THE PYRHELIOPHOR.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 505, 24 January 1906, Page 7

THE PYRHELIOPHOR.

A good deal of gossip is about regarding a wonderful sun machine said to have been made by a young Portuguese priest, Father George Himalaya, who has been exempted from olerioal duty by his bishop in order that he may devote his life to soienoe. His invention, the pyrheliophor or sun machine, was exhibited at the St Louis Exhibition, or World's Pair, whore 30ientifio experiments anp disooveries of -revolutionising value to chemistry and *grioulture were made by its aid. This *un machine made Us firßt experiment on Ojtober 18, 1903, when, despite the fact shit the sun was partially hidden by a fog, we are assured more than 7 ; ooo*eg. Fahr, of heat were generated, when iron and magnesia oruoibles melted. Subsequent experiments have not only confirmed tboso of the first day, but led to many important new disooveries of far-reaohing import not only to pure soienoe, but eventually to oommeroial industry. The pyrhel'onphor was begun at Lisbon early last year, when it was decided to take it apart and ship it to the World's Fair. Captain Franois Xwier de Brito of the Royal Artillery, obtained five months' furlough that he might accompany Prof. Himalaya to St. Louis and assist him in adjusting the maohine, whioh, it is said, consists of 6,117 mirrors, sin. by lOin. In construction the pyrheliophor is built to resist any cyclone or eleotrioal storm. A steel frame 42ft. high and painted a bright blue, enoiroles a skeletonlike reflector, This reflector in shape is not unlike the seotion of a cone. The body of the refleotor is made of steel lattice slats, eaoh slat set with mathematical exactness as the slightest deviation ia liable to be disastrous. The oonoave inside surfaoe of this conical seotion is completely lined with Bquares of looking-glass sin. by lOin. Eaoh mirror square is riveted by brass screws to the steel slats of the reflector, and adjusted to its neighbour with mathematical exactness, giving a perfected concave surfaoe of 6,117 mirrors. The maohine rests on a north and south line, and is constructed to conform oonstantly with the two daily motions of the sun rather than the earth. The reflecting gridiron may be adjusted to any time of day to meet the sun. The rays are oonoentrated from a reflecting area 6117 times that of the heating surfaoe, whioh is a small point not more than Gin,- in diameter and the upper oentre of a steel oruoible the size of an ordinary barrel at the point of focus. This oruoible is lined with magnesia, the plumbago used in the previous maohine at Paris having yielded 'to 2,Qoodeg. Cent. (3,632 Fahr). The movement whioh brings the faoe of the refleotor in line with the direct rays of the sun all day is accomplished by a clock of Father Himalaya's device, The best results are obtained in Deoember, when the sky is clear and the atmosphere free of moisture. While its inventor believes the maohine will eventually be of great commercial value in that it will supply a new motor for the movement of maohinery, he does not hope to use it except for scientific purposes in a olimate suoh as is to be found about St, Louis, because there the sun does not shine continually ; but in Arabia or California, where it shines the live-long day, the year round, the pyrheliophor will oreate steam and run engines. So intense is the heat coming from the pyrheliopher that birds flying 40ft, above are killed by the intensity of the reflected ray. In the oourse of his experiments, Father Himalaya olaims to bave discovered; —(1) The heat of the sun is of absolute electric origin. (2) The intensity of the rays whioh produoe the solar radiation is very muoh higher than that of the electric arc (3) The maohine reveals whence oomes the electric energy that holds between the heat and the stars, (i) It gives a glimpse of a way to directly transform the rays of the sun into elaoirio energy. The pyreheliophor, Prof, Himalaya now deolares, oan melt any metal; but it cannot as yet melt them so that they can be of immediate oommeroial use. That will come in time, the inventor feels sure. The Bun maohine, according to the inventor, discloses beyond doubt that the heat of the sun is not produoed by the impaot of aerolites on the solar mass, nor by the concentration of the so-oalled solar nebula, nor by the oxidation or ohemioal reaction of any kind of solar matter, nor by any form of radio-activity.