, 1873-03-17
WONDERFUL EXPLOITS.
Te1cgrap11ing Under I1xtraortlf~
nary circumstances.
Dispatches Sent Without an Instrument, and Ro.
cciycd by Letting tho Electric Curront
Pass Through Tho Tongue.

Tho lecture rncontly dollvorod by Cnpt John
N. Ellis, boforo tho Literary Association OF na.
vonBwood, WAS rorloso with instruction, and kopt
tho audience insonaoly Interested for mora than
an hour. Ono or two Of his own experiences lu
to1ography aro worthy Of general publicity. In
decd, wo remember having soon a newspaper no.
tico Of thoHo long hoforo our acquaintance with
Capt. Hills, but tho itotn was too condensed to
Givo olcnr conception Of tho matter.
On March 2, 1868, train On tho
bennington & Portland Railroad waa snow-
bound about throo-fourths OF \ milo
from shaftsbury. Tho woathor was Intensely
coltli thcro wore no provisions on tho train;
fuel was nearly exhausted; night WIS approao1l~
Ing, and tho situntion began to look desperate.
MIR. Hills two anall ohildron woro Will. him, and
ono OF them, too young to bo fod with argu-
rlcntg, clamored for something bottor. Tho su-
porintcndont Of tho road A1r. T, @. White, was on
the train, but, strange to say, the Bnow wouldn't
cloar tho tracks for q railroad king. tn his help-
lessnesa he waa entirely at loas for any moana Of
any kind, except the wire on tho poles,
proposed, nevertheless, to telegraph to
Rutland. Tho Superintendent was incrodulous,
but Capt. Il. quickly cut tho wiro, and communi-
Gated with tho officers Of the road at Rutland by
1noroly striking the ends Of the wiro together,
thus making and broahing tho telegraphio dir
cult as lie would have iono with tho koy Of an
ordinary operating instrument. An engine was
immediately sont to tho roliof Of tho blockaded
train. Dut tho ontiro operation required tho ro-
ceiving, aa vol us tho sonding, OF messages.
This was tho crucial teat Of Capt. Hills inga-
nuity, skill, and nerves, aud, until this was nc
complfshod, tho Superintendent and passengers
felt 10 nssuranco that tho meHaage sont had
been intel1igib1y communicated to tho officers at
Rutland. Striking hiH wires together, ho wrote to
tho operator at Rutland as follows: Trouble
Answer alowly. n,n wording Without an In
atrumont; I will receive your answor through
my tonguo." Ho touched tho frosty wlro to
Ills tongue, with tho Same result, at first % TINT
| enjoyed by the boy who undertook to lick the
frost from his skate-stoe1, but found that tho
Bteol know moro about licking than he did. The
wiro wouldn't lot go until it wnB warmed, and
| thon kindly took the skin Off with 1t. So tho
| wire was lengthoned and carried into the chr.
| After 1t was warmed, Cnpt. H. received the
tho other under hia tongue and letting tho olec-
trio ourront pass through 1t, whom he was ablo
to, read " the snccession Of sh9rp
and received u1ezsageE for tho Superintendent
! but for several of tho passengers The only i'll
consequence OF tho exploit waY the total loey of
tasto which Capt. e. suffered for several days
|
Another interesting scientific fact stated in
| tho lecture 1nay bo used to sustain the theory
TINT tho aurora borealis, or northern lights,
Should bo referred to electrical CAUSES. On tho
occasion Of an unusually brilliant aurora, Capt.
II. found great difficulty in roceiying dis
patches. Ho was trying to obtain the
| night reports for the morning papers
I nt Burlington, vt. Attribusing tho Interruptions
to atmospheric Influences, ho disconnected
his tolegraphic batterleH, aud requested tho New
Yotlt operator to do tho same, when he found q
much more even current, aud worked some time
! with tho atmospheric current alohe, without my
| connection or assistance from tho batteries
As soon Us tho nuroral display materially ii.
minigled, the atmospheric current also diminish.
| cd, a,ld he returned to the use OF the regular
bat:orieH without furtlor interruption; thue
| plainly establishing diract relation Of cause
nnl effect between the Aurosa end tho electrical
| conditions Of tho atmosphere.
Capt. Hills maintained tho theory TINT tho wavcE
OF light and Bhado which, inan aurolal exhibition
| nre usually sosn pagBng from Gust to west, il
this latitude, ase charged alternately with nega
tive and positive electricity; and, III support ol
this theory rolated his observations with Tic
marinor's compass-tho light waves ATTRACTING
and tho shade waves rope1ling the noodle-cat1s
ing 1t to vibrato to tho right and left alternately
On this account 1t IL ,naafo, during auraral dia
plays, to guide vessels entirely by the marinor!
compass III dangerous or narrow shoals.