The morning call., 1894-12-09
MAGICAL INDEED.
Wonderful Feats Done by
Scientists.
NECROMANCERs ECLIPsED.
A Lamp That Burns Under Water.
Plates and Nails That Dance.
The Fiery Hand.

Any one of our modern electrical scen-
lists could, by departing from the dignity
of his calling, launch ont as professional
magician and make a fortune on the stage.
Nikola Tesla. Edison. Professor Elihu
Thomson and many other earnest workers
surpass in their laboratory experiments
anything done behind the footignts. No
HindOo juggler can do more in the gentle
art of mystifying than the electrician.
His apparatus is simple and his results are
amusing enough to sound recall.
Thomas A. Edison several years ago
had small motor which ran without any
apparent electrical connection. 1t stood
upon table and whirled rapidly. Ii was
very mystifying id the then stage of cleo
trical science and savored of perpetual
motion. The real secret lay in the fact
that projecting from the base of the motor
were two sharp metal pins which, when
the motor was laid upon table, pene-
trated the thin veneer of the table top and
made connection with wires unde meath.
An electrician would disdain such
device now. Recent progress has shown
that it is not necessary to have even the
connecting wires. Motors now run and
depend for their driving power on the
electrical excitement of the atmosphere.
| They may be far removed from the appli-
| ance generating the power and yet work
away merrily. Tesla will hold lamp In
his hand. stand in the middle of a large
| room away from all wires or met allie con-
nections. and the lamp will glow and send
forth radiance not to be equaled. What
! could be more magical than this?
Could Christopher Columbus have
visited the Chicago exposition he would
| have found his trick of making an egg
! stand on an end very much improved by
the aid of electricity. In one of the ex-
hibits was a large egg on end upon a
table. Visitors wondered what made tina
| egg stand on end. Then it was discovered
the egg was not standing, but whirling-
| whirling with such Tapidity that il seemed
! to stand still. Suddenly the egg stopped
moving and fell down upon its side. Now,
wonderful as this seemed. it is a very
simple phenomenon, easily produced, and
| an everyday occurrence In the labora-
| tory. The egg belonged to NikoIa Tesla,
and is at present in his laboratory in New
| York city. Inside the egg were arranged
| several coils of wire, and these were acted
| upon by several other coils near by, but
| uncon1ected by any mechanical process
with the egg itself.
When the alternating current of cleo
| trieity, as it is called, began TO be under
| stood several years ago it was noticed
| that very peculiar phenomena were at
| tendant on its action. When, for instance
| a peculiarly wound coil OF wire was placed
near another coil that was traversed by
an alternating current repulsve action
| took place and the coils were driven away
| from each other. Under other conditions
! attractions resulted. By manipulating the
| coils series of attractions and repulsions
! we're produced. and thus 1t became pos
| slble to get any number OF strange effects
one of them being the apparently cause
! less whlrling of the egg. Another is the
action of bunch of keys, which, thrown
| upon the table in place of the egg, whlrls
| so rapidly that its form is indistinguish-
able. A copper plate or G copper ring is
| affected precisely the same as the coil
| when placed near an alternating current
| coil. 1t will be driven away or attracted.
| Bow easy, then. fer the electrician to
turn magician and mystify an audience.
| a simple coil underneath tabletop will
| create more mystery for the uninitiated
than spritualistic seance. The interven-
ing wood of the table cuts no figure in the
general calculation. The alternating cur
| rent is great leveler. Ii cares for no,h-
| ing. A coil traversed by the current will
| create all around it an electrical atmos-
phere that will penetrate wood, glass or
anything else of the same nature. Profess
sor Elihu Thomson of Lynn, Mass, has
| performed a number of experiments which
show the great possibilities for amusing
which may be got out of the alternating
| current.
Perhaps the most wonderful trick of all
is the one in which the current overcomes
| the force of gravity. a short, stout col
umn of wood stands upon the laboratory
| able. Near by is a copper ring a trife
! larger than the column. Concealed in that
column of wood is a coil traversed by an
alternating current. Now. strange as it
! may seem, it is impossible TO keep that
ring on that column. Place it there and 1t
| will fly off the moment you take your
hands away. Throw it on, it will balance
| itself in midair around the column until
| the electricity oYercomes the force of
gravity and then it will fly away as before.
| The Tepulsiye action has taken place and
! forced the ring away from the immediate
! ueighborhood Of the concealed coil. The
effect is really magical. The ring can be
made to stay near the coil in one way-by
| taking advantage of the attractive action.
\ GU may sta nd the ring on edge. as 1t
were. Oh the projecting core Of such coil
and the attraction at this spot will hold it
firmly.
1t is one of the principles of tie alter
mating current that when coil is traversed
by it, it has the power to induce a current
to flow in another coil, if the latter Is
brought within the electric atmosphere of
the first coil. Professor Thomson has
taken advantage of this fact TO produce a
very mystifying and very beautiful expert
| ment You may walk into his laboratory
some day and behold an fncande scent lamp
floating around in jar of water and con-
nected to a dynamo. You NAV safely lift
this lamp out of the water and examine il.
The light will be extinguished immedi
ately, and if you will examine the lamp
small coil will be found at the base of it.
Put the lamp back into the water and it
will Immediately relight. Yet there is no
substance in the water TO cause the phe-
nomenon. 1t Is pure water But there is
a coil concealed under the table, traversed
by a powerful alternating current.
BY means of it a current is induced
in the coil which is secured in the
base of the lamp. and the latter
is thus lighted. Such an affair used upon
the professional stage would cause the
greatest wonderment. The jar filled with
water is merely used for effect for if the
lamp is taken out of the water and laid on
the table it will light up just as quickly.
Such an exhibition as this ought to cause
grave forebodings to be experienced
throughout the match trade.
The queerest aquarium in existence,
probably, is owned by Professor Thomson