The morning times., 1896-08-02
PROGRESS IN ELECTRICITY
Wonderful Advance During
the Past Decade.
DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM
Interesting Relics of Great Inventors
Found There-ScieDtific World Tn
der Obligations to Prof. Henry-His
Daughter Mary Was Helper In
His Distinguished Work.

eiectriIai INV ca,iOn III this country, 10
beng slowly built UP at the Nationai
Museum Tie work, trough OF the great
est in.por aDcc, las gone on without at
tracing MUCH attention from TIE geaerai
public, because SO few of the thousands
VINO NlSit the museum get "a sufficiently
clear and definite idea of lis exhibits to
note any change that Goes not affect u
wide space.
The museum is so extensive and the dis
plays SO varied that only tt.oSe who make
q careful study of the Whole place observe
the apEca rance of even very considerable
mount of new material. Tie curator ofone
departments occasionally sleatlysurprised
to find that an extensive exhibit in some
other line has sprung up in some part
of the building remote from his own with
out his knowing il.
Tie e.rctiicai display is In charge or
George c. Maynard, secretary OF the Tele-
graphic Historical Society, as custodian.
He is an honorary curator OF the Museum
He has spent a good deal Of time in the
past six months in getting things into
their places and getting things to put in
the places He works without any pay,
and SO deserves the thanks OF all Inter
ested in such matters, Us well Us or the
general public who enjoy looking over
any collection OF historic and curious ma
.eriai.
A Times reporter this week had a talk
with Mr.. Maynard in regard TO the dis
play and the progress or electrical de-
velupment. Mr. Maynard is Il irark, IN
pretcatiouS gentleman, full of infcrma-
lion upon his subject, and ready and
easy taiker.
"iiow much do YOU want TO write"
ne inquired, pleasantly, paragraph or
d column" lie has himself done good
dpal nf fpr nerlniitlls. and
familiar with most of the details of the
preparation OF copy"
Our collection he said wien informed
us 10 the scope of tie article desired,
''emDrIces, for one thing, pretty much all
the material with which Prof. Henry work
ed. You know, he was the first secretary
OF he Smithsonian Instit ut ion and spent Il
good deal OF time in making original in
designations as to the relations and uses
of electricity. He made one OF two OF the
most important early discoveries in this
field. lie was 4 scientist and did not at
tempt to put his results to practical use, or
to relp any profit from them himself. He
opened the way to some of the most useful
applications Of the subtle fluid, and the
enormous profits that have been taken by
practical inventors and their hackers.
LIVED AT THE SMITHSONIAN.
Prof Henry had a II office in the Smithson-
an, of Course, but he went much ga rther
han that He had his home there. His
bedroom and library was Just off his
laboratory. and he frequently went in to
ais experiments ut very unusual hours. His
family also made their residence in the
building, and at his death, Congress, in
recognition Of their CLAIM - offered to al
low them to remain Their" Indefinitely. They
preferred nottod othis, ant soon after n.oved
out. Congress, rca iiziaS the immensely
valuable ont riousions Of L rof Henry, upon d
very meager salary, hadinadc to the store OF
hun.an knowledge, voted $4,000 to his
daughters
Theseladies are stillliving in Washington,
1t l4o6 NJ street northwest, in a house
built from the money appropriated for
them By Congress. 1t is TO them that the
people owe the presence here OF The rich
aud To the museum invaluable collection
of original articles with which Prof. Henry
.oniucted some of the most important OF
his experiments. Tie daughters are Misses
Mary. Caroline and Helen.
Miss Mary was IA helper to her distin-
guished father IN his lifetime as an aman-
ucnsis and in other capacities. Since his
death she has teen his historian. Tie Sio,-
600 which she and her sister received was
more than earned by actual services per
formed by their father without reference to
the addition lie made To human knowledge.
He served Oh The light house hoard without
pay aud was the father of the system Of
signals how in use in IA highly developed
form and the means by which millions of
dollars worth of shipping issaveG Annually.
He also performed other work requiring
scientific knowledge and skill.
One OF the most interesting parts of his
collection is the original apparatus with
which he demonstrated the scientific fact
lt,nt no, hr ora f,ffx
ut il distance. He was tie first TO prove
this practically.
THIS mechanism stands IN a case near the
old Baltimore and Ohio engine at the
east entrance of the museum, and is about
the center of the electrical display. 1t con-
sists o: j magnet which acts under the re-
pcliant and attracting force Of the current
upon the completing of circuit, so us to
carry back and forth an iron bar. The
Uar rings bell each time that it is
charged with and relieved OF its electricity.
The action is, of course exactly similar
20 thSt upon the soundeT Of n Morse teie-
graph instrument, and tie ringing of Tie
bell will serve even today TO convey Il
message by the Morse code to an expert OPP
orator. 1t would be n comparatively clumsy
method of teiegraphng, for the reason
that 1t makes too much Noise, and q ICCm
full of instruments would be u Lcdlam, in
which the most skillful operator would lie
Unable 10 lear himself think, much less
TO take a message from his instrument.
Nevertheless, this experiment was the
basis upon which the Morse system has
been built Without Prof Henry to show
them that electricity could be made to
give tie requisite motion to ring that
bell at a distance OF several feet from
where he touched Il button, subsequent in
ventors might never have been able to
create the Geographic facilities now at
the command of the civilized world. 1t
might still require n week TO carry nc WIS
from New York to the oldcD G ate
Somebody else would probably lave made
the same discovery later, but Prof. Henry
did make il and to linn belongs tie honor.
The little button with which he rang
the bell is still presented outside the case
looking exactly like the button of an
ordinary door bell. 1tis frequently manipu
lated by curiosity seekers. If the habi,
becomes too common with them, it will
be necessary for it To be placed under the
case, or for guard to be put on duty tC
prevent visitors from rIaying with the
apparatus and wearing it out
FRANkLIN'S ELECTRICMoTOR.
Right below this ere the glass plate ma
chimes used by DIR, Franklin III II aking an
electric motor One Of these is a solid
glass disc, about eighteen inches across
Around il, as it is hung horizontally on its
center, is a circle of insulated posts reach
ing up to the edge of the disc as it hang.
in the air and on top of each post
is common sewing thimble. The eiectri,
current, when turned into this circuit, from
q Leyden Jar, alternately attracted and re
PEELED the points on the disc, and So drove
IL around on its axis from left to right.
The other motor was constructed will
about the same elements, aeXcept that the
post with the thimbles are in this case ar
ranged about n common center and extend