Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-29
The Electrical Balance.
THE APPARATUS WITH WHICH PROF. BELL PRO
POSES TO LOCATE THE BALL-SoME CuRrOU.


FACTS ABOUT IT.
Hidden among the trees in the square on Con-
necticut avenue. between NJ and streets. is a
small brick building. This is the laboratory of
Pfof A e. Bell where the electrical apparatus
by which it is proposed to locate the ball now
hhoedded In the body of the President is being
perfected When STAR reporter called there
evidences of the work i'm progress could be seen
on every side in the shape of coils, magnets.
ana other parts of electrical apparatus
| winch had been tested and thrown aside
ns Rsr not answering the purpose Mr. fainter. Prof
BEL s assistant. was in charge. The apparatus
which was taken to the White House a few days
ago mas been returned to the laboratory Prof
| Bells purpose is to use
THE 'INDUCTION BALANCE"
| fOr the purpose of detecting and locating the
| presence of the lead in the body. The Undue
ton balance" was perfected by Prof Hughes.
who is now in London. 1t consists of coils of
"lfe mere being two coils on each Oftwo spOols
| OF Cylinders, so arranged that the electricity is
induced from one coil to the other. and by
arranging the coils at the proper distance from
each other the current of electricity is perfectly
balanced by the induction. When a piece of
inetai Is brought near one set of coils it dsturbs
the Ualance. This disturbance is at once indi-
Gated by means of microphone and a
clOck-W0rk Indicator. the interruption being
marked by the clicking of the escapcment of the
CLOCK Ihls apparatus has been used with sue
cess in anayZing metals Professor Bells idea
| is to apply it to the location of bullets To do
tnls he has been obliged to remodel the whole
apparatus with a view of increasing its sensi-
tlVeness. 'We have been at work here on this
Two or three weeks" said Mr.. fainter to THE
Hel oIAk man RMS instrument" he continued.
referring to Professor Hughes apparatus would
indicate the presence of metal not more than
TWO inches from it. We are endeayoring to
improve upon it, so that it will be affected by
outlet greater distance from it-four or five
inches below the surface of the body. for in
stance"
DO you really think you could discover the
exact location of the ball?"
III we knew the exact shape of the bullet /
tnlhk we could. beyond doubt You see that
pieces OF metal OF different shape affect the in
strument differently without regard to their
mass. Here Mr. fainter illustrated by picking
up a flattencd bullet, with which experiments
had oeen made. and holding it with the fiattened
surface towards the coil. Now that would af-
1ect the cOil-dIsturb the balance some distance
away from it, but (turning the bullet, So that
Its edge was towards the coiD in that position
IL would have little effect until it was very near
the COLL
PROF. BELLS APPARATUS.
Inc apparatus made by Prof. Bell has coils
arranged on cylinders so that they can be moved
ABOUT the body. like the cups or hand-peces of
a galvanic battery. He hopes to get coils so
nicely arranged that they will be sensitive to
disturbing influences at some distance from
them. The sensitiveness of the indicator has
peen increased by using little thin strip of
metal and a magnet When the current is inter
TulIed each interruption Is noted bv
vibration OF this thin strip. and the appa-
ratus is so hnely constructed that the interruI,-
tlons are indicated at the rate of a hundred or
more second-tne vibration of the strip MAX
Ing musical sound. When the apparatus is
placed in position in the White House the coils
only will be in the President S room The bat
terry and the indicator will be in room i'm the
basement. connected with the Presidents room
py wires. lhere VIII also be a telephone con-
nectlon between the two rooms When the ex-
pIorlng coil is passed over the Presidents body
one OF the operators will have his ear at the
trumpet OF the telephone. The instant the
musical sound is heard through the telephone |
the position of the coil will be noted
" has tins instrument ever been used by sur |
geons: the reporter asked Mr.. fainter.
- 1t has never been used for this purpose so |
lar as Know. 1t was very natural that elec- |
tiicians should think OF it at this time 1t is an |
invention OF comparatively recent origin We hope
to be able TO locate the ball. An invention of
this kind would DE of great value to surgeons"
Gould not the presence of the metal be indi- !
Gated 10y needle like the needle of a compass:"
Not lead. If this were an iron bali there
would be any number of ways of finding it, Lead
though is the hardest kind OF metal to work
with
- Have you made any experiments upon per- |
sons who had bullets in their bodies:'
les. but the experiment was not perhaps |
very satisfactory. We tried it on Il gentleman i'm
the Treasury department who has ball lodged |
in his body near the spine. Mr.. Bell. Dir. STAN |
ton and were present. The exploring coil was |
passed over his body. We had our backs turned |
to the man during the experiment, so that we
could not see where the coil was Each of us |
tried it and located the ball in the same place"
did the result agree with the mans own idea |
of the location OF the BALL"
''No: but it agreed with DIR. Stanton's views. |
1t viii be several days yet" continued Mr. Tain
experiment That" be said, picking up spiral |
shaped coil, lis something we expected a great |
deal from, but has failed. Then we have tried |
very fine coils on telephone spoOls. When i'm |
Boston. Prof. Bell started out to make differ |
ent instrument altogether. but he got the idea |
of trying the induction balance, and gave the |
other up"
DETECTIVE McELFRESH DECLINES WITH THANKS |
Detective McElfresh has received two commu-
nications-one from Prof. \. Graham Bell and |
the other from H. Nichols WadswOrth. of this |
that they have discovered a method |
of locating lead in the human body, and asking
that they may test its accuracy on that officer |
who has carried a leaden bullet in his head for |
about twenty years. Mr.. McElfresh i'm reply |
states. Il am not afraid Of the experiment. but |
years l don't think will at this late day take
any chances with experimenting"
Jobbing Dispatches, etc.
[Gen Boynton in Cincinnati Gazettel
The dispatches of which the friends of the
President here. the surgeons. and the country
have right to complain. are those which for
stock jObbing purposes, and from desire to
attack the surgeons in charge, have deliberately
represented the case as worse for the moment
than it was known to be. The jObbing dispatches
have in the main been bulletins and private tele-
grams The attempts to dscredit the surgeons
have been OF more deliberate and elaborate
character.
CONTRACT AwARDED.-The contract for re-
pairing the rooms in the Interior department
building, damaged by the Patent Office fire has
been awarded to C. T. Bowen, of this city the
lowest bidder. His contract covers all neces-
sary repairs, and the work win progress as fast
as the rooms can be vacated
FREEDMAN's BANK CLAMs-Controller Knox
gives notice that depOsitors in the Freedman,s
Bank and Trust company who have not fled any