The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-05-22
Held its Last Meeting in the
Lyceum Until the Fall
Sessions Begin
THINKS THE BUILDING UNSAFE
Prof. j. Ernest Woodland Delivered
Lecture ON Wireless Telegraphy
Which was Instructive to the Several
Hundred There. Illustrated Address
With Apparatus and Successfully
Demonstrates Possibilities of Subject

The last of the Friday Evening Club
lectures until fall was given in Ly-
ceum Hall last Friday night by Prof.
J. Ernest Woodland, of the Athenaeum
and Mechanics Institute of Rochester.
The subject chosen was wireless
Telegraphy." Rev. DR.. F. B. Dwight,
presided at the meeting in the absence
of DIR. Charlton t. Lewis, the newly
elected president.
On the stage Prof. Woodland had
several tables with the various inStru-
ments used in his demonstrations. He
first delivered short address on the
discoveries in science, paying high
tributes to the discovererS, inventors
and chemists. His demonstrations
were clear and amusing. The first
was in the value and method of the
use of an X-rays machine. BY an
instrument on the stage its working
was explained.
The wireless telegraphic apparatus
excited unusual interest. The sender
was at the left end of the stage, and
the receiver on the right. The ring
ing of a bell was the first test. 1t
brought applause from the audience,
and then Prof. Woodland adjusted the
telegraphic instrument, such as is used
in telegraph offices, and sent messages
across the stage. The bell and tele-
graph were both put in direct con-
nection with the electrical current,
and each responded at the same time
to the touch from the sender. This
one act demonstrated, as Prof Wood
land said, that the only objection so
far to wireless telegraphy was the
uncertainty of currents when ma
chimes Of like power were sending or
receiving in the same air-currents or
crossing them.
With the wonderful Marconi instru-
ment. motors were started and stopped,
eannons fired, mines exploded and
electric lamps lighted.
The most amusing experiments were
those in ''zero absolute. " Carbon eli
oxid gas was solidified. The gas was
first allowed to escape and it came out
with such force and noise as to cause
CONSERVATION in the audience, but
Prof. Woodland assured everyone that
there was no danger. He then tied a
stout bag about the escape and turned
on the gas. 1t poured out in the bag
with tremendous power, and sounded
like escaping steam. Later the bag
was opened 1t contained carbon di
oxid solidified at 40 degrees below zero.
The white chunks were thrown to the
audience for examination. Rubber
ball and strawberries were frozen and
passed around, also mercury was frozen
in a solid lump in shape of hammer
and nails driven into wood.
In the midst of the heat of flaming
forge a quantity of mercury was frozen
in white-hot crucible.
At the commencement of the meet
ing Mr.. Frank Waller, chairman Of the
committee appointed to investigate
into the safety of the Lyceum, was
called on for report. He read the
report of the committee as printed on
a circular and distributed to the club
members. 1t was an exhaustive paper,
and impartially treated of the danger
to limb and life during any entertain
ment in the hall. On a motion that
it be received, Rev. w. w. Hughes,
made timely speech in seconding the
motion. 1t was unanimously adopted
and the committee instructed to use
their influence in securing the needed
reform. The committee are Frank
Waller, Robert d. Foote and Augustus
L. Revere. The report appears on
page 6.