The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-25

! to carry on some experiments along
( this line, but at present he is occupied
/ with his second and perhaps more i'm
pOrtant achievement.
This is nothing less than the produc-
| ton of electric light with a current
/ drawn from the atmosphere. Mr.. Eddy
/ has in q second story room of his Bay
/ onne home what is undoubtedly the
most unique electric lighting plant in
the world. 1t is very simple in appear
ance, consisting only of table contain
ing half dozen leyden jars. one wire
connecting with the kite apparatus, an
other with the ground, an electric
switch and an ordinary Edison incan-
descent lamp.
When the experimental wishes to set
his lighting plant in operation he sends
, up a tandem of kites to a height which
varies according to the weather condi-
lions from 100 to 400 fet. Suspended from
the kite string is the electric collector,
which is simply a small wooden frame
covered with tinfoil. From this col
lector a light wire is feStooned down
the kite string. and enters the window.
There the current is controlled by an or
binary switch across which it passes
through the Leyden jars, thence
through the electric lamp and off to the
earth along a grounding wire. AS soon
as Mr.. EDDY has his kites we'll in the
Z
and opens the switch. There is a slow
kissing noise. a flash, and the electric
spark leaps across the open switch.
Another and another follows, with
ever-increasing frequency, as the kites
soar higher and higher. until there is
an almost continuous stream of sparks
crossing the switchboard
Small as it is, this line of electric fire
is lightning flash in miniature. pre-
senting the familiar jagged, zigzag APP
pearance of lightning as il leaps across
the opening. When the spark has be-
come steady and strong. the connection
with the lighting apparatus proper is
made.
For his first crude experiments Mr..
Eddy has used an Edison incandescent
lamp, with the carbon filament broken.
to leave a space across which the cur
rent sparks. The wire leading from the
electric collector is connected with one
of the platinum wires leading into the
lamp, and the grounding wire is con-
nected with the other, thus completing
the circuit. In this manner Mr.. Eddy
has been able to produce a faint. but
very clear and practically continuous
light. Owing to his imperfect appar-
atuS, he has not yet been able to pro-
duce sufficient light to illuminate a
room, but he is able to get one strong
enough for the taking of X-ray photo
Eddy, in speaking of his new achieve
ment, will be to construct a larger
globe in which TO place my wire, so
that / can produce a longer spark. |
believe that by using the ragged edges
of metal I can obtain a brush. and
that by placing-ti in a. vacuum tube
I can produce a steady glow light
Equally important, too. it will be a cold
light, the thing that 'eXperimenters
have been working for in number of
different ways. OF course, the amount
of atmospheric electricity that can be
brought to earth is limited only by the
which ] obtain in miniature can be re-
produced on a larger scale by simply
increasing its size. / am also working
at present on number of other ex-
periments, which are not yet sufficient
~ advanced to warrant me in speaking
of them"
A difficulty which Mr.. Eddy and
other experimenters in the field of at
mospheric electricity have found is in
controlling the current. The electricity
obtained from the atmosphere by Mr..
Eddy's apparatus is highly volatile, and
even when the ampereage is small, the
electric current is at high tension and
of considerable voltage. In his earliest
experiments Mr.. Eddy attempted to
handle his wires with rubber gloves.
The current collected behind each glove
and, when strong enough. it broke
through with what DR.. Lodge calls the
characteristic imoulsive rush OF light
ming strokes" nearly knocking the ar
dent scientist off his feet. Since then"
says Mr. Eddy, I have been somewhat
more careful in handling lightning,
even in small instruments"