July/August 2000
R. L. Holcombe
PO Box 247 Dushore, Pennsylvania 18614-0247
Around the time of the Civil War the lead acid battery was
invented and was used primarily to power telegraph sounders. During
World War I, batteries of huge proportions were used to power
submarines. The basic chemistry of the lead acid battery hasn't
changed much since its invention.
The invention of the 'self-starter' for cranking
automobile engines brought about a demand for portable, high output
batteries that could be mass produced at an affordable cost. Most
of the batteries used for stationary applications were contained in
glass jars. As glass was not practical for mobile installations, a
suitable substitute had to be found. Certain species of wood was
resistant to the action of acid and a material called hard rubber
was introduced as the principal material for constructing the
vessel that contained the battery.
An inherent characteristic of a lead acid battery is that each
cell generates two volts and as six were needed volts, to produce
the proper amount of current, the battery case had to contain three
compartments. Some of the hard rubber containers were encased in a
wood box that would provide some protection against vibration and
would allow clamps to hold the battery securely to the auto.
From the time that batteries were first used in a practical
manner and continuing up into the nineteen twenties, batteries were
so constructed that they could be rebuilt. Most communities had a
battery shop and there were specialists who plied their trade
rebuilding and selling batteries.