Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-10
WATCHES GO INSANE,

Does for Visitors to Exposition Buildings,
From the Chicago Herald
When Franklin sent his kite aloft and drew
lightning from the clouds and Morse harnessed
it and made it obedient to the commands of
man they doubtless had no idea Of the mischief
they were making for succeeding generations.
But here the law of compensation comes in, for
had natures greatest force not been captured
by these estimsble gentlemen 1t is doubtful il
FRACTIONAL electricity would have been developed
to its present perfection If nature makes
the only genuine lightning, man manufactures
very clever imitation. Unlike lightning. it is
not referred to as fluid. =" but as "force. ~
Manufactures hall and electricity building are
full Of the machines by which this subtle force
Is turned out in quantities to suit. and in both
these great buildings 1t is used for a multi
plicity Of purposes. Transmitted from a dy-
namo to O motor it furnishes motive power to
run machinery Of all imaginable kinds, and,
taken direct from the machine where it is made,
1t heats the flaments in the electric light bulbs
up to the incandescent point and makes the ex-
position buildings blaze Of glory three nights
q week.
But the dynamos which: perform this ex-
cellent service also do a lot of damage. They
ruin by magnetization a good many valuable
watches. Since the exposition opened more
than one costly timepiece has been carried
into electricity building thing Of beauty
and usefulness. and, after even a brief stay,
has been brought out total wreck SO far as
Its hmekeeping qualities are concerned.
DEATH TO HAIR SPRINGS.
The disturbing element works noiselessIy,
but in a most insidious manner. Whenever a
dynamo is running an invisible quantity known
as the magnetic fluid is reaching out after hair
springs. and once the electric demon has fas-
tened its fangs on the delicate bit of cooled steel
the latter Is worthless a regulating medium
magnetized watch, like dead man. tells no
tales. There are methods OF demagnetizing,
but they are only partially effective. The best
method, II you wear an expensive watch is to
examine dynamos when they are not running.
An electrical expert was asked yesterday as to
the probable number OF watches which had
been ruined in the exposition grounds
by being brought into close proximity to active
dynamos.
1T would be impossible to approximate the
damage" he replied. but have no doubt that
1t has been considerable. And it is strange that
in this day Of general information people are
not better posted on the evil effects of inspect
ing these powerful dynamos at too close
range The damage is done before they know
it."
Just how do dynamos effect watches?"
lin the first place it is a mistake to suppose
that all dynamos have a disastrous effect on
ton Of the machine In what is known as the
'iron-clad' dynamos the strength of the mag
netc field is reduced to the minimum and the
machine in action may be approached BY the
wearer Of the most delicate watch with COM
parative safety. By iron clnd' is meant an
armature and field entirely surrounded by a
solid cast iron covering or armor. This gives
no chance for the diffusion of lines of force
which. from an unprotected magnet, describe
semi-circle reaching out ten or fifteen feet
WORST DYNAMos FOR wATcHvs.
"A dynamo having horseshoe magnet-and
there arc n good many of this pattern in both
electricity and machinery halls particularly
bad in its effect on watches. A straight mag
net Is equally fatal to timepieces brought
within the influence of it's lines of magnetic
force. i can best illustrate the point by saving
that, from solid ring. if such could be used
as an armaturc for a dynamo, there would be
no danger, because the lines of force would
closely follow the ring. On straight bar they
describe circle because they must go some
where in order to get back to the other pole of
the arnatare. Thus. the more intense the stray
field the greater the danger.
"This reminds me that the most astonished
man ever saw was a workman who was pass
ing by one OF the enormous dynamos in ma
chinery hail shortly after they were put in
operation. He had dinner pail in his hand
but it was suddenly jerked away from him by
an invisible force, and quicker than his dazed
eyes could trace its fight it was sucked up
against the DYNAMO"
How does a magnetized watch act?''
at simply fails to record time It runs
crazy; sometimes fast and again slow. but
always in an erratic and unreliable manner"
ADVICE TO WATCH wEARERs.
Scan they be demagnetized?'
SONY partially. Machines are made for that
purpose. but in my opinion they never restore
q watch to its condition prior to contact with
the magnetic lines Of force"
''Are there any safeguards?'
1.-The only one know Of is to keep away from
dynamos. There are non-magnetic watches in
which the hair spring is made of platinum.
palladium iridium or silver alloy. These hair
springs have practically no magnetic qualities
and are, therefore. not susceptible to dynamic
influence. Magnetic shields consider a farce
To properly protect watch the soft iron ring
surrounding 1t should be half an inch thick.
my advice to exposition sightseers who have
leaning toward mechanics. but an imperfec:
knowledge of electrical effects. would be not to
stand within ten feet OF an active dynamo. If
they must make a closer inspection they should
~. Al