The Yellowstone journal., 1894-05-04
Friday, May 4. 1894.
TRY YOUR ELECTRICITY.
One Manner of Testing the strength OF the
Human Current.

One Manner of Testing the strength OF the
Human Current.
That every one has enough natu-
raj electricity in his or her body to
light up an iucandescent lamp viii
strike most people a. strange, yet it
is true. Without dynamo. battery
cell or like appliance of any kind
other than certain manipulations of
stout pair of hands. the experiment
can be performed and an interestiru
result obtained.
Even the average electrician. IL
whose scientific mind two and two
always make four, may be skeptical.
but his doubts will cease when lie
learns it is by frictional electricity
that the lighting effe,s Is to be oh
tanned.
Most people have heard of that an
cient experiment set down in TIE
natural PHILOSOPHERS Of school days
by which, if the family cat is VIII
ing, you may produce a miniature
pyrotechnic display merely by rub
bing the cat- fur the wrong way.
Performed in a dark room that cx-
pertinent Is highly interesting. but
1T has the distinct drawback that the
pusSseldon or never cuts her nails.
To perform the lamp experiment.
take an ordinary incandescent lamp
globe-one that has been used-and
grasp ii at Its lower or socket end
with the thumb and fingers The
thumb and fingers of the other hand
are then encircled around the wide
part of the glass bulb. The lamp is
then moved rapidly back and forth
through the hand that is around the
bulb If this Is done. and the expert
ment performed in dark room. the
lamp will glow for some moments
after the rubbing has ceased.
The illumination is most beautiful.
being of a delicate cream color. with
a slight blush tinge. and appearing
very much like a miniature aurora.
Although this is plainly phase of
frictional electricity, the exact rea-
son for the phenomenon is not
known, nor Is 1t always successful
under the same conditions. A re-
cent eXperimenter, commenting oa
this strange conduct of the incau-
descent bulb. says:
If ever a phenomenon was f8.i O.
caprice, certainly tA!, on j.. .or 90
times in following out the same Goa
ditions that have been acted u'sr,
Z
produced. Tn experiment agail
has been a failure when tried AZ de
ferent locations. three or four mil,.-
apart, with the same lamp III Use am
taking precautions to carefully iE~u-
late the eXperimenter from possible
contact with the earth.
Certain persons seem unable TO
call forth vacuo after repeated at
tempts. The results are also modi-
fed by different kinds and sizes Of
lamps. the smaller bulbs appearing
to give the best results.
In all of the experiments which
were successful the glow appeared
to be directly proportioned TO the
speed with which the lamp was
moved and the distance of such
movements. Of course limit of
speed Is soon reached, above which
it is impossible to'proceed by manu-
al power. The glow does not affect
the filament at all, and there are no
peculiar sensations felt in the hands.
A slight cracking sound Is at times
noticeable.
1t must not be supposed that it is
the tilament in the lamp that glows.
That would be a mechanical impossi-
bility. The part that lights up is the
glass itself-San Francisco Exam
inar