News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-03-15
MAGNETS GREAT POWER
SCIENTIFIC EMPLOYMENT Of
TWO DISMANTLED CANNoNS

Interesting Experiments With the
Worlds Largest Magnet-A
Watch stopped Three Feet Away.
WiIlett's Point, on Long Island Sound,
is used as a post graduate school Iof
West Pointers. 1t is designed especially
for the instrua tion of those en- lsted ID
the engineer corps. At present there are
about 400 men there. Major w. H.
King, who is in command. is large man,
of massive physique, with blshy black
hair and beard. He is very courteous IN
his manner, dresses neglige, and does not
look mach like q soldier. lie IS an en-
thusiast on the subject of physical sci
ence, and he has entered into all his
original researches with such - s.ronT.- 1.'.-
determination % make them succ ssful
that the men under him regard him in
the light of 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
a magnet OF enormous power could he
constructed by means of these cannOns
with submarine cable wound about them.
The experiment proved very successful.
The magnet, which stands about ten feet
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 aud most powerful magnet in the
world. Some faint idea Of its power
may be conceived from the fact that it
takes force of %, 600 pounds to pull OIL
TIE 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 number of the officers Of
the United States Engineer Corps, and
were highly successful. A crowbar
which was applied to the magnet re-
qured 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
hfteen-inch cannon balls. The balls
we're solid and as much as a 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 a watch could be made, and asharp
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 tn ee feet OF
it. Before the test was made there was
quite diversity of opinion among the
experts present as to how far 1t would
prove successful.
Those who believed that while watch
might be constructed that would resist
magnetic influence under ordinary cir
UUUlSldUCGS MGIG dloO Vi llAC " AA'eA hAAN"
when it was subjected to the most pow
erful magnet in the world the steel
pinions would bear so on the working
carts 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 a second
The man who held it said that he him
self was conscious of the influence Of
;he 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
lried to WELD it in a direction opposite
10 the magnet he felt as if he were trying
to hit blow with long feather in q gale
| of wind. There is nothing in the world
that could take the corceit out of
strong man SC 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 at 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
tricity.-Neao York San.