The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-21
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PATCHES SEST WITHOUT IAN INSTRUMENT, AND
RECEIVED By LETTING THE ELECTRIC CURRENT
PASS THROUGH 1nE ToNGuE.--On March 2,
1868, train on the Benningtonan and Portland
railroad was snowsbotind about ree-fourths
Of a nile from Salisbury. The weather was
intensely cold: there were no provisions on
the train; fuel was nearly exhausted; night
was approaching, and the situation began to
look desperate. Dir. Hill's two small chill
dren were with him, and one OF them, too
| young TO be fed with arguments, clamored
tor something better. The superintendent
OF the road, Mr.. F. G. White, was on the
| tram, but, strange to say, the show wouldn't
clear the tracks for n railroad king.
| In his helplessness he was entirely at a loss
| Tor any means OF relief. until Captain Hills,
Without instrument of any kind except the
| wire on the polls, proposed, nevertheless, to
| telegraph to Rutland. The superintendent
was incredulous, but Captain Hills quickly
cut The wire and communicated with the
officers OF the road by merely striking the
ends OF the wire together, thus making and
breaking the telegraphic circuit as he would
have done with tue key of an ordinary ope-
rating instrument. An engine was imme-
dlateIy sent to the relief of the blockaded
train. But the entire operation required
the receiving as we'll as the sending of mes
sages.
This was the crucial test of Captain Hills's
ingenuity, skill, and nerves. and until this
was accomplished the superintendent and
passengers felt no assurance that the message
sent had been intelIigibly communicated to
the officers at Rutland. Striking bis wires
together, he wrote to the operator at Rut.
land as follows: "Trouble. Answer slowly
am working without all instrument. I will
receive your answer through my tongue"
He touched the frosty wire to his tongue
with the same result ut first as that enjoyed
by the hoy who undertook to lick the frost
from his skate-stccl, but found that the steel
knew more about licking than he did. The
wire wouldn't let 90 until it was warmed,
and then kindly took the skin off with It.
SO the wire was heightened and carried into
the car.
After it was warmed Captain Hills re-
ceivcu the messages by putting one end Of
the wire above and the other under his
tongue and letting the electric current pass
through it, when he was able to read by the
succession Of sharp and somewhat painful
electrical shocks. His success was perfect,
and he not only sent and received messages
for the superintendent, but for several of the
passengers. The only i'll consequences of
the exploit was the total loss Of taste which
Captain Hills suffered for several days after
wards.
Another interesting scientific fact stated in
the lecture to sustain the theory that the
aurora borealiS or northern light should be
referred to electrical causes: On the occasion
of an unusually brilliant aurora Captain
Hills found great difficulty in receiving dis
patches. He was trying to obtain the night
reports for the morning papers at BurlinS-
ton, Vt. Attributing the Interruptions to
atmospheric influences, he disconnected his
telegraph batteries, and requested the New
York operator to do the same. when he
found much more even current, and
worked some time with the atmospheric
current alone, without any connection or as
siStilnce from the batteries. As soon as the
aurora display materially diminished the at
mosphcric current also diminished, and he
returned to the use of the regular batteries
without further interruption thus plainly
establishing q direct relation of cause aud
effect between the aurora and the electrical
conditions ofthe atmosphere.
Captain Hills maintained the theory that
the waves of light and shade which in an
aurora exhibition are usually seen passing
ir2iu east TO Westin this latitude are charged
alternately with negative and positive cleo
tiicity. and in support of this theory related
bis observations with the mariners COM
pl>s-the light waves attracting and the shade
waves rtpciing the ncCdle-causing it to vi.
| bratc to the right and left alternately. On
this account ii is unsafe during auroIa dis
plays TO guide vessels entirely by the
mariners compass in dangerous OF narrow
shoals.