The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-08
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 Some weeks ago The Advertiser had an account of proposed scheme to capture electric power and energy in unlimited quantities from the upper air. Now comes one schoonmaker who represents what is known as the Whitney Electric Development Company, and tells us something more about it. They are pro- posing to locate powerfully constructed is-inch cannon on the summit of Pikes Peak, and then. as the account goes on:
 Professor Whitney, when he secures and locates his monster gun. plans to fire a projectile win be attached a coll of wire 70 or 70 miles In length. He believes that the magnet will be drawn into the electric sea, the wire will hold 1t and by attaching iarGer wires he can draw from above lim- itless electric power,
 How will this prove effective in obtain ing and keeping up a constant supply of electricity7 is q question. which will na- turaliy ocur. but here comes in the au- dacity of the project Professor Whitney proposes. or expects, to send his im- mense projectiie. carrying its supply of wires. entirely out of the earth's atmos- phere and argues that it will then be beyond the attraction of our planet and will remain there. in a sort of Mahomets s coffin attituder as long as the wires are attached to it. If 1t should break loose from these wires, 1t would probably go careering through space, bumping against comets and things. and causing no end of confusion in the upper regions.
 But suppose his big bullet fails to get beyond our earth's attraction? As one critic of the scheme points out. he will have to send his ball at least fifty miles high to accomplish anything. It is not possible to imagine a cannon capable of throwing a ball that high. for in addi- ton to its own weight. this proJectile n ust carry one end of coil of wire, and that, of course. will add to the weight with each foot of elevation. We have not the table of weights handy, but any one can easily see that wire forty or fifty miles long. and large enough to be of any value, must add enormously to the weight of the projectiie. We cannot conceive of power sufficient to send such a weight beyond the earth's attraction.
 So far as we have noticed. no account appears to have been taken of the danger connected with this experiment. If Pro- lessor Whitney succeeds in sending his ball up. and 1t fails to get beyond the at- traction of the earth, 1t will come back. What goes up, must come down., is maxim which will apply in this case as well as another. After the ball leaves the gun, the marksman will have no fur ther control over 1t. and if it should fall on crowded street. or on house, or a train, it really looks as if 1t might hurt somebody. Nobody can know when or where 1t will fail. and magnet of iron of such size and weight as will be re. quired would have an unpleasant effect, if 1t should fall on ones head.
 And there Is another feature of the scheme that we are somewhat curious about. Admitting that he can get his ball SO high that 1t will remain station ary. and that his connection with the earth Is all right, and that the country up there is as full of electricity as he imagines. we should like to know how he can control the electric fluid when 1t starts to performing on his wire. Isn't there at least a possibility that he will get more than he orders and that he will find himself and his apparatus scattered all over Pilze's Peak? It is our unbiased opinion that whitney is making hazard ous experiment, both for himself and others