The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-10-08
Magnetic Storms How They Affect the
Telegraph Wires.

Last night q magnetic storm inter-
rupted many of the telegraphic wires
between here and the West, and, in
consequence, the Associated Press dis
patches were late from many points.
Mr. Hamilton, the electrician of the
Western Union Company, said this
morning that the appearance of the
aurora borealis, which was seen last
night, was almost invariably accom-
panied by magnetic storm working
moro or less disturbance with the wires.
Whether the aurora is due to the
storm, or the storm to the aurora, is not
known. Some scientists contend that
magnetic storms are due to changes in
the suns surface, and look Tor new
spots or the disappearance of old ones
upon the appearance of brilliant north
ern lights. The magnetic storm travels
very much like an ordinary storm, but
more rapidly and in waves. 1t is in
: this respect like a hot or cold wave of
air, but can only be felt by the tele-
graph operators. If the storm is NOV
ing in the same direction as the current
on a telegraph wire the battery current
will become so strong as to be unman-
ageable. If the storm travels in the
opposite direction the battery current
will be entirely neutralized and no
work can be done. Upon wires running
north and south a storm moving from
east to west win have no effect. When
the current derived from the magnetic
storm becomes so strong az to render
the instruments useless the wires
are disconnected from the batteries
and worked with the magnetic storm
alone. This has been frequently done
on even long circuits with perfect sue
cess. Mr.. Hamilton has known the
/ Western Union wires between New
| York and Buffalo to work for six hours
! at a stretch withoutthe aid of batteries
and similar instances are sometimes re-
/ ported from other cities. When teleg-
raphy was new no use could be made of
the wires when such a storm affected
then. Aheavy sparks flying from the in
strIlments and frightening the oper-
atives. The fact that the line would
work without the battery in such cir
cumstauces was discovered by accident.
When working without the battery the
work can be done only in waves, all
currents ceasing at intervals of few
moments and reappearing. If finely
lnSuldJcu WlEeS are ~ Gu6 ulSpOSdl Oh
the operator, what is called loop cir
cult is made with two wires. and the
earth, which usually takes the place of
one wire, is dispensed with. But this
requires excellent wires.
The magnetic storm of August 28,
1860, is the seyerest of which any rec
ord exists. For several days no batter
les were needed. So strongly were all
electric currents disturbed that the
electrotype plates from which the
Springfield Republican was printed
could not be made. The Sandwich
Island volcano showed great activity al
the time and many new sun spots APP.
peared, to which phenomena many per.
sons attributed the storm. Magnetic
disturbances which interfere with the
telegraph are not always accompanied
by light from the aurora borealis
which can be distinguished Y
EUening Post. .
Mayor Grubbs, of indianapolis, hai
decided that selling peanuts on Sunday
is not work of charity or of necessity
and has fined peanut man for the of
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