The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-07
KING ELECTRICITY.
FARMER OHM PREDICTS A REVOLT
TON FOR EARTHLY FOLKS.
The Whole Atmosphere Soaked with Eleo-
tricity-The Day Coming When It WIN
supply Lighn Heat and Motive Power.
Coal n Curiosity.


Coal Curiosity.
VI Elias b. Dunn, the weather observer, 1
he's beon studying atmospheric electricity. |
The sergeant, as they used to call him, |
the farmer, as they call him now, said
that he will live To see the day when cleo
tricity, collected from the atmosphere and |
stored by some means which an Edison or |
Tesla will have to devise, will revolu-
tionize the world.
The prophet expects that cities will be
lighted and heated by atmospheric electric
ity; that railway trains and cars will be
run, lighted and heated by It; that coal
will become curiosity; that steam heat
ing will be granny talk to the children of
the next generation; that the telegraph
and telephone companies will lose their
monopolies; that war will become farce,
because a touch of electricity will make
the British grenadiers or the German
Uhlans or the Scotch highlanders sit
down on the cold ground powerless; that
even the dreams of communication with
the inhabitants of Mars will become real
tiles, and that man will be able to strike
up electricity as he does parlor match.
There will be no more trolley Strikes
because there will be no more trolleys
Mankind will tap the atmosphere for al
most every convenience or necessity, ex-
cept food and clothing, and even the cloth.
ing will no woven and the food cooked by
atmospheric electricity. Street cleaning
will be us easy as the magician's Presto,
CHANGE and every body will live compar-
atively aappy ever after
Mr.. Dunn Is sure that his ideas are
practical and practicable. The atmosphere
Is his constant study, and having intro
duced general humidity to the public as
the principal element In uncomfortable
days lie has determined that the most po-
tent element for good in the air we breathe
shall ITO longer be wasted.
why" he said, 1.-The whole atmosphere
Is soaked with electricity. The earth, as
| Is we'll known, is a storehouse OF electric
| ity. That 1t passes from the clouds to the
| earth we can see in every thunderstorm.
Earth is good conductor, especially damp
EARTH and water is the best conductor pos
sible.
Every person is possessed of body cleo
| tricity. The vital force Is all In the elec-
| trical power you contain in your body.
When the day is damp, you become weak
ened through the loss of your bodily cleo
tricity because the atmosphere Is great
| er conductor of the electrical fluid than
| your body, and consequently what Is In
| your body will pass to this moist damp
| air.
THAT Is the cause of that tired feeling.
This passing of the electricity to the at
| mosphere eDervates you to such degree
that a person In naturally weak state
| will collapse or become much worse by the
loss of this bodily electricity.
1.-THE atmosphere being charged with
electricity, and the earth being store
house for 1t, II there were some controlla-
BILE method of storage devised by which
| you could draw off moderate amount OF
electricity at will and keep that force on
tap all the time, with an appliance by
which power could be generated-and
there is no reason why that can't be done
4 then atmospheric electricity would make
all the wheels In the world go round.
1.-THE coal barons would be done up, !"
said Farmer Dunn savagely, thinking OF
the coal bill for his house In Brooklyn.
There would be no more need OF coal
There ought to be enough electricity In
the atmosphere to supply light and heat
as we'll as to do all the work except the
homework. I'm afraid it won't do away
with the servant girl question, though 1t
will modify it, expect to live to see the
day of atmospheric electricity on tap lt
will run everything on earth.
1T Is well known that there Is greater
num- Der of deaths in the early morning,
say from l a. m. to 4 a. m, than at any
other time. Dickens was aware or that,
1 but he didn't know the reason. You re-
member that poor old Peggotty, In David
Copperfield, went out with the tide.
That's right. And 1t is In the early morn
ing, that the daily ebb of the atmosphere
occurs. when the daily atmospheric pres
sure Is least. If at that time the atmos-
phere Is in state of saturation, very
heavily charged with humidity, then the
electric force leaves PERSONS body and
flows to the atmosphere, greatly debilitat-
ing him when he Is in weakened condi-
ton. Now, should person In that state
be kept in extremely dry surroundings, SO
that he could be furnished with an ade-
quate supply of artificial electricity and
at the same time have the humidity re-
duced, there would be, in my opinion, q
greater chance of prolonging life.
IF the doctors could provide means to
supply in such circumstances artificial
electricity instead of natural, 1t would
probably be very beneficial. just think OF
it! Here we are, spending millions of dol
lars to generate electricity, when 1t Is al
around us, and we are breathing It'll Here's
another thing: When a current OF cleo
tricity Is generated, where does 1t goy II
can't die 1t is somewhere. should judge
that 1t is simply adding to the amount OF
electricity in the atmosphere.
1T is natural to suppose that as long as
the earth is given to us for useful pur
poses the atmosphere was not given fol
nothing. OF course it gives us health ant
breath, as the earth gives us what we eat
but since the atmosphere contains cleo
tricity, and we can use the earth as pow
er for carrying it, rs is done by telegraph
companies, why not use the electricity II
the atmospheric
"Once begin to use 1t, and there Is M
telling where It would end. War with at
mospheric electricity as factor would
have to cease The problem Of signaling
to Mars would be solved With atmos
pheric electricity in control we coult
communicate with all the inhabited plan
cts. New York World.
Escape From Justice.
L