Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-11-10
GREAT OF The ELECTRICIkNs.
Gigantic aro U..imiIed Force In the
AImosphers that has Never Surrendered
10 The Inventor.

a Gigantic aro UI.imiIed Force In tint
Aimosphers that has Never Surrendered
10 The Inventor.
Il .sIon Herald.
"What is likely TO be the mex gres'
step in electrical invaution?" was ques
ton pfopounded by the Herald reporter
to Professor A. P Woodside, the dis
tinguished electrician Of Boston, who il
st present visiting Cnicsgo.
"rhe next great step? That depends
largely upon what would be considered &
great sep. The phonogtaph would bs
considered by many ss great step, but
DO not consider 1t essuch. Il is certainly
q further application CT we'll kno III
pri2ciple-thst By which the telephone
works-but nothing more. Much has
been made Of this little instrument.
fail to see that it can ever have any greR,
practical value. In my opinion Whist Is
now needed in an electric way is q cheaper
source OF supply. Electricity IS at pres
ent produced is more costly than stesu
power, and will scarcely take the place Of
the latter IN working msc hinery until 9
cheaper supply is obtained"
"Where is the,cheaper supply to come
from?"
"That is the probe n which will IN the
nesr future exercise the inventive genius
of electricians. Water power can be relied
on to limited extent In giving chesr
electricity, but i: will always be subject
to certsiu drawbacks which have pre-
vented it from maintaining its supremscI
against the desrer foEm Of p3Wer-steRm
For myself l lock to the atmosphere IS
furnishing the great source Of supply
EGough electricity is evolved in the 81.
mosphere dsily II 1! could be Utilized tc
more than equal all of the other forms o.
force In existence.
"Where does il come FROM"
"From the rays CT the sun. II has. been
established that in twenty four hours ths
sun raises to the clouds 900, coo, 900 gel
Ions OF water. The force expended does
rot disappear, nor is it destroyed force
being as indestructiole as matter. II
simply changes its form from hest to cleo
tr!city, these forms of force being inter-
changeasle. The problem is to gather
this electricity from the atmosphere be-
fore it is absorbed By the earth "
"dss this been done succ s5fullY 81
YETI"
ayes, bu. not with the design of using
it as q source OF mechanical power. One
of the most noted of electrical expert
ments-that by which Benz min Franklin
drew down electricity upon the string o.
q kite and demonstrated the fac. thai
lightning and electricity are the same
was really step toward securing cheap
supply Of electricity, but SO there was nc
demand for this ct the time the greater
vaius Of the experiment was overlooked
II is the requirement of an inveD.
ton that brings 1t about. The world nov
has every need CT electricity and can ap.
ply 1t in thousand useful ways. 1t 1Rs
learned how to store 1t, and now only
needs to draw it from the atmosphere in
order to hsye 1t ss the cheapest power II
existence"
"Could not this be done By means Of
towers which would reach the clouds?"
"Yes, or by balloons connected with
the storage system by wires; but this
would reach only comparatively small
portion of the electricity in the atmos-
phere. The popular idea that lightning
roneous one. No more lightning Is in
one cloud than another, weight for
weight, and the flashes of lightning seen
in thunder storm are merely the result of
sudden disturbances Of the atmosphere.
The fact Is, the moisture in the atmos-
phere psrts with by isr the greater part
OF its electricity before It becomes visible
in the shape OF clouds. The condensa-
ton Of vspor releases the electricity
which Is repealed by the different atoms
or particles CT water, and the
greater part Of this occurs before
the vapor is so condensed as to form o
cloud. The existence OF the aurora
boreslis st height OF 600 miles above
the earth, and which Is sn electric dis.
turbance, shows that the field Of atmos-
pherical tlec ric s1lpY is mitch greater
than the clouCs merely, while cleo
trio disturbances in perfectly clear wealth
er, Of sufficient force to operate all OF the
telegraph wires Of half the United States
* r days st time, is even more convlnc-
ing proof that the supply from this source
is practically illimitsble.
"Of COURSE" continued the profe ssor,
"a great many things will have to be
learned about electricity In its native
field before the wild article can be chained
down to the service Of man at merely
nominal cost, but it mus. come. This is
the great field toward which the genius
of electric inventors must turn in the
nesr future as promising the greatest
reward attainable. The man who first
succeeds in claiming the lightning and
making 1t the servsnt OF man will have
accomplished q work before which all of
the other works CT inventive genius Will
pale into insigniflcance. BE will have
controlled 8 force of unlimited supply
which will take the place Of all other
forms row In use on account OF its
and chespness."