Evening star., 1901-05-25
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was charged with heavy current, and ex-
perience a strong desire to touch IT.!
asked a well-known electrician of a group
of friends well that is one of the most
peculiar things about electricity, and one
have never heard explained 1t Is fact,
nevertheless, that most every one on seeing
some bit of electrical apparatus exposed to
view wants to put finger on it to see II
1t is loaded Time and again / have heard
people say they have had desire more or
less strong to touch these electric switches
in buildings lighted by electricity. There
they are on the wall, within easy reach,
innocent enough to all outward appear
anceS. Every one knows there is danger in
the touch and turns away. but the desire
is there just the same. You would think
however, that men who work with electric
ity and know its dangers would train
themselves to overcome this strange at
traction But / have known instances
where electricians have had to actually
turn and run from a machine to prevent
giving way to this peculiar influence. Not
long ago man in this city who was en-
poyed to sit and watch the switchboard in
one of the big power plants fell victim to
this influence. As he felt the desire grow
ing stronger he moved his chair back from
the board. Instead of getting used to the
work, he became more afraid of it. Each
day this desire to walk up and touch one of
those switches grew stronger. At the end
or two weeks this young man resigned his
place He could not stand the strain 1t
required all his will power to restrain him
while he was on duty, and at night his
nervous system was SO upset he could get
no rest. He realized that to touch any
switch before him meant instant death
and his only safety lay in getting away
from the board altogether. l have not a
doubt but that many deaths from elect ric
shock are brought about in just this way.
In an idle moment person will catch sight
OF switch, wire or some other heavily
charged bit of apparatus, this strange de-
sire to touch it will come over him and in
moment of weakness he gives way and
in an instant is dead. We frequently read
of accidental electrocutions when there is
no apparent reason why the victim should
! have touched live wire / believe such
cases are attributable directly to this in
fuence Just what 1t is or how it works 1
90 not know, but should like to have a
satisfactory explanation
X x X X
Few people know about the peculiar
acoustic qualities of the United States Su-
preme Court room at the Capitol. 1t con-
tains whispering gallery which is located
directly under the arch in the rear of the
chamber. A court official can sit beneath
one end of the arch and talk to another
official on the opposite side in a whisper so
low that he cannot be heard by those who
sit at his side, yet the sound is carried by
the arch and landed in the ear of The man
sixty feet away with magniied effect
While the secrets of this whispering GAL
iery are known to but few because they
are revealed only at places occ,Iniad nv
court ofhc1alS, yet there is another feature
OF the room opposite in effect and much
less pleasing to those who are called upon
TO learn about it. 1t is the impossibility
of what is being said by some of tho iudpaS
on the bench when they deliver their onin
ions being heard either by members Of the
bar within the railing or visitors who are
given seats on the outer benches. 1t fl,-
quently happens that Judge can be $50,
z, cjp NJ ri
is heard At times some of the Judges can
be heard quite clearly. but again the sound
Will become indistinct or lie away alto
Sether, which interruption tends to make
what can be heard unintelligfble Indeed
while the whispering gallery emphasizes
speech in one direction it GeaIens sound
in another.
X X x X
"The use of horsehide in razor strops is
familiar, but this is only one of the mayy
uses to which this valuable leather is put"
said New York leather merchant to the
writer the other day. Some parts of the
hide are used for shoe uppers, the leather
produced for the purpose being called Cor
dovan. from Cordova, in Spain, where it
was first made. COrdova is fine strong
handsome leather, which costs about the
same as the finest calfskin. Horsehide is
used also for the manufacture of gloves
ana mlttens, and in bOokbinding, and there
is made of it an excellent imitation of buck
skim Horsehide is used in making whip
lashes, and some parts of it are used for
making shoestrings; it is used largely for
carriage leather, in covering seats, and so
on Horsehide Is much thinner than cow
hide.
''The supply of horsehides comes chiefly
from cities. Large quantities of horsehides
are imported from Europe, the greatest
number of these coming from Russia. The
finest of all horsehides come from Norman
H. l.; IA
monty the best and the best of all Ameri-
can horsehdes come from the fine, big
drausht horses used by brewers and others
AS compared with the number of cow
hides and other hides tanned the number
of horsehides is, of course, limited, but in
the aggregate 1t is large, amounting to be-
tween 100000 and 100000 hides annually in
this country