Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-09-29

The study of atmospheric electricity
and its bearings upon the problems that
daily confront the Weather Bureau fur
nish abundant opportunities for specula-
ton, experiment and investigation, says
the Chicago Record. The subject has
been faithfully followed for many years,
but it is doubtful If the results obtained
previous to five years ago have been of
any practical value In weather forecast
ing. 1t has been generally believed that
the electriiication of the air is one of the
minor results of the formation of fog,
haze. cloud and rain, and its Importance
in the study of the mechanics of the
atmosphere has not been fully under-
stood. lH& tl-A., go
Prof. Marvin of the United States
Weather Bureau has been conducting q
series of experiments for two or, three
years in which self-recording instruments
have been attached to cellular kites,
which are modification of the form in
PRODUCED by the Australian, Hargrave.
These kites have beerrsent up from six.
teen stations in the Mississippi water.
shed, and the report of some Of the ex.
periences of the observers stationed Mt
these points bring to the mind the OK
periments OF DR.. Franklin and tho
tragedy at St. Petersburg, where Prof.
Richman was sacrificed by his own mis-
directed zeal. In many instances the
kites were sent up nearly three miles, the
exact distance being measured by the
amount Of wire reeled out with which
the kite was held.
| In many cases tho kites have been de-
| stroyed entirely, in others the line has
been burned and some instances have
| been reported where the entire outfit dis.
appeared. The observer at Fort Thomas,
near Cincinnati, tells an interesting stofy
| Of the burning of 1880 feet of wire that
| had been reeled out TO the kite and 500
4 feet more tina. remained on the spool. A
stream of fire seemed to reach from the
| kite to the reel and drops OF melted
| metal were sprinkled over the station.
| The kite escaped and was recovered
| twenty miles from the observatory. Tits
| q remarkable fact that this dtinunstrii-
| ton took place without any warning and
when there was q comparatively clear
4 sky. The only clouds visible were in
| the, west, and considerable distance
away. A light shower followed in few
4 minutes, but there was no thunder. At
4 Lansing the observer was stunned, and
Il those who witnessed the demonstration
were divided as to whether the Column
i OF flame" assembled to the kite or fol-
/ lowed the line of wire from the kite 10
tine ground. At any rate the wire was
| welded 10 the reel. In a case reported
from Springfield, ILL.,, only part Of the
i wire was destroyed. At Topeka, how
ever, great damage was done, and "the
conclusion was SO great that people
standing 1000 feet away thought we
were shooting" says the observer.
l From the data collected by the OBJ
servers at several stations Prof, Marvin
has made some interesting calculations.
For instance. he estimates that the cleo
trical discharge which fused the wire
npar Cincinnati had a potential Of at
least 10000 volts, which is 260 times
greater than the pressure of the current
employed for operating street cars His
4 observations of the origin of the electric
tication of the wire and the manner Of
Etransfer of electricity from the air to the
wire are interesting. Sometimes, he
4 finds, everything goes to show that the
Ilwire ia being continuously electrified,
little by little, just as if every particle of
air impinging upon the wire commune
Gated to it or carried away minute
electrical charge. In summer it has also
been noticed that sudden impulsive
rushes of electricity pass over the wire
without the slightest apparent cause and
in an infIequent and irregular manner.
II Prof. Marvin SAYS that the kite wire In
these cases is the receiving instrument in
| an immense system of wireless telegraphy.
Z Nature is producing signals along the
kite wire which means that flashes "a
, lightning are passing at some far distan&
mint, and only rarely are these percepQ
BILE to the ordinary sense.
The subject possesses peculiar fascii
ton for the student of natural phenomef
and it can no longer be questioned tina
has practical bearing upon the accufa1
4 of weather forecasting. M