The morning call., 1890-12-29
LIGHTNING ON TAP.
A Maine Wizard Who Has a
Cistern Full of the Stuff.

Away out on the "Houlton road" twenty
miles from the nearest church and ten miles
from any postoffice, ''Uncle Sile" Leather
bee divides his time between hunting bears
and picking blueberries, following the for
mer vocation the year round and the latter
in the season when blueberries are ripe He
is IS years old. seventy-fve inches tall,
and being "d0uble-tOothed," he says he
has seventy-fve teeth in his head. one hav-
Years ago Uncle Sls" was lumberman
and general adyenturer, and he says he cut,
hauled out and set up the first telegraph
poles set between Baltimore and Washing
ton. At this time he knew Professor Morse
well. Once there was talk of partnership
between the two, but man by the name Of
Cornell Of York State" advanced the cash,
SO Uncle Sile" missed his chance of be-
coming millionaire.
After wandering all over the country, as
well as visiting several foreign ports as a
sailor. he drifted down here to Cherryfeld,
and. taking up a State lot" began farm
ing and trapping, says special correspond
ent OF the New York World, writing from
Cherryfeld, Me. At present he is uncouth
and wild in his dress and language. He
still retains many curious ideas gained from
contact with the electricians whom hs met
half century ago. Among these is keen
interest in the advances which have been
made Of late In galvansm, electricity and
magnetism. All the books and papers
which treat these subjects come to him
through the mails, and every other Satur-
day night he walks over to the Postoffice.
returning home very late and heavily laden
with the literature Of science.
One of his hobbies is that of electric light
Ing. Last winter he constructed several
powerful storage batteries, and had them
carefully put away in one end Of the cellar
under his little cabin of house. When any
stray hunter OF berry-picker strOlled his
way and asked what he was doing he re-
piled: Wait until it gets hot next summer
all the blucberry plains were in green fruit
age Uncle Sile" ran tall iron lightning
rod up from one peak of his house and con-
nected the lower end with his storage bat
teries by means of q stout cOpl er wire.
Often when a dark cloud sailed overhead
sparks were seen to go skipping down the
rod en- route for the storage batteries.
Go along, my Beauties" he would say
and when next winter comes l will trOt
you out and show you what you are good
fer" So the showers came and went, and
greedy eyes looking at the passing sparks.
One night toward the last Of November a
large party Of New York and Boston sports
men were out on the plains in front of
Uncle Sile's" place when they all dropped
their guns and stood awe-struck at the
sight before them. The house, which a
minute before was in darkness, now was
ablaze with light from ridge-pole TO ground
sill. A gaudy arc of light lcaped into the
air from one end of the house and settled
down upon the other end, while both the
windows and the solitary door were framed
in such glow as was never before seen in
Cherry6eld.
The fact was that ''Uncle Sife" had let his
"bottled lightning" as he termed it, loose
that night for the first time. and so he told
the wondering gunners when they came
running out of breath, doubtful whether
they should have to put out fire or lay a
ghost. he did the best he could to explain
how his Invention worked. and made things
as plain for the strangers as the average col
lege professor could do According to his
way ofsreckoning, he had electricity enough
in his storage batteries to last him from
then until the middle OF June, when the
thunder-showers would enable him to lay in
new supply. As t. cost, he said the whole
affair had not spilled 500 BILL" and it
was good for years to come or course the
electricity he gets for nothing, as It is taken
from the clouds by rod, the way Franklin
procured 1t years ago with his kite.
When the hunters went away they left
him pint flask Of good old rye whisky, of
which the old man said, after taking long
pull:
This Is the only stuff I ever saw that
would beat electricity in fair race"