Morning journal and courier., 1889-12-31

Though the dynamo had been set up, it
had never been run in its present position.
The contractor procured 1t several months
ago, but sent it to JOHNS Hopkins University
for the first test, where it is said to have
worked satisfactorily. But Thursday the
foundation for it rested upon the floor, and
was far from firm. Opposite the dynamo
stood the pulleys by which the dynamo was
to be run. These pulleys are upon the came
shaft, extended through the Partition, as the
pulleys by which the prison and village dy-
namos are run. The belts to connect the
pulleys and the dynamo lay upon the floor,
never yet having been put in place. The
situation for test was not encouraging.
Four or five stout convicts, under direction
of Yardmaster Hilbert, were called to aid in
getting things in order, and the work pro-
gressed rapidly. The belts were put over
the pulleys and connected. There was
deal Of work in Tightening and preparing,
and about half past eleven O'Clock the MAJ
chinery was started. AT first it went slow
", but the speed was increased until the
pulley wheels fairly spun around, as did the
heads of some of the spectators. The belts
vibrated up and down and made great
racket. But there was no result. The wires
were connected with the voltmeter, but that
instrument showed no sign of electricity or
magnetism. After running, with occasional
stops, for twenty minutes full stop was
maQ6. 1t WAS GoClACA thAo tA1O 0OAS A4Auou Oo
frightened, and as that would take some time
it was left to be done by Captain Hilbert and
the convicts while the committeeman went
to luncheon. They were very Hospitality
entertained by the family of Warden Brush,
though the warden himself was unfortunate
ly i'll.
When the committee returned to the dy-
namo room they found the belt nearly ready
for use Some Of the convicts are very good
workmen. One of them, William White, of
Poughkeepsie, who is serving fifteen years
sentence for manslaughter, has become some-
thing of an electrician since he has been In
prison, and takes most of the care of the
two dynamos used in the prison. He and
the others soon had the belts on again, and
the machinery was once more put in motion.
This time there was better success. The
belts still vibrated violently and made .
humping noise when the splice went round
the pulley wheel. But electricity began to
manifest itself almost as soon as the full
speed was reached. It did not require the
voltmeter to show it. The sparks flew from
the EXETER when it was touched. The next
work to do was to measure the electricity
generated.
measurement of high tension current of
electricity all at once which is clear and sat
isfactory to the unscientiic mind. Electro
clans, therefore, have recourse to a method
for dividing the current into parts and meas
uring one part at q time. The method
adopted Thursday was to attach to the dy-
namo series of thirty incandescent lamps,
each of which should require an electro mos
tive force of fifty volts for it's illumination.
Each lamp was Of about twenty csndle pow
er. The lamps were in three sets or banks
of ten lamps each. Each lamp received it's
electricity through a coil of German silver
wire, the total length of which was perhaps
fifty feet. The resistance of each of these
wires was something like ten ohms. When
all the thirty lamps were Illuminated it was
certain that the dynamo must have at least
an electro motive force of fifteen hundred
volts.
ss The e,eetzicity svas applied first to one set
Of lamps, and that set becoming luminous,
it was turned on to a second and then to q
tnird set. In a short time the thirty lamps
were glowing brilliantly. Professor Laudy
then tested each lamp with the voltmeter and
found them to average little more than fif-
ty volts each. The entire electro motive
force was something over sixteen hundred
volts. The opinion was expressed, unofficial
ly, that it would not be difficult to increase
the force to two thousand volts.
When the measurements had been made
the machinery was stopped and allowed to
cool. The wires connecting the lamps were
quite hot, showing that the resistance was
large otASI parts WoEo hibO Cou5luoLhUly
heated. After about an hour the machinery
was again started and results obtained very
similar to those at the first trial. These
trials appeared to be satisfactory to members
of the committee, though they did not speak
definitely on the subject. Their official de-
tailed report will be made in writing to Su-
perintendent Lathrop.
tions does not differ greatly from the alter
no n1rranf . uy r,ut IN varfnna
uses. The new dynamo at Sing Sing is but
repetition on little smaller scale of the
dynamos used for lighting Sing Sing village
and prison, and which are separated from it
by the rough board partition. All are run
by the same one hundred and twenty horse
power Corliss engine which the prison has
had in use for twenty-five years. 1t is chief
" the application of the machine to the
killing of condemned murderers that is
novel. Having the machine, however, and
knowing by many unfortunate examples it's
power to kill, the application of it to that
purpose seems easy.
In another part of the prison yard, per-
haps one hundred and fifty feet from the dy-
namo house, brick building, thirty feet
square and one story high, has been erected.
In this building the executions will take
place. Convicts were at work Thursday lay
ing the brick walls of four cells for con-
demned men on one side of this building.
The rest of 1t will be an open space. A
platform will be built near the middle of it,
and on this platform will be placed the re-
olining chair for the condemned. Wires al
ready connect this building with the dynamo
house, for conveying the death current, and
other wires will be strung for signaling when
the current shall bs turned on and off.
Four banks of lamps of ten each will be set
up in the execution building for the perfect
ocular demonstration of the sufficiency of
the current whenever an execution is to take
place. There will still remain room enough
in the building for the number of spectators
whom the law will permit to witness the ex.
ecutions.
When the condemned man has been
strapped in the execution chair the applian-
ces for making the electric cireuit through
his body will be put in place. Nothing is
more important than perfection of contact.
With that satisfactory, and the lamps indi-
eating sufficient current, the switch will be
turned, and, according to every scientific
mans expectation, the condemned will be
instantly killed.
Autopsies held on the bodies cf men acci-
dentally killed by electricity indicate that
sensation stops and death results instantly
from the complete paralysis Of the nerve
system. The only LESSONS that have been
found are the rupture of certain capillary
vessels Of the heart, from the sudden mus
oulhE COuGEhctlUu. IL 10 bhlu Iuab IL tue CIT
cult be broken within five seconds of its ap-
plication there will be q noise like sigh
from the relaxation of the muscular tension.
But If the current be kept on longer than
Ave seconds the muscles will gradually relax,
and there will be no Sigh just whakse1eetE
motive force is necessary toskfH Ha Man Is not
sknownss-But no one appears to doubt that
an electfe& NNslye force of two thousand
volts is far more than is necessary. A sci-
entifc man, not member of the committee
who went to Sing Sing, said Thursday that
to put up such machine as the dynamo
merely to kill man was like putting up q
sawmill to rip . match"
There are now two condemned men in
Sing Sing prison who may be executed by
electricity. These are McElvaine, whose
case has been appealed; and Jugigo, the jap
anese, who is sentenced to die in February.
They are kept in solitary confinement and
guarded day and night. Principal Keeper
Connaughton said Thursday that they did
not appear to realize their situation and
showed no nervousness. 1t is the belief of
the prison authorities, however, that an exc
cntion within the prison walls will greatly
excite all the convicts and have an injurious
effect. The hops is cherished that the legis-
latnre may yet make some different arrange
ments.
Official tests Of the, dynamos at Auburn
and Clinton prisons will probably be made
this week, and it is expected that few ami
mails will be killed. The contract price of
the three dynanoa and apparatus Is $3.50.