The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-02
MAGNETISM iSnI.lcKs.
Interesting Experiments Made at the
Ilochrstrr University.

Rochester CnltrrSity.
Rochester ptmoerIt and Chronicle:
Probably the idea that humble red
brick would ever play RnG part In cleo.
,risal experiments has occurred q few.
However. thli Is Just what certain lot
o. bricks composing 0 PIER at tho HEY.
noiii Laboratory I'D and will continue
20 do As long as they ore within tcaf.
enable distance OF the delicate electrical
instruments used In the laboratory, \
suspicion that the above contingency
miEhl exist has been In the mlnd ~
Prof, Henry y Lawrence, VI the Uni.
vrTSlty ~ Rochester, for come time past.
That II W q reality he nov feels surr,
and the methods ne used 10 come 10
thbt conclusion arr most interesting.
The professor IN collaboration Win
Otis A. Gage, n Sp"clai student IN
electricity, began n series Ot expert
mcnts covering some months. Tho pcr'
formnnce Of the maEncIometer which
was used In measuring tho magnetic
power OF o steel bar, was the FIRST
cause for HuspCctinE that the bricks
were other than what would thrir APP
pvarance would leau one to think. The
muRnoIOmeter had rested OH a brick
pier for the purpose OF making II
plumb. Not long after Professor Law
renee, while in Ann AFbJr. beard OF
Eimilar experience occurring there. ON
his return the experimental went ON
with moro seal than ever. Bricks OF
all varieties We're Put through any
number Of tests, and the great major
lty were found TO In magnetic, Those
manufactured by water power, known
as hydraulic" bricks, proved TO b. ex'
ceedingly strong, Ole pqunlllng the
power Of steel needle - CentlmeterS
In length. The same block OF clay
would make noticeable reflections In
comparatively crude Instruments, while
delicate ones would iluttcr pcrccptlOly.
One OF the tricks, plain white oae.
ALPHABETICALLY pressed. possessed no
magnetism. \ certain amount " lime
enters Into the composition OF n white
brick, such as was used. and lis pres
ence undoubtedly had much 70 do with
the absence OF magnetic power. II Tas
discovered that the bricks gained mag.
netIsm In the presence OF dynamo.
though the surrounding of the bricks
by wire coils made no pgrccptiblc az
ference. Heating the bricks served In q
measure to decrease the magnetism,
though In each case n minute amount
was retained
To Just what cause this Is due neither
gentleman Is ready 10 state. II ls the
present opinion, however, that there IL
more or less magnetic In the clay Of
which the bricks are made. The mode
OF manufacturing is also thought to
have something to do with the hhcnum-
ena. As stated above. the presence Of
lime served to decrease the magnetism.
while the absence allowed OF greater
power. The professor thinks the i'm
portnnce OF his discovery obvious. The
slightest trace Of unexpected magnetic
power In the structural part OF labor
ntory Is necessarily fatal TO r'lcety Of
electrical measurements.
That clay, when worked ever SO little
by human agency. gathers magnetic
properties has been thought for some
time. Eminent Italian scientists have
made innumcrable experiments in that
line during the past half dozen years.
Their greatest proof was found by cN-
perimnntlng with several examples OF
ancient pottery. which had been buried
for centuries. Crude as they were. mag
netism was found to exist in no unCcr-
tain quantities.