The oxford bell

a reply to: In4ormant


Something definitely is not as it seems, the history of the early telegraph batteries seems to attest to this. The repeater batteries usually zinc and copper plates, were found to be working and in great condition long after their use by date. Far fewer of them were needed than first thought, and they also used an earth return, only requiring one wire for information flow in both directions, when the circuit was activated by the hand set. Which probably means that the metals remain reactive after they have been oxygenated back to their natural ore state. This sort of makes sense, because natural Telluric currents are flowing through the earth all the time, something has to be conducting them. Even in the dry outback of Australia where , rainfall is negligible and can assume that a fluid electrolyte for the battery was a non event.

I'd suggest in my humble opinion , that what is going on is quite simple, they put the zinc plates in the ground, then a layer of scoria then the copper one, plus a few more in that order, placed a strap on the respective parts to up it to the required voltage. Linked it up with the telegraph wire. Poured water on the whole lot, and probably p@#!ed on it. The fluids kick started the galvanic response, and as the battery dried out, what you were left with was, a self perpetuating capacitor. With the electrons building up on the scoria, and migrating into the zinc, in Perpetua. The initial high output due to the galvanic response drops off slightly, as the capacitance increased, to discharge into the zinc. That would satisfy both parties in the debate.