Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-11-15
70 CHAIN LIGHTNING
The Great Aim of Electricians.
GIGANTIC and Unlimited Force in the
atmosphere That Has Never Sur
rendered TO the Inventor.

.Vbat Is likely TO be the next great
..., in electrical inventiOn?n was ques
s,,l o-cpounded 80 Professor A. p. Wood
',ss fhe- distinguished electrician, of
po.ton. whe IS at present visiting Chi
ssrbe next great step? That depends
,..,.lg mon what would be consider, q
-.sst step. The phonograph would be
.s5srded by many as great step, but
sonot consider it such. II is certainly a
sr,tberapplication of well known prin-
.irle-that by which the telephone works
lint nothing more. Much has been
og5e of this little instrument. I fail 10
,sa thst it can ever have any great prac-
5eal value In my opinion what Is now
seeded in an electric way is cheaper
.o7rce of supply Electricity as at pres
ant prOduced is more costly than steam
over and gill scarcely take the place of
he latter in working machinery until a
,bgaper supply is obtained"
"Nhere is this cheaper supply TO come
from?o
"That is the problem which will in the
near future exercise the inventive genius
of electricians. Watre power can be re-
lied on to a limited extent in giving cheap
electricity, but it will always be subject
IN certain drawbacks which have pre-
vented it from maintaining it's suprema-
~ against the dearer form Of power
steam. For myself / look to the atmos-
pbere as furnishing the great source of
spppy Enough electricity is evolved in
the atmosphere daily il it could be util-
Nsd to more than equal all the o,her
forms of force in existence"
"TLere does it come fromY'
"From the rays Of the sun. u has
been established that in twenty -four hours
Che sun raises TO the clouds 1,C00,000,0O0
gallons Of water The force expended
does not disappear, nor is it destroyed
Itsimpy changes Its form flom heat to
electricity, these forms of force being in
,e.chaugeable. The problem is 10 gather
ibis slectricity from the atmosphere be
forsit is absorbed by the earth"
"Has this been done successfully as
yetl'
Eyes, but not with he design OF using
nas source of mechanical power. One
OF the most noted Of electrical expert
mmt8-that by WHICH Ben amin franklin
drew down electricity upon the string OF Il
kite and demonstrated the fast chat light
ming ard electricity are the samo-Was
really q step toward securing cheap sup
ply Of electricity, but az there was no de-
u8ud for this at the time the greater
yai1e OF the ex pertinent was overlooked.
It Us the requirement Of an invention that
brings IL about. The world now has
every need OF electricity aud can apply
tin thousand useful ways. 1t has learn
cd how 10 store it, and now only need5 to
daT it from the atmosphere in order 20
have il at hard as the cheapest power in
existence
"CouIe not this be done by means Of
towers which would reach the clouds?"
Yes, or by bailoons.counectsd with che
storage system by wires; but this would
reach only cCm oaratively amUll portion
Of the electricity III the atmosphere. The
popular idea that lightning exists only
IN thuuder clouds is al erroneous one.
No more Lightning Is in one cloud than
another, weight for weight, and the flash,
es OF lightning seen in thunderstorm
art merely a disturbance OF the atmos
plere, The fact is, the moisture in the
atmosphere par,s with by far the
greater part of it's electoicity
shape of clouds. The condensation of
yaPOr releases the electricity which Is re-
PEELED BY the different atoms or particles
OF water, aud the greater part Of this oc-
o1rs before the vapor ia 50 condensed as
TO for. cloud. The existence of the
aurora boreGlis az height of 600 miles
above tne earth. snd which is an electri-
cal disturbance, shOYs that the field OF at
uospaerical electric supply is much
greater than She cloCds merely, while cleo
tHc disturbances in perfectly clear
Sealer, of sufficient force to operate all
iae telegraph wires of half tho United
States for days at time, is even more
convincing proof that the supply from
'4s source is practically illimitable.
Ot course continued the professor,
grea many things viii have to learned
a95a. electricity in it's native field befors
"a. Wild article can be chained down TO
.as service Of man az 3 merely nominal
cost brt 10 mast come. This is the great
l5ij toward Which the genius of electric
inventors must turn IL the near future
Is l'9mising the greatest award obtain
s9'e' The man who first succeeds in
eaaining the lightning ard making it the
se'7alt of mau will have accomplished a
work before which all of the other works
O.. Inventive geuius will pale into in
significance. He will have controlled a
force Of unlimited supply, which will take
5la place of all other forms now in Use
% account Of its cheappess ard superb
W.y,"