A wonderful new invention, running steam engines, smelting all kinds of ores and minerals, heating and lighting houses and cooking all kinds of food, either day or night, by heat of the sun's rays, without fire, fuel or expense, is the Solar Furnace.

By courtesy of the Solar Furnace and Power Co. Solar Furnace (side view).

For running steam engines the sun's rays are concentrated by means of curved reflectors onto a specially built highpressure boiler, the heat being so intense that the water is turned into steam very fast, two square yards of sunlight furnishing sufficient heat to develop one horse-power, the sunlight falling on a space 44 feet square, furnishing sufficient heat to run a 100 horse-power steam engine. Any engine can be used, but a specially built boiler is necessary. The reflector is mounted on a revolving base and moved by a clock-work attachment that keeps it in focus with the sun all day.

It is thought by some that the solar furnace will revolutionize the present irrigation system, especially in the Southwest, where water is scarce and fuel high. Any amount of water and fuel can be pumped from either deep or shallow wells; no fuel is required, and when a plant is once installed the expense is ended. On all pumping plants requiring over five horsepower, a steam engine is used, the steam being generated by the heat of the sun, as above stated. On plants of five horsepower or less, a "compression" engine with pump attached is used. No fire, fuel, steam, or water is used; nothing but sunlight and air. It is impossible for it to "blow up" or explode. It works automatically, and no engineer is required. A small plant may be made to pump sufficient water for a large tract by having a reservoir and running the pump every day when the sun shines, using the water only as needed.

By courtesy of the Solar Furnace and Power Co. Solar furnace (front view).

Any and all kinds of minerals can be smelted, or literally "burned up," if desired. A single yard of sunlight will melt silver, gold, glass or wrought iron to a liquid, while two yards square of sunlight will develop heat of over 25,000 degrees, or more than one hundred times as hot as boiling water.

A small plant can be installed on the roof of the house at a cost of only a few dollars. Attached to the water hydrant it works automatically and carries steam down through pipes to the kitchen, where it is attached to a steam cooker cooking a dozen different kinds of food at the same time without fire, fuel or expense, and furnishing boiling water for the bath, the laundry and all other purposes.

Electric power is generated by a steam engine run by the solar furnace during the daytime and stored up in a storage battery to run machinery, and for heating, lighting, cooking and other purposes nights and cloudy days. The possibilities of the solar furnace are practically unlimited.

A TELEGRAPH MACHINE THAT PRINTS
SNAP-SHOTS OF THE HUMAN VOICE
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© 1998, 2002 by Lynn Waterman