The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-17
PROFESSOR BLAkE,s LECTURE.

| In spite of bad streets and the counter
| attraction at the opera, the audience a,
the eleventh lecture on electricity given
last night at the Board of Trade hall
seemed even larger and more appreciative
| than ever.
Rev Mr.. Shipper announced that owing
| to unexpected expenses incurred there
would be a heavy deficit, and that the
University Glee and Banjo club entertain
| ment of next week was given in hopes OF
meeting this.
An announcement was also made re-
| garding the lecture by Professor Blake, to
be given free in the First Presbyterian
church tomorrow night. The lecture will
be on art from the side of scientist.
Professor Blake begun by saying that
the experiments be would give usually
| came in rhe first part of the text books in
place or the last, where they properly be-
longed.
By means of delicate gold leaf electro
scope in the lantern he showed several in
teresting experiment., one being the pro.
duction Of static electricity in a hammer
handle by rubbing it on his coat sleeve.
During the entire lecture there was a
vein of hnmor which led to frequent rip
pies of laughter through the audience and
showed the sociable side OF the speaker to
advantage.
A very large fractional machine belong
ing to resident physician was used in
connection with Legion jars, Geissler
tubes and other apparatus.
The discovery of the principle of con-
6anCi oil ha i.,r
like many other developments. an acct
dent The professor in Holland who ex-
perimented with the current of electricity
in dish of water in his hand and got
shock that knocked him down, set the
whole scientific world to experimenting in
the same way and lead to countless scien-
tifc knock downs.
He explained that the force stored in the
one Leyden jar he had charged was per-
haps sufficient to kill dog. By means of
a cheap homemade piece of apparatus he
showed how any young man could easily
study the condensing of electricity.
Professor Blake recently stated that he
avoidedsthe use of elaborate apparatus and
experiments because he did not want the
attention of his audience drawn away
from the principles explained There is
large healthy moral in this for many
teachers, preachers, and others. -
The cable was described and explained
as being an enormous condenser and it
takes so much time to charge it that it
requires the long time of one fifth of Sec
ond for the current to traverse the Allan
tic ocean.
This makes sending cable messages a slow
process and adds much to the cost.
To condense sufficient electricity to
work the cable there are condensers used
containing two acres of tinfoil, and the
messages are read by means of an exceed
ingly delicate galvanometer.
The EAGLE readers owe their knowledge
of the recent transatlantic events to the
commercial use of the principles involved
in the old Leyden jar.
The means OF telephoning to and from
moving trains known as the edison
Smith method is based on electrifying
the top of the car or wire, is the disturb
ance in the either is communicated of
from the car to the wire, or
from the wire to the car.
Various forms of breaking down the
ether" by means of the powerful fractional
electric machines were shown, and by this
means the path and duration of the light
ming flash were explained. A beautiful
illustration was given to show the dura-
ton of the flash and after seeing the seq
ments of a wheel revolving at immense
speed seemingly standing still, it is easy
to understand how a bullet eau be photo
graphed as it leaves the mouth of the rifle,
or the old soldiers story of seeing a can
non ball poised in mid-air during a light
ming flash.
st. Elmo's Fire, so mysterious in an age
Of superstition, was explained. Professor
Blake then wrote the name Wichita" on
a piece of vulcanite with Leyden jar and
showed the same by sprinkling on red
lead and rhinestone Wichita has often
been painted red; she has had traces of
birthstone, and is always electrifying the
country; but it remained for
Professor Blake to combine all these into
an experiment.
The path of an electric spark through
smoked glass was projected on the screen
by means Of the lantern and
4 powerful microscope The path had the
appearance Of the path of a cyclone.
The beautiful effects of sending the cur
'ent through tubes of varified glasses is not |
l new experiment, but led to some start |
ing statements regarding northern lights, |
which are proven TO be $50 miles above a
spot near the north pole.
Professor Blake then stated that he /
would be compelled TO run little over |
lime, and in his explanation of Tesla's /
light without wire, and the study of the |
wonderful light of the freely, he spoke |
with great rapidity, but held his audience
SPELL bound to the close