Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-12-09
How to Mako a BATTERY.


Than drift Ger CLASSY seas with ii, listless
sail. Inc wave
How to Make a Battery.
The idea of being able to make unlimlt-
ed mess and muddle-not to speak OF
smells and exDlosions-wa as much my
first incentive to dabble in the waters OF
experimental science as any idea OF gain
ing knowledge.
The latter, however, easily and sadly
followed for can still see in my minds
eve the new jacket l wore the night that
/ and my schoolfellow, Roll, made chlor-
inc gas in pickle bottle, and burned
large hole in my sleeve with hydro
chloric acid.
Roll and /, whose incomes were very
modest in those days, duly subscribed l
cent per week to the purchase OF sclen'
tific apparatus, and many were the pieces
of glass tubing, purchased at ruinous re-
tail prices at the druggists, we broke
while Yainly endeavoring to bend them
with a blow pipe in the flame OF candle,
which emitted more smoke than heat.
Hydrogen we had no trouble about; we
just popped piece of zinc in test tube,
added some acid, held the mouth OF the
tube over a light and pop went the
miniature explosion. When gas, say
oxygen, had to be collected over water,
it was easily done by filling glass bot
tie with water and placing it mouth
downward in a bowl of water, over the
top of an inverted preserve jar, in the
bottom and side of which we had pre-
viously formed holes by careful chipping
and boring with an old nail or bradawl.
In fact it was surprising what could be
done in practical science, by little in
genuity, on cents q week.
Our great ambition was to make an
electrical machine that would produce
real spark, and Leyden jar from
which one could get genuine electric
shock We succeeded in both aims on our
small income.
Our first electrical machine was what
is known as an electrophorus, and was
made thus: We first procured a child S
penny tin plate, with cow in the center
vainly trying to learn the alphabet, which
runs all round the margin. On the plate
was placed a mixture of rosin and bees
wax. which was boiled-in the open air,
mind-by mounting the plate on the top
of a tripod used for baking meat, and
making little bonfire of grease and pa
per underneath. When the rosin and
wax were melted, some plaster of paris
was stirred in it, and this composition,
when cool, presented smooth, shiny sur
face. A round piece of tin-another
penny plate, / think-was attached to a
handle to lift it by, and the electrophorus
was complete. You rubbed the compost
ton with piece of flannel, placed the
tin lid on, touched the top of the lid with
the hand to release the negative cleo
tricity, and great was ones JOY when,
by lifting the lid and presenting the
llnuckle to it, one heard the crisp crick
as the spark flashed in the dark.
SO far SO good; but our ambition was
made of sterner stuff, and nothing but a
real electrical machine would satisfy our
thirsty scientific spirits. The first thing
to do was to procure glass cylinder, and
after Sundry ineffective attempts to bore
a hole through the bottom of the friendly
pickle bottle, we ultimately acquired by
purchase at the expense of 36 cents, a
proper glass cylinder with two necks
Through the cylinder we ran a wooden
spindle, fixed into each neck by a cork
collar, and made tight by a coat of the
rosin and wax soup to which | have just
referred.
A stand was now needed to carry the
cylinder, for which a raisin box from a
neighboring grocer's supplied the wood.
On to a wooden base we fixed at either
end two short, upright pieces of wood, in
which holes had been bored with a red
hot poker. The spindle ran through these
holes, and simple wooden handle enable
one to revolve the cylinder la hurdy-
gurdy. On one side of the cylinder we
placed a pad of chamois leather stuffed
with cotton wool and fastened to a
wooden upright fixed on the base of the
machine, SO that when the handle was
turned the pad lightly touched against
the glass cylinder. According to the
books, we should have had flap of silk
running over the cylinder, but we dis
pensed with this for pecuniary reasons.
Thus the electricity was generated by
fraction, but the equally important thing
to do was to collect it by means of a
conductor. For this purpose we got an
empty tin can, such as is supplied in I'M
limited quantities with cocoa or coffee.
On to the side of this can we soldered-
with small soldering iron, and at con-
siderable injury to our fingers about a
dozen ordinary pins, points outward
The stem of broken wineglass afforded
the necessary support for the conductor.
and the rosin soup again afforded a
useful cement. Now the machine was
equipped, and by turning the handle and
placing the knuckle to the conductor
sparks of half an inch and longer could
be got.
To obtain a shock Leyden jar was
essential. which was quickly and mex
pensively made as follows: A small.
round medicine phial was obtained, and
covered on the outside, up to nearly the
top, with leadfoil, derived from a tea
chest. The phial was then filled with
water up to the level of the leadfoil.
and O brass-headed nail run through the
cork, so as to dip into the water inside
BY placing the head of the nail near the
conductor of the machine, when in mo
ton. series of sparks was transmitted
to the jar, and if the latter were taken
III one hand and the finger of the other
placed on the brass-headed nail, a very
perceptble and vigorous shock was CIV
en- to all and sundry Of our friends vino
had chosen to turn mp their noses ana
sheer at our scientific experiments OH
cents week.-F. A., III Boys Own
Paper.
Wonderful Eyes of Insects.
The facets of the eye-masses of
some species of insects are exceedingly
numerous; in some cases, in fact the
number is entirely beyond belief. Each
of these separate facets" is q perfect
eye, and they are so arranged as to give
their insect owner commanding view of
all the cardinal points and every con-