The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-30
from the Flushing Journal

from the Flushing Journal.]
Through happy thought of Major
w. r. King, the commandant at the
Willet's Point military post, the post
now boasts one of the largest and
strongest magnets in the world. This
magnet has already been referred to IN
the Journal, and some Of the more re-
cent experiments Of its power made
cannot fail to be of interest to our
readers, together with short history
of this wonderful instrument itself.
How the magnet came to be made
was in this manner Last December
Major, King happened to see two large
fifreen-inch Dahlgren guns lying I'M
used side by side on the dock. He con-
ceived the idea that magnet OF enor-
NOUS power conld be constructed by
means of these cannons with submarine
cable wound about them. The eNpc-
riment 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 ofthe guns. Some
faint idea Of its power may be con-
ceived from the fact that it takes force
of $4,000 pounds to pull off the arma-
ture.
The tests to demonstrate the enor-
NOUS power of the magnet We're made
iu the presence of number Of the Of
ficers of the United States Engineer
Corps, and were highly successful. y
erowbar which was applied to the
magnet required the combined force of
four strong men to tear it away. A
handful of pins thrown in the opposite
direction Immediately flew back and
attached themselves to the magnet. 4
seemingly impossible experiment VISA
performed with some fifteen-inch can
non balls. The balls were solid and as
a stronS man could lift, yet the mag
net held several of them suspended IN
the air, one under the other.
The most interesting experiment,
and the one that was regarded with
the greatest attention, was the test made
of an American non-magnetic watch.
Ever since the the great railroads Of
the country have compelled their en-
ployees to provide themselves with
timepieces that would lot be affected
by the magnetism generated by the
car trucks, there has been much spec
ulation as to whether such a watch
can be made, and sharp rivalry has
been going on between the American
and Swiss manufacturers. The test
was highly satisfactory, and once more
proved that whenever new invention
was imperatively demanded, American
genius could fully hold its own against
the whole world. Major Kings mag
net was so powerful that an ordinary
watch was stopped stock still as it
came within three feet of it. Before
the test was made there was quite a
diversity of opinion among the experts
present as how far it would prove sue
Those who believe that while a
watch might be constructed that
would resis magnetic influence under
ordinary circumstances, We're also ofthe
opinion that when it was subjected to
the most powerful magnet in the
world the steel pinions would jar so
on the working parts that the.watch
must necessarily stop. For ten min
utes 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 himself 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 sledge hammer. When
one tried to WELD it in direction OPP
posite to the magnet hefelt as though
he were trying to hit a blow with
long feather in a gale Of wind. There
is nothing in the world that could take
the conceit out Of strong man so
much as this simple experiment.
Another amazing test was made
with a number of carpenters spikes.
A spike was put lengthwise on the end
ofthe magnet, then another spike was
attached to the first, and so on until a
line of them stood straight out from the
magnet at least four feet in length.
Aside from their interest to science, the
experiments were entertaining even to
those w5o were not interested in the
wonderful developments of electricity.
D;,,oc How and Made.