The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-10
JOSEF HOFFMAN,, SCIENTIST.
The Young Pianist DevOtes Most OF
His Time to Scientists.
New York Tribune.

The Young Pianist DevOtes Most OF
His Time to Scientists.
| New York Tribune
| Since he left this country some years ago.
| a mere boy and a musical prodigy, to study
| the piano abroad, he has been devoting all
| his leisure hours to science. A Berlin en-
| gineer with whom he struck UP a fast
| friendship first turned his thoughts in this
| direction. Without in the least neglecting
| his music he set out to study deeply into
| the laws of exact science and took lessons
| in chemistry physics, geometry and log
arithms The further he went the more
| the fascination of the subject seized him.
| 1t was not long before in the Hofmann
| apartment a. special room was set apart
| for his experiments, and when once tho
| musical stint of the day was done he was
| allowed to work at his books and apparatus
| ali he pleased
For Several years now this little labora-
| tory has been his main interest in life, and
| he has spent good part of each day within
! it's four walls. Three or four hours a day
suffices him for musical practice, and all
| this last winter in Berlin he completed his
piano work for the day before luncheon
| Then unless it happened to be such a fine
afternoon that the temptation to cycle could
not be resisted, he would go at once into
| his laboratory, and study and experiment
| until night came. Evening, too, sas often
| found him in the midst Of books and APP
| paratus, working on one or the problems
that interested him.
Already these studies and researches have
| yielded fruit, and out Of the laboratory or
| Josef Holman, pianist, have come achieve
| that are of Importance. self-made tele-
| phone connects his laboratory with that or
his engineer friend-some yards away
across a cortland this telephone IS not
'orly a success but it cost far less than the
telephone of to-day does. Electricity Is one
of the branches of science in which JOSEF
Holman hopes for great success within
few years Besides the telephone ne mas
devised electric lamps of his own that haVu
a double merit-aS he says. They give
winter finer light than those in ordinary
use, and this light can be made at reduced
cost
DYNAMO being impracticable in the Ber-
lin apartments, the Holman rooms being
several flights up, the young scientist set
himself the task year or so ago or devls-
ing new sort of battery, one that would
cost little and would have no chemical door
to it. Not only did he accomplish this, put
invented a process a little later or renewing
these batteries, or recharging them qulcAy
end cheaply. This process, ne says, ne mas
just brought to perfection. AS he describes
1T, the process is extraordinarily slmples
and should greatly interest sclentlnc men
in every quarter of the world. me eiec-
trodes of the exhausted battery are I'M
mersed in chemical baths-the precise co1ii-
position of which is at present secret
and in half minute they are reenarSeu-
The battery renewed in this manner; ne
says, becomes more poWerIu! eacn tllns,
and the chemical paths may DC uSSu o'SA
This outline of researches and experiment
ing merely goes to show the t[etd Ud sS
Electricity, nevertheless, occupies ms
thoughts but portion OF the time. he mas
q pretty turn for pure mechanics, as -
shown by his having devised a year ago a
pair of skates that could pc 1oideu COM
pactly and slowed away IN the pq1c caii..
These skates were not alone theoretically
practicable; they We're actually SO. LOT ns
used them himself on the ice in Berlin last
winter attracting much notice as ne LOOK
them from his breast pocket, untoldeG
them, clamped them to his feet ana sks,ueo
off r5oer.,nn
folding skates will be much used in Europe
this coming winter, as they nave Deen re-
garded most favorably everyWhere s ICY
asked TO bring them to st. Petersburg next
winter and there is little question but tna5
they will soon be commercially made ana
that Josef Holman will get his first taste
Of ROYALTIES. So far neither he nor MS
father has made any attempt TO dispose on
the rights of any of the inventions ana de-
vices. preferring to have all these things
perfected first but the commercial SIDE VIII
soon be taken up. .,,-.
is his automobile carriage, which Is being
built in Berlin from his drawings and 1or
which he has the greatest hopes. This VIII
be completed by the time he arrives nome,
about June /, and his plans are TO Try II on
the highways of Germany this summer. Us
precise details he Will not, Oh course, vi
yulge but he is willing to have 1t Known
that it is not to be driven by electricity or
steam-that its propelling power VIII Oe on
the principal of expansion, a certain COM
mon and easily obtainable gas being useo.
The apparatus is placed under the rear seaL
two men tandem fashion, and Is so devised
that though there Is, of course, heat WITH
in It. ii gives out no heat or vapor, ana
what actually constitutes the motive power
is not perceptible to the ordinary observer
This Is Hofmann's own description OF his
curious new vehicle, over which ne has
snent much time and thought: The closing
and opening of valve will stop 1t, start
If and regulate the speed. This speed, BY
the way he expects to be able to work UP
to a high maximum point The pressure OF
the foot on button at the bottom or the
carriage will operate a brake that VIII
grasp the rear axle as the hand closes upon
an object This carriage. with the excep-
ton of the seats, generators, ETC., viii be
made of steel tubing throughout. and Will
he very light. 1t is to have four wheels ana
enormous pneumatic tires.
A fire automobile carriage costs anywhere
from 81 $50 TO 5000 to-day. josef H9fmann
is confident that he can build his Tor $500
at the highest
Those who are Hofmanns intimate FRIENDS
in this country say that he can talk or
nothing but his scientific enthusiaSms.
When questioned about this he says simply
that he is already an artist in music, that
he knows II and does not need 10 give bis
time TO IT, while, the other hand, ne IS
simply an amateur in science and mi st
study it thoroughly to make name tor
himself IN that.