Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-22

| net. This was applied to the purposes ci
telegraphy In America by Morse and in
England by Wheatstone and Cooke. Finally.
Faraday, arguing that, II electricity could
produce magnetism. the converse should be
| true and magnetism should produce cleo
| tricity, invented the first mechanical
method OF generating electrical currents by
rotating coil Of wire in such a way that
II cut the lines OF force proceeding from a
magnet; the magnetic machine thus made
was improved by wilde. Gramme and
others into the dynamo OF today. The lee
ture was illustrated with experiments and
! with number OF lantern pictures both OF
men and apparatus.
Mountains Throw Bolts at Each Other
Prof Ellsworth Huntington says that dur
ing a geological trip through an almost
| unvisited part OF the Taurus mountains IN
| Turkey he heard OF peculiar electrical
i phenomenon. One OF the natives told him
| that one mountain near his village fought
| with another mountain on the other side OF
| the Euphrates river. The weapons were
balls OF light. which the mountains threw
at each other. Prof. Huntington thought
at frst, as the region was one Of volcanic
! activity in comparatively recent times and
| as hot springs and extinct craters are still
to be seen. that this must be a traditional
| account OF volcanic eruption. He was
however. convinced subsequently that the
story had its origin in a meteorological
phenomenon. The story as detailed to him
by ten or twelve men whom he saw at Ave
different places within an area OF forty
miles was as follows A ball OF FIRE would
start from one mountain and go like a fash
to another. At the same time there is a
sound like thunder. This occurs by night
| or by day, although by day no light is seen.
IL always occurs when the sky Is clear and
never when IL is cloudy. II sometimes hap
pens two or three times year. and then
| again is not seen for several years For
the last two years Il has not been seen
II hardly ever happens except in the fall.
at the end OF the long dry season OF three
months. One OF the mountains which he
visited was composed Of metamorphic
schistose shale OF cretaeeous age Its
height is 1850 feet and the top is compare
lively fiat. According to one account the
ball of fire was at first small but grew
larger as it passed over, and then grew
smaller again. Prof. Huntington be-
lieved that in this case the observer wa.
standing between the two mountains.
While meteorologists have not been ready
with explanations Of these mysterious light
nings, 1t is mentioned that there are peaks
on the Rocky mountains on which almost
continuous electric discharges have been
observed. but they pass of into the air
quietly. like ST. Elmo's fire. never in great
flashes from peak to peak II Is also known
that cloud or a mass OF electrified air that
has not quite attained the cloudy condition
may lie between two peaks and flashes may
proceed from 1t simultaneously to the two
peaks in such way as to lead a careless
observer TO say that one peak discharged
|
approximate explanation OF the Euphrates
phenomenon, then II will happen only when
the wind is in certain directions, such as 10
cause the formation OF an incpient cloud
and thunderstorm between the two peaks,
and this wind direction will depend upon
the relation OF the peaks to the course OF
the river valley below. So that IL the phe-
nomenon Is attribut Bile to this source II Is
not so very rare. On the other hand, II Il Is
myth. based upon some historical event
or some misinterpretation OF ancient
names. the explanation will at all events be
most interesting to students Of history and
philology.
., Electricity In Mining.
Electricity Is rapidly replac ing steam and
compressed air in mines all over the 'coun-
try. One after the other is taking up that
kind OF power and II seems as IL within a
short space OF time most OF the underground
work would be carried on by electric force
There is no doubt OF its cheapness for drills
as compared with the other kinds OF power
and 1t certainly is much more convenient.
To bring steam or compressed air to the
heading Of tunnels. sometimes many hun
dred feet under ground, IT has been neces-
sary to build long pipe lines and to meet
with delays through broken joints and many
other accidents which are likely to happen
to pipe lines. On the other hand, the
electric power wires are flexible, do not re-
quire to be laid in any particular way and
are always ready for use.
One or the objections to the use OF elec-
tricity instead OF compressed air might be |
overcome without much trouble. In using |
the high explosives In the heading OF a long |
tunnel where there is no means OF ventila-
tion the pipe which furnishes the air for the |
drills is left open and the gases from the |
explosion are quickly driven out OF the |
tunnel, so that the men can get to work |
again in short space OF time This has |
always been one OF the great advantages OF |
this method OF drilling. This result can be |
reached as well with electricity by building
big exhaust blower at the mouth of the |
tunnel. using the electricity to drive IT, and
clearing the tunnel Of the noxious gases In
even less time. Thus there would he A
gain in time usually lost while waiting for
the air to clear. as well as in economy in
running the drills.
One OF the latest applications of elec-
tricity is in the Cornucopia mines in Ore
gon. At present the mines are worked by
steam and the fuel is wood. As the boilers
at the mines require about fifteen cords of
wood day, the timber In the neighborhood
OF the mines Is practically exhausted and
the wood used in the future will have to be
hauled long way, the question OF elec-
tricity was taken up and II was decided to
erect 5O0-horse power plant about two and
half miles from the company's property
on Pine creek. where. by the use OF a short
hume, 300 feet fall OF water is secured. The
necessary works are nearly complete and
wires are to be strung from the plant to the
mines in few days. and II is believed that
the cost as compared with the present steam
will be but tr.fing. Although several wood
choppers will be thrown out Of work, they
will hnd employment on the extra drills |
and the ore breakers which will become
necessary through the increased work prac-
ticable because OF the new power.
The Trolley Did IT,
The Iron Age sees In the checked rate OF |
growth OF American cities proof that |
forces are at work tending TO check the
progress toward Capitalization which was
Ill.