The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-14
LORD KELVIN IN NEW YORK
THE GREAT Ell ECTRICIAN ARRITED
HERE YESTERDAY.

+ rento-Souno or tho Many Achievements
ThL Rave Rendered sis Name Famous.
The Cunard limo steamer Campnnia brought
10 our shores from Great Britain yesterday Lord
Kelvin. tho Nestor of British mon Of science.
Lord Kelvin Is probably much better known ns
Prof. William Thompson or Sir William Thomp-
son, professor Of natural philosophy in tho Uni
versity Of Glasgow, than by his present title,
which he has held only since 1892. During the
hfty-one years In which he has sat in tho nat
ural philosophy chair at Glasgow he has
achieved things that have brought him his title,
and made him an acknowledged leader In
several lines Of scientific research. He has boon
President Of the Mathematical and Physical
Section OF the British Association Ave times, and
IN 1900 he succeeded Sir George Gabriel Stokes.
Bart. as President Of the Royal Society.
1t is to attend a meeting OF this association
at Toronto, Ontario, that Lord Kelvin now
comes to America. The British Association 10
~sixty-six years old, but 1t has seldom held a
meeting outside Of England. The first cxcep-
ton was at Dublin in 1895. It crossed the chan
mel Ave times after that, and two of these meet
ings were made famous by certain OF the papers
read at them. Tho FIRST OF these meetings was
tho one held at Cork in 1s43. whom Joule
read his remarkable paper upon the mechanical
equivalent OF heat, and the second was a meet
ing held at Belfast In 1874. whom Prof. Tyndall.
then President OF the association, expounded his
materialistic philosophy In his presidential ad-
dress. In 1884 tho association went abroad for
the last time and camo to Montreal. Lord Hay.
leigh was President, and this meeting was also
q remarkable one.
When the Campania reached the end Of her
wharf yesterday afternoon, and was being
warped into her berth, Lord Kolvin was tho
most conspicuous OF her passengers. With Lady
Kelvin beside him. no stood on the Captains
bridge. n story above the heads Of all the other
passengers, and watched with apparent interest
tho demonstrative greetings which passed boz
tween the other passengers and their friends or
relatives in the crowd upon the end of the wharf.
He was easily recognizable by those who
the face was older looking and his
white beard not so long or thick as these pic.
e0Ess sR %hich he Sa Got the = s ssns Of fw .ifect OF Of P SoinS
light brown, and a soft hat of gray color. Be-
fore the rest of the passengers had left the ship
be sat for q considerable time and watched the
S ossS@o on 1hs wharf III in' He Tss Carried ana a stout toS W walk.
Ing stick. and 4 was NOTICEABLE when he walked
who sought him out cordially.
This" no said. " Is my second visit to Amer:
iea.; have not missed q meeting of the Royal
Bociety in moro than forty years, and l have
come now to attend the meeting in Toronto. I
YVES here before when the meeting was At, Mon.
. ~ 1904. VIZ bAaAA u Wv "a ~. II
morning and go to Niagara Falls. There l shall
inspect the great electric power plant From
closes we may go to Vancouver, simply to see
the country. In that event our stay will cover
considerable time; In any event the date of my
Lord Kelvin said that he had come across the
ocean largely. to observe. hut that he should
read q paper at the meeting of the association.
He expressed much interest in some of the latest
developments in ELECTRICAL science in this coun-
try. such as Nicola Tesla's scheme for Telegraph;
ing without wires, and the use OF the third rail
for transmitting electric power Tor traction pur-
done between Berlin and Hartford. Conn.
~ have not received regarding
MT; Tesla's methods. said Lord Kelvin. which
them, but l have no doubt we shall hear more
OF this at the meeting"
new works which have just gone INTO operation
ct shoreditch. England. for burning city gar.
production OF steam, heat, gas. and electricity
Tor town use.
op ,a. j. "on s1zid 'iK Ko ws0k kel vince . the w ,ssy S SsFs
S Sss., ra ah'R aons q !au.s = are a Fs equal. 'a We
to operate the municipal electric lighting plant.
Of coal need be used. Whatever dust or refuse
is collected has eombustible qualities. and is
.shoreditch. he said. had hitherto paid . shil.
nngs 8 pence a ton to have the sarbase cartsd
enue from the garbage instead of The great sum
w which u II IN bad aDs cost n.I 5G dispose pose Of III it. The Flax;
furnaces, he said was to be used for road making.
LORD Kelvin is e years old; having been born
James Thompson, LID, was at that time lee
turer on mathematis. at the Royal Academi;
with his family to Glasgow on receiv-
Ing an appointment to the protessoFship
q %fll %Hahe Thomp.on in entered fhs gni tbs GD,v thsEs;
at Glasgow, and, after graduating removed to
Peterhouse, Cambridge. where he graduated in
low Of Cambridge, and in 1916 he was appointed
to the chair OF natural philosophy in Glasgow,
the same time editor Of the Cambridge and Dub.
I'm M~dthemdttcGl Journal and held this place
seven years. He became an authority upon
electrical matters in the early years Of his pro.
censorship, and although he pursued many other
htness OF study and d. made many valuable meGhsn,
electrical work that the greater part Of his fame
rests.
Great Eastern In, charge of the work OF laying
the Atlantic cable OF 1855 and the successful
were carried on during the work were made
Mith thompson mirror ai,FTror galvanometer. This
ins' Of the ve %ss SC ea ae!lfSse the taa. su ase 'nses s cable
The cable, which TSs recorded By the mirror at
successfully laid Prof. Thompson was knighted
By tho QSeep fr his share in the work, and
was presented the. freedom OF the city OF Glas-
gov. The principle OF his mirror galvanometer
was used for the Instruments which transmitted
messages over the earlier cables, and he after
ward invented the siphon recorder, which made
1t possible TO get recorded messages over deep
sea cables without using destructive currents OF
electricity. His electrical inventions In later
years have been Of great variety and include in.
for measuring the quantity, intensity,
and power Of electric currents.
Two Of his most valuable inventions are car
ried by almost every great steamship afoat.
One of these is a mariners compass 30 made as
to render IL free from the variations which would
otherwise result from its being on an iron or
steel vessel. and the other Il a sounding leod
fathoms without checking the speed Of the ship
and which preserves a perfect and accurate
record OF the depth. LORD Kelvin's writings are
yoluminous. and he is a member Of many socIe
ties. both at home end abroad.
The meeting Of The ROYAL Society 10 whinh he
is bound Will beg. al Toronto Aug. Is. The
retiring President Is Sir Joseph Lister and the
incoming one who will p%resldc Is SIR John
pected that there will be in attendance, umoup
other distinguished men: Lord Rayie}gh and
Oliver Lodge %Se' o DIR; EorsJSth: and Prof. RSSsrts
In Massey Hall by Sir John Evans. Thif