Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-10-14

PHOTOGRAPH OF ELECTRIC SPARK.
nothing but purely vortex movement,
Just such a movement as we see when
we watch the rings of smoke that laZily
drift from the mouth of the smoker. A
vortex movement means that the cleo
tricity, like the smoke moves over and
over the circumference of the ring; that
it is sucked in by one face Of the ring
and shot out by the other The fact is
wonderful in its simplicity. Like all
the basic principles of science, the
closer we get TO them the more simple
we find they are And so it is with this
one which may revolutionize many the
cries established centuries ago
Every electric current has two ends
the positive and the negative poles OF
course there is a difference between
them Scientists knew that long ago.
The trouble has been that they have
been unable TO learn exactly what that
difference was Now, however, come
Lord Armstrong; photographs, show
ing the exact difference to the eye The
first of the photographs taken by Lord
Armstrong is to the lay mind the most
interesting, even if to science it pos
sesses hardly so great value as that Of
the others 1t is the one with the black
spot in the center from which streams
of light are seen radiating
A camera and very powerful cleo
trio machine were placed in darkened
room The camera contained sensitive
plate over which light and fine pow
der had been sifted, thus insuring the
fact that when the electricity was dis
charged the dust upon the plate would
be driven about by the electric streams
and the light would at the same time
affect the plate The electricity would
thus give the luminosity which would
enable it to be caught in the act of set
ting the dust III commotion, the time
required for its imprint being but the
small fraction of second.
Never did calculation prove more cor
rect, and the result is shown in the
plate first referred to, The black spot in
the center of the picture is the metallic
disk which rested upon the Photographic
plate and received the positive discharge
from the electrical machine The light
slItdlllb W Nun Oub III
beauty like the illuminated roots of a
plant are really the electricity which
radiates from the disk in this fashion
1t shows conclusively that electricity
in the original, as it were, is vastly
different i'll general appearance from
the current after it has accomplished a
certain portion of it's mission Take the
electricity as it comes from the human
body and photograph it, and it will be
found that while it radiates under
proper circumstances it has sharper
and shorter appearance
Another photograph taken by Lord
Armstrong shows the electric currents
when two opposite discharging disks
were brought near to one another The
radiation from the positive disk is seen
TO be much the same as in the first pho
tograph on the outer side, but on the
inner side the rays are drawn toward
the negative disk and consolidated into
thicker lines The photograph also
shows clearly that the discharge has
different characteristics at the two poles
This latter fact is one of the most
valuable results of Lord Armstrong;
discoveries Not. as previously stated,
that the world has not long known the
abstract difference between the positive
and negative poles of current, but the
matter of detail has in great measure
been surrounded by mystery Now it is
as clear as day Not only is the differ
ence exactly known, but it is exactly
seen. and any scientific man counts the
labor well spent which results in max
ing apparent to the eye fact heretofore
only patent to the mind
Lord Armstrong states that he will
proceed further with his Photographic
investigation and will now endeavor to
picture electricity in its different forms
and in as many detailed fashions as pos
sible. philadelphia Times
A