lnventcrs he teems
llioroiihly wrapped up in the work thut ho
has accomplished and the work that So haj
In Iew.
"I ludleie. In fact I know" said ho in
nnswer to a question, "that I have folvsl
tho probltm of tlio direct conversion of tho
Min' t rajs Into a heat which can be utilized
on a far theapcr commercial basis than
coal. 1 halo also devised a method for tho
f-tomgo of this heat so that it can bo us.d
nt anv desired llmo and tdacc. 1 feel that
beyond a dcuht 1 haie settled forever tho
question of the actual commercial harness-
Ins; of th. direct raj's of tho sun al.d of
their cctuerslon to tho us of man.
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dlstliut departure from anything whlih has
ever before been att. mptts! by men wcrkiiiii
in my line. My methods am tho acme of
fclmplicitj-. No compll'-ated and costly ma-
chlniry is ussl in a single portion of my
invention. Unce mi- machine is built it will
last pratticallj- Indefinite I-. and as Ions as
tho t-un contli. jcs to kIvo heat and light to
man it will lalwr In his behalf.
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est days sufficient heat to weld copper and
Hussion Iron. I have burned a brick half
way through In half an hour. I have con
centrates! tho combined heat from tho mir
rcrs on an ordlnarj- unburncd brick and
havo burned It so hard that It scratched
steel."
Doctor Calver described a number of ex
periments which demonstrated the etlfscy
of his methods and the terrific amount of
heat, nearly ten thousand degrees, which
ho can concentrate In a single spot. Ha
then showed the partj- somo cf the brick
which he had burned, as well as the metals
which he had melted and welded. Soma of
the simpler of these experiments he per
formed. The raj-s from a couple of the smaller
he'.io motors were concentrated on a corner
of the reservoir. Some ono walked near
and held a handkerchief for a. moment at
tho point of concentration. A white lignt
cf dazzling brilllancj- was reflecteJ, causing
everj-ona around to close his eyes.
Doctor Calver reached down and picked
a stick from tho frozen soil. He mounted
the reservoir and holding the stick in one
hand he focused, bj- means cf a small hand
reflector, tho heat of the combined mirrors
on a portion of the frozen wood. In a
moment It cracked, smoked and burst Into
a fierce flame.
Sixteen feet In front of a smill hello
motor, whose reflecting surface was but
ten square feet, ho placed a tin boiler full
them wasn't bed clothes what I bought
t'other daj'."
"Whnt was It, then?" was the most natu
ral question that I.ane could think of.
"It was a whole lot of silver stuff In wld
It," replied the negro.
"What did you do with It?" asked I-ane.
who was Interested, but uidn't show- It.
"(lot It at home." said the negro.
"Why didn't jou sell ttT' Iine asked.
That was not a natural question, but Lane
was thinking of something to do In the
matter.
"Well, boss. I tell jou. It was dl3 way.
Tou see. I knoned a mistake had been
made, and da; somebody had Ioa what I
found. An" sides dat," ho added-. "I was
of eard to try to sell It, 'cause I didn't know-
I t . I I i f s
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heat which I can Renerate. With th con-
ctntrated rays of the sun collected against
a luountaln side, I could melt the rot-Its and 2
uumj tlio tarlh to Imrn like a l.vln,; val-
tano. I m produce in or.o p T a heat vj
laster ur.d moro ti n o than tt on
th-jr
fate of tho san itself, and a, -rtater heat
than any now attainable through the cm-
bi.stlon of knoun tubBt-ntes or thrcish tha 2
iiKeney of tho electric arc, which new fur-
uiihts the fiercest heat known to man J
"As to tho cost of this heat for commer-
clat purposes 1 bhall only say that I an 4
furnish it at the snoutt: of the- oal pit or"
en the edK of ths forest for a tith cf tho
cost that It takes to dis and ral-o til's
coal and to cut down tho timber. And tho T
heat which I generato by this procets Is Z
mailable tor a, thousand and ono th.ngs
for whlrh fuel is absolutely unlit. With It jj
I shall bo ably to smelt tasiiy tho harJcst
and most rebellious cf tho ores. Wt'h it I '
bi.jll make a quality of glass which cm- j
not exist at present. With it an lnr.'icuf us
gas can bo inado at a cost far lesi than It
Is now mad? from coal.
"Iiut I am runnlnK on clvins the I'rod-1
ucts of ii llfetimo of thcugnt and pianrlns;4
and of Invention in a few moments. It is?
hardly fair to expect anj- ono to t'ueve
theso without absolute proof. When a man
ses his work conelud'sl and ready to bo:
i It -rt fi !hi i ! h. i - nif f !. Irn- -
patient that others do not imrncdiatclj- bee j
It as ho does.
"I eon-e!ied tho principles on ttH'h my J
Invention Is based In three dajs. I was afe
jounj; man then. It Is gt'ine en now thirty
years that I have been laboring- en It. J
You must como to my laboratory- In tha ;
morning, where I shall bo glad to show your
mj- apparatus and expltin mv methods," 9
cliXiCJUliirU iliC UUU.Ui Willi U. SiiiliU. p
of water. A few minutes after he had con
centrated the mirrors on Its surface tha
water was boiling merrily.
"Whj-, that llttlo trick could cook n. din
ner for a whole family In summer t'.rrt,''
remarked a member of tho party.
"And the ccst or cooking for tho who'o
year would average about a cent a dijV
aid the doctor.
Doctor Calver has Interested a mmbir
of gentlemen with him and will endeavor
to utlllzo his discovery In all of Its practical
possibilities; this Includes the furnishing of
power and heat, smelting and the making
of artificial ga3. The discovery will also
be exploited In furnishing power for pump
ing In Irrigating tho arid lands of tho ge-eat
West, where fuel Is scarce and expeuslva
and sunlight Is plentiful.
When asked what he believed the e.Tect
of his Invention would bo on humanity,
Doctor Calver said:
"I had few better friends than the lata
Senator Leland Stanford, who knew ray In
vention well and sympathized with mv pur
pose and ends. Conversing with mo hi una
day said of my hello motor: 'If perfected.
It will do moro for humanity than all we
have at present. Tho steam engine mm a
great revolution and this will make another
and a greater."
"I have nothing to add to what my frlenj.
has said except that mj- Invention b" com
pleted now." said Doctor Calver.
JAMES M. THOMSON.
but what de p'llce might git a-holt of me.
Upon Investigation, as the police report
said afterward. It was discovered that tha
silverware had been stolen from a residence
In St. Charles. Mo., by burglars, and that
a diligent search had been rr.ailo by the
police officers of that town and county, but
without result. It was believed by the St.
Lcuis police that the burglar had packed
the gtmds up and shipped them to St. Louhs
bj- express, consigning them to a fictitious,
person whom he represented.
A representative cf the St, Charles family
came to St Louis, saw the negro. Identi
fied the silverware and paid a handsoma
reward for its recovery. He could afford,
to do It: for tho valuables were wcrtn la
tha neighborhood of fXO.
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