Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-03-27
WONDERFUL EXPLOITS.
Dispatches Sent Without an Instru-
! meut, and Received by Letting the
Electric Current Pass Through the
/: Tandue-
From the Chicago Tribunc.l


The lecture recently delivered by
Capt. John N. Hills, before the Liter
ary Association of Ravenswood, was
replete with Instruction, and kept the
audience Intensely interested for more
than an hour. One or two Of his W
experiences In telegraphy are worthy
Of general publicity. Indeed, we re-
member having seen q newspaper no.
tice of these long before our acquain-
lance with Capt. Hills, but the item
was too condensed to give a clear con-
ception Of the matter. n
On March 9, 1868. a train on the
Bennington and Portland Railroad
was snow-bound about three-fourths of
a mile from SALISBURY. The weather
was intensely cold ; there were no pro-
visions on the train ; fuel was nearly
exhausted; night was approaching,
aud the situation began to look des-
perate. Mr.. Hills two small children
were with him, and one of them, too
young to be fed with arguments. clam
ored for something better. The SUI
p~erintendent Of the road, Mr.. E. G.
| White, was on the train, but, strange
to saw, the snow wouldn't clear the
track for a railroad king. In his help
lessness he was entirely at a loss for
any means Of relief, until Capt. Hills,
without instrument Of any kind, ex-
cept the wire on the poles, proposed,
nevertheless, to telegraph to Rutland.
The Superintendent was incredulous,
but Capt. II. quickly cut the wire, and
communicated with the officers Of the
road at Rutland, BY merely striking
the ends of the wire together-thus
making and breaking the t~elegraphic
circuit as he would have done with the
key of an ordinary operating lnstru-
ment. An engine was Immediately
sent to tile relief Of the blockaded
train. But the entire operation re-
quired the receiving, as we'll as the
sending, of the messages. This was
the critical test Of Capt. Hills inge-
nuity, skill, and nerves, and, until
this was accomplished, the Superin-
tendent and passengers felt no assur-
ance that the message sent had been
intellisibly communicated to the oifl-
GERS at Rutland. Striking his wires
together, he wrote to the operator at
Rutland as follows: "Troubls. An
swer slowly. | am working without
an instrument; | will receive your an
swsr through my tongue" He touch
ed the frosty wire to his tongue, with
the same result at first as that enjoyed
by the boy who undertook to lick the
frost from his skate steel. but found
that the steel knew nor about licking
than he did. The wire wouldn't let 60
until 1t WINS warmed, and then kindly
took the skin Off with 1t, SO the wire
was heightened aud carried into the
car. After 1t was warmed, Captain
Ii. received the message by putting
one end of the wire above and the
other under his tongue. and letting the
electric current run through 1t. when
he was able to read by the succession
OF sharp and somewhat painful electric
shocks. His success was perfect, and
he lot only sent and received messages
for the superintendent. but for several
of tho passengers. Tho only Ill conse-
auences of the exploit was the total
loss Of taste which Captain IL. suffered
for several days a%fterward.
Another Interesting scientific fact
stated In the lecture may be used to
sustain the theory that the aurora
borealls, or northern lights should DO
referred to electrical causes. On the
occasion of an unusually brilliant au-
rora, Captain Ii. found great difficulty
In receiving dispatches. He was try
ing 10 obtain thu night reports for the
morning papers ut Burlington, Yer
mont. Attributing the Interruptions
to atmospheric influences, he discon.
nected his t~elegraphic batteries, and
requested the New York operator to
do the same, when he found a much
more even current, aud worked some
time with the atmospheric current
alone, without any connection or as.
| sistance from the batteries. AS soon
as the auroral display materially
diminished. the atmospheric current
also diminished, aud he returned to the
use OF the regular batteries without
further interruption ; thus plainly
establishing a direct relation OF cause
and effect between the aurora and the
| electrical conditions of the atmosphere.