Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-12-24
THOUSANDS OF VOLTS.
STARTLING EFFECTS OF SOME HIGH
TENSION CURRENTS.

Current of x5, 900 Volts Can Hardly Be
Imagined-Remarkabl Sights.
Several tests have been made with
alternating currents of electricity at very
high pressures. As only l 900 volts were
needed to kill the condemned murderers
in Sing Sing prison, the effect of 5000
and $4,000 volts on animate and inan-
innate objects can hardly be imagined.
The difficulty of insulating the enormous
force is very serious, as an arc Will flash
across four or five inches of space be
tween the electrodes, and high tension
currents have not been used much. The
current for the lights and power at the
electro-technical exhibition at Frank
fort-on-the-Main was transmitted from
Lauffen, where it was generated by
water power, at a pressure OF l6,OOO
volts. After the close of the exhibition
experiments were made with the wire
and insulators at high pressures, and
they were among the most interesting OF
the electrical experiments.
The distance between the cities Is
about 1O8 miles, and the wire, one
eighth of an inch in diameter. weighed
132, 900 pounds. The insulators were
able to preserve the intensity of the cur
rent. Each was composed of three sec
tions. The porcelain top was fiat, with
a deep groove for the wire. Underneath
was saucer shaped receptacle, and be-
meath that were two more, one of larger
breadth and depth than the other, and
all were filled with oil. The binding
wires ran through the oil, which is a
good nonconductor. AT Frankfort a
commutator changed the alternating
current to a continuous current for light
and power. In the experiments the
pressure was increased to 10000, 40, 600
and As, 900 volts.
Beyond $1,000 volts the porcelain in
sulators were puuctured frequently In
producing an arc between two carbons
at 10000 volts a plate of glass was
pierced very quickly. At $4,000 volts
the intensity was SO great that the light
was not so brilliant as it was at 20, 900
volts. 1t is believed that $4,000 volts
can be reached with conductors pro
tected from the effects of weather.
CURRENTS OF 10000 VOLTS.
Almost at the same time the Siemens
Bros, of London, were experimenting
with high tension currents, having had
at the Naval exhibition an apparatus
capable of delivering current at pres
sure of 5000 volts. This description of
a private exhibition of the apparatus
with 40, 900 volts is from Engineering:
"On a table was an electrode some
three inches in length, connected to one
terminal of a transformer. Over it was
mounted large sheet of glass three mil
limeters thick, and above the glass was
a second electrode terminating in a sharp
point, the distance between the cleo
trodes being three centimeters. When
the current was turned on to the primary
coil of the transformer there first ap'
peared purple haze at the upper elec,
trode streaming toward the glass. Al
the current increased this haze grew il
fullness and definition, and began tc
throw out feelers, which darted outward
and as quickly withdrew. As the elec
| tromotive force augmented still further
these feelers gathered power until they
beat themselves on the glass as if they
would force themselves through it in
their mad desire to reach the other cleo
! trode. The whole space below the point
ed conductor became alive with them
and exhibited mass of leaping, crack
ling threads of purple fire, which writhed
and twisted in impotent attempts to
barst through the barrier, and failing
that, spread themselves along its surface,
endeavoring to rush over its edges, and
SO reach their goal by a circuitous route
"But this was beyond their strength
until the electro-motive force approached
As, 900 volts, when suddenly the entire
appearance was changed. The current
overleaped the edges of the plate and
flowed completely around it in all di
rections. At that moment the intense
purple color of the spark disappeared
and was replaced by white light of tn,
greatest briDiqncy, which glistened and
flashed ~ Il the spectators had to turr
away leir bedazzled gaze.
| REMARKABLE EXPERIMENTS.
% change in the arrangement wa'
then made. The upper pointed electrodt
was replaced by brass disk, thres
inches in diameter. This was laid ovel
the surface of the glass plate with thret
very thin washers of yulcanite, inter
vening between the two. The current
was then turned on in the same gradual
manner as before. The space between
the two disks Immediately filed witt
purple light, which had sufficient motion
in it to recall the flame of a BunseI
burner, spread out under the bottom o.
beaker. Sparks then began to appear
at the edges, and, as they gathered
strength, to radiate little beyond them
Gradually they became streamers
stretching out along the surface of tn,
plate in curved, fanciful forms which
twined and twisted and weaved them
selves into glistening flagree, compared
by an imaginative spectator to an ago
nized japanese chrysanthemum.
This experiment had not the brilliant
refulgence of the one that preceded it
but was characterized by quivering
irradiation which wreathed and tossed
like bird beating itself at the bars o.
its cage. In spite of its less formidable
appearance, however, it proved destruc
tive to the glass, which presently flew
in pieces with crash. Several sheet.
were tried in succession, but each wa!
pierced and broken and allowed the cur
rent to attain its object of flowing di
rectly from one electrode to the other"
In experimenting with an arc at A ,O0t
volts the arc established itself when th'
electrodes were five inches apart, but thu
flames, instead of bridging the space
spread out in two thin tongues at right
angles to the electrodes and parallel tt
each other When the electrodes wert
pushed nearer together the flames wan
dered back along the stems, repelllne
each other.-New York Times.
A Typical New York Miser.
crplrap ..vad old man whom 7 mae