The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-04-04
A MAGNETS GREAT POWER
SCIENTIFIC EMPLOYMENT OF
TWO DIsMANTLED 0ANNoNs
Interesting Experiments With the
Worlds Largest Magnet--A
Watch Stopped Three Feet Away.

Interesting Experiments With the
Worlds Largest Magnet--A
Watch stopped Three Feet Away.
Willett's Point, on Long Island Sound,
Is used as a post graduate school for
West Pointers. It is designed especially
for the instruction Of those enlisted in
the engineer corps. At present there are
about 400 men there. Major W. r.
King; who is in command, is large man,
of massive physique, with bushy black
hair and beard. He is very courteous in
his manner, dresses neglige, and does not
look much like a soldier. He is an en-
thusiast on the subject of physical sci
ence, and he has entered into all his
original researches with such strona
determination to make them successful
that the men under him regard him in
the light of a genius.
Last December Major King happened
to see two large 15-inch Dahlgren guns
lying unused side by side on the dock
He Immediately conceived the idea that
magnet of enormous power could be
constructed by means of these cannons
with submarine cable wound about them
The experiment proved very successful
The magnet which stands about ten fee
from the ground, is eighteen feet long.
and has eight miles of cable wound about
the upper part of the guns. 1t is the
largest and most powerful magnet in the
world. Some faint idea OF its power
may be conceived from the fact that il
takes force of %, 600 pounds to pull of
the armature..
The experiments made the other day
were the last of the season. as the men
are about going into winter quarters
Heretofore the experiments have been
largely in the direction of fish torpedoes
The tests to demonstrate the enormous
power of the magnet were made in the
presence of q number of the officers o!
the United States Engineer Corps, and
were highly successful. A crowbar
which was applied to the magnet re-
quired the combined force of four strong
men TO tear it away. A handful Of pins
thrown in the opposite direction immedia-
tely flew back and attached themselves
to the magnet. A seemingly impossible
experiment was performed with some
fifteen-inch cannon balls. The balls
we're solid and as much as strong man
could lift, yet the magnet held several
of them suspended in the air, one under
the other.
The most interesting experiment AMI
the one that was regarded with the
greatest attention was the test made of
an American non. magnetic watch. Ever
since the great railroads of the country
have compelled their employees to pro-
vide themselves with timepieces that
would not be affected by the magnetism
generated by the car trucks, there has
been much speculation as to whether
such q watch could be made, and a sharp
rivalry has been going on between the
American and Swiss manufacturers. The
test was highly satisfactory, and once
more proved that whenever new in
vention was imperatively demanded
American genius could fully hold its
own against the whole world. Major
Kings magnet was SO powerful that an
ordinary watch was stopped stock still
as soon as it came within three feet of
it. Before the test was made there was
quite diversity of opinion among the
prove successful.
Those who believed that while a watch
might be constructed that would resist
magnetic influence under ordinary cir
rcnWstances were also of the opinion that
when it was subjected to the most pow;
erful magnet in the wo- woiiei- the steei
pinions would bear so on the working
parts that the watch must necessarily
stop. For ten minutes the watch was
held in front of the magnet. 1t did not
vary the hundredth part of second.
The man who held it said that he him
self was conscious of the influence of
the magnet. He could feel as he held
the watch by the chain that some other
power than his was keeping it suspended.
The most amusing experiment was
made with a sledgehammer. When one
tried to WELD it in a direction opposite
to the magnet he felt as if he were trying
to hit blow with long feather in gale
of wind. There is nothing in the world
that could take the conceit out of
strong man so much as this simple ex-
pertinent. Another amazing test was
made with a number of carpenters
spikes A spike was put lengthwise
on the end of the magnet, then another
spike was attached to the first and so on
until line of them stood straight out
from the magnet Mt least four feet in
length. Aside from their interest to
science the experiments were so novel
and startling that they were entertaining
even to those who were not interested IN
the wonderful developments OF cleo
trieity.-Neso York Sun.