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

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 1t is designed especially
for the instruction Of those enlisted in
the engineer corps. At present there are
about 400 men there. Major W. Il.
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 a strona
determination to make them successful
that the men under him regard him in
the light of genius.
Last December Major King happened
to see two large 15-inch Dahlgren gun
lying unused side by side on the dock
He Immediately conceived the idea thai
a magnet OF enormous power could be
constructed by means of these cannon
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 abou
the upper part of the guns. 1t is III
largest and most powerful magnet in thu
world. Some faint idea Of its power
may be conceived from the fact that II
takes force of 25, 600 pounds to pull oil
the armature.
The experiments made the other day
were the last of the season, as the men
are about going into winter quarter
Heretofore the experiments have been
largely in the direction of fish torpedoes.
The tests to demonstrate the enormou'
power of the magnet were made in tn
presence of number of the officers o
the United States Engineer Corps, and
were highly successful. A crowbaI
which was applied to the magnet re
quired the combined force of four stronA
men to tear it away. A handful OF pin
thrown in the opposite direction immedio
| tely flew back and attached themselve
to the magnet. A seemingly impossible
experiment was performed with SOM
fifteen-inch cannon balls. The ball
were solid and as much as strong mai
could lift, yet the magnet held severa
of them suspended in the air, one under
| the other.
The most interesting experiment an
the one that was regarded with TIL
greatest attention was the test made
an American magnetic watch. Eve
since the great railroads of the countr
have compelled their employees to pro
vide themselves with timepieces tina
would not be affected by the magnetism
generated by the car trucks, there ha
been much speculation as to whethe
such a watch could be made, and shar
rivalry has been going on between tn
American and Swiss manufacturers. III
test was highly satisfactory, and ono
more proved that whenever a new IN
vention was imperatively demande
American genius could fully hold il
own against the whole world. MajC
Kings magnet was so powerful that a
ordinary watch was stopped stock stl
as soon as it came within three feet
it. Before the test was made there WI
quite a diversity of opinion among III
experts present as to how far it woul
prove successful.
Those who believed that while waite
might be constructed that would resi-
magnetic influence under ordinary ci
E. ,cu1stances were also of the opinion thu
when it was subjected to the most pow
erful magnet in the wol.lt tpe sue ,.e
pinions would bear so ON the workin
parts that the watch must necessari
stop. For ten minutes the watch wi
held in front of the magnet. 1t did NJ
vary the hundredth part of a secon(
The man who held it said that he hin
self was conscious of the influence I
the magnet. He could feel as he hel
the watch by the chain that some oth'
.. power than his was keeping it suspended
The most amusing experiment wi
made with n sledgehammer. When on
; tried to WELD it in a direction opposi
} to the magnet he felt as if he were tryin
to hit blow with long feather in ga
of wind. There is nothing in the worl
r that could take the conceit out of
strong man so much as this simple e.
pertinent. Another amazing test WI
made with a number of carpenter
spikes. A spike was put lengthwi
on the end of the magnet, then anoth'
; spike was attached to the first and so o
until line of them stood straight OF
! from the magnet at least four feet
length. Aside from their interest
science the experiments were so nov
and startling that they were entertainir
! even to those who were not interested
. the wonderful developments of ele
tricitv Nan York SIM