The morning news., 1894-11-11
Playful ELECTRICITY.
1t Occasionally Franks With Street Car
Men on a Wzt Day.
From the Chicago Times.

From the Chicago Times.
The motorman on an electric car doesn't
need to be versed in physics to get Prac-
tical Illustrations Of the laws that gov
ern the workings of the subtitle electric
fluid. Any young student could readily
explain how, why and when the motoFman
or conductor of an electric streetcar might
expect to receive a sharp reminder of the
fact that he was only partially eurbing
great and invisible power.
During the wet weather of a few weeks
ago several conductors and motormen on
the new Mission street line got their first
lessons in electricity. The employees on
older roads have learned them long ago,
and, while not pretending to control the
power, they know how to fight shy Of It
when atmospheric conditions make II vic
iously playful
That water is a good conductor of cleo
trlcity is soon driven home in the mind of
the young electrician by very simple
experiment. A coin is placed in the bot
tom of a vessel fun of water, and into the
vessel a wire from an electric battery Is
led The student takes hold Of the free
wire and is then told that the coin Is his
if he can take it from the water. The ao-
ment he plunges his hand in he receives
q severe shock, and finds that he caanot
! close his fingers on the coveted eoin. The
reason is that the water is charged with
/ electricity, and he. standing on the
/ ground, completes the circuit the instant
he touches the water.
A practical illustration Of this very sim
pie experiment is given in wet weather on
any electric car using the trolley. The
rope by means Of which the conductor
swings the trolley from the front to the
back of the car at the end of each trip
4 passes vertically down into the back Of
the car, where it can be handily reached.
1t is a well known fact that the water
which runs off the trolley wheel and
down the rope is heavily charged with
electricity. AS 1t drops steadily on the
floor Of the car the woodwork Of the latter
/ becomes gradually saturated and q wet
battery is formed, the circuit being com
plete from motor to trolley, down the
( rope to the car. Standing on the wet
/ platform the conductor himself may, and
often does become slightly charged. This
/ is Illustrated I'm a mild way, and occas-
I ionally quite strongly. The conductor, in
making change, will give the passenger a
/ little twnge and when car has been out
/ In the rain for some hours the passenger s
/ arm has been seen to jerk sharply back
| in taking the coin from the conductor,
1 lust az the students hand Is shocked when
/ trying 10 remove the coin from vessel OF
/ electrically charged water in the expert
ment described.
SO charged do electric cars become oc-
/ casionally. particularly when the wood ia
vsrydry and open 20 that the water col
/ lects rapidly that they have 20 be housed
until the water can be drawn Off and in
f sulation restored.
4 There is no danger whatever In these
shocks; they are slight. and viii at most
1 remind the passenger OF his schoolboy
I days. il sometimes takes two or three
/ hours for car to drain or tho accumu-
/ lated electricity and even then n slight
/ shock can be obtained by touching differ
/ ont metallic portions 81 the car.
The motorman may occasionally receive
I p moro violent reminder Of tho fact that
/ his car Is charged with electricity. Tnis
was tho case tho other day during the
storm. when "a motOrinan was flung bod
/ ily back against the door or his car. The
! Controller" as the men cell the crank
! with which the m0torman closes the cgr-
rent and obtains power from the trolley.
I Be- located close 10 tha brake. Tho latter
/ ia ground wire. lf tle car be charged
/ wgth electricity an1 tho mot1rman aeize
/ controller" ana broke simultaneously be-
m .st receive f0rcIlls iiluatratons Ot the
/ resistance which bis body 0nem 10 Che