OCR Text |
Show Detects Approach of Storms. A revival of the long-abandoned filings fil-ings coherer used so extensively in the pioneer days of radio communication communica-tion is presented in the novel form of an electric storm detector used at the Waterside station of the New York Edison company. Briefly, the equipment equip-ment comprises a filings coherer, a sensitive relay, a decoherer for restoring restor-ing the filings to their normal, loose state, and an alarm bell. Long before a thunderstorm is within hearing distance dis-tance the sensitive coherer operates the alarm bell and gives warning to the power station attendants of the increase in load that is to follow. It is said that during some storms when it becomes quite dark the load is increased in-creased over 60,000 kilowatts in the course of five minutes' time. It is obviously ob-viously necessary for the attendants to have ample warning so as to be prepared pre-pared to take care of the sudden load that is thrown on the generators. Scientific American. |