Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-01

Fila; B. Dunn, the weather observer,
hrs hem studying atmospheric electricity.
Tbc sergeant, as they used to call him.
the farmer, as they call him now, s'iiu
that he will live to see the day when eiec.
tricity, collected from the atmosphere ana
stored by some means which an Edison or
q Tesla will have to devise, will reVolu-
tionizc the world.
The prophet expects that cities VIII De
lighted and heated by atmospheric electric
ity: that railway trains and cars Will De
RIM LIGHTED and heated by it; that coal
will become curiosity; that sbam heat
inc will be granny talk to the children OF
the next generations; that the telegraph
and telephone companies will lose their
monopolies; that war will become a farce,
because a touch of electricity will make
the British grenadiers or the German
Uhlars or the Scotch hishlanders SIT
down on the cold ground powerless; that
even the dreams Of communication with
thc inhabitants of Mars will become real
titles. and that a man will be able to strike
up electricity as he does a pfrlor match.
There will be no more trolley strikes,
because there will be no more trolleys.
Mankind Will thP tAiC atiAOSPA->N> -
most every convenience or necessity, ex-
cept food and clothing, and even the cloth
ing will be woven and the food cooked by
atmospheric electricity. Street cleaning
will be as easy as the magician's Presto,
changed" and every body will live compar-
atively happy ever after
Mr.. Dunn is sure that his ideas arc
practical and practicable. The atmosphere
is his constant study, and having intro
duced general humidity to the public as
the principal element in uncomfortable
days lie has determined that the most po-
tent clement for good in the air we breathe
shall 10 longer be wasted.
why" he said, 1.-THE whole atmosphere
is soaked with electricity. The earth, as
is well known, is a storehouse of electric
ity. That it passes from the clouds to the
earth yyo can see in every thunderstorm.
Earth is a good conductor, especially damp
earth, and water is the best conductor pos
sible.
Every person is possessed of body cleo
tricity. Tho vital force is all in the cleo
trical power you contain in your body.
When the day is damp, you become weak
encd through the loss of your bodily cleo
tricity, because the atmosphere is great
er conductor of the electrical fluid than
your body, and consequently what is in
your body will pass to this moist, damp
air.
THAT is the cause of that tired feeling.
This passing of the electricity to the at
mosphero onervates you to such degree
that a person in naturally weak state
will collapse or become much worse by the
less of this bodily electricity.
"The atmosphere being charged with
electricity, and the earth being store
house for it, if there were some controlla-
BILE method of storage devised by which
you could draw off a moderate amount OF
electricity at will and keep that force on
tap all the time, with an appliance by
which power could be gencrated-and
there is no reason why that can't be done
then atmospheric electricity would make
all the wheels in the world go round.
The coal barons would be done up, !"
said Farmer Dunn savagely, thinking Of
the coal bill for his house in Brooklyn.
Z There would be no moro need of coal
There ought to be enough electricity in
the atmosphere to supply light and heat
as well as to do all the work except the
houscWoEk. I'm afraid it won't do away
with the servant girl question, though ii
will modify it. l expect to live to see the
day Of atmospheric electricity on tap. 1t
will ran ererything on earth.
1t is well known that there is greater
number of deaths in the early morning,
say from l a. IN. to a. M, than at any
other time. Dickens was aware of that,
but he didn't know TIE reason. You re
member that poor old Peggotty, in David
CoppCrfield,' went out with the tide
That's right. And it is in the early nom
ing, that the daily ebb Of the atmosphere
occurs, when the daily atmospheric pres
sure IL least. If at that time the atmos
phcro is in q state of saturation, very
heavily charged with humidity, then the
electric force leaves PERSONS body and
flows to the atmosphere, greatly debilitat
ing him when he is in q weakened condi-
ton. Now, should person in that state
be kept in extremely dry surroundings, Sc
that he could be furnished with an ade-
quato supply of artificial electricity and
at the same time have the humidity re
duccd, there would be- in my opinion, a
greater chance of prolonging life.
If the doctors could provide means to
supply in such circumstances artificial
electricity instead of natural, it would
probably be very beneficial. just think OF
it, Hero we are, spending millions of dol
lars to generate electricity, when it is all
around us, and we are breathing it! Here's
another thing: When current of cleo
tricity is generated, where does it go? II
can't die. 1t is somewhere. should judge
that it is simply adding to the amount OF
electricity in tho atmosphere.
1t is natural to suppose that as long as
the earth is given to us for useful pur
poses the atmosphere was not given for
nothing. OF course it gives us health and
breath, as the earth gives us what we eat,
but since the atmosphere contains elcc
tricity, and we can use the earth as pow
er for carrying it, as is done by telegraph
companies, why not use the electricity il
the atmospheric
Once begin to use it, and there is nc
telling where it would end. War with at
mospheric electricity as a factor woult
have to cease. The problem of signaling
to Mars would be solved. With atmos
pheric electricity in control we could
communicate with all the inhabited plan
rts. New York World.
Fish We Have Learned to Eat.
1t is hard for the younger people to be-