Re: [DL] Battery

[Brett Dixon <balance@tubas.net>]

On Friday, December 6, 2002, at 12:16  AM, Dom Gallegos wrote:

> Hey all, need some help. A MS in my party is putting together a 
> speaking tube inside their train. Basically it is a speaking tube 
> running between the cars. Leather wrapping loose joints between the 
> cars to allow for some give. (I know, there's more that could be done. 
> But this is the second MS this guy's played and he NEVER invents 
> anything. So we're just happy he's actually trying something.)
> As for a call box he has all the cars with individual buttons. Then a 
> panic button that alarms all cars. When I asked him how he planned to 
> have the bell ring he says, "Simple, with batteries." So I looked up 
> the history of batteries on the internet. I know they were invented 
> earlier but how available were they actually? The info I found doesn't 
> look like they were all that ready by 1876. If they are, no problem. 
> He can run them by batteries. But if they aren't, I'd like to 
> challenge him to come up with something else. Any help? Thanks.

I think batteries of that era were pretty crude mechanical devices 
invovling big tanks of acid and similar monstrosities. Not impossible, 
but a bit unlikely to be common... There is a ba g difference betweeen 
the first exploits into electricity and being able to stop in at the 
store and grab a brick of Double Ehs.

The book Cryptonomicon has a great description of a 'flashlight' that 
could be a Mad Scientist invention. The 'Galvanick Lucipher' (Great 
name) involves whittling a carbon chunk to fit, filling several tanks 
with various noxious fluids, and then throwing the big 
bring-the-monster-to-life switch. it's bright but shortlived...