Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-06-05

San Francisco.-Prof. T. J. J. See.
government astronomer at Mare
island, announced his discovery that
rsvitadon II caused by electricity.
He has upset Newton's law. he said.
and shows that gravitation 10 trans
mitted with the velocity Of light. 1885,
900 miles per second.
For 30 years Professor See has
worked on the problems Of light ana
ersvitation. Able. impartial and ex-
psrienced men of science. he said. as
sure him that the way IL now opened
for more important developments than
any which have occurred in the phys
zeal sciences for two centuries. II ne
lives the work will occupy his atten-
ton for at least ten years to come.
So epoch-making does he consider
his discoveries that he sent long cable
grams on the subject to Lord Raleigh.
head Of the Royal society Of London.
on April and April IA. He also tele-
gnphed his discoveries to the navy
department In Washington for trans
mission to President Wilson.
The discoveries are made public
eoincident with the discussion Of the
nature of gravitation before the Ameri-
can Philosophical society at the an
nual general meeting in Philadelphia.
The law of universal gravitation was
established by Sir Isaac Newton In
1856. and has been the basis Of our
knowledge of the heavenly motions for
over two centuries. Newton himself
repeatedly declared during his life
time that while he had formulated the
law Of attraction and explained its ap-
plication to the sun and planets. the
earth and the moon, he did not know
the cause Of gravitation. Hitherto !
have not been able to discover the
cause Of gravitation from phenomena.
and frame no hypothesis" said New
ton; and he added, but for W 1t IL
enough that gravitation does really
exist, and acts according to the laws
We have explained. and abundantly
serves to account for the motions Of
the heavenly bodies and of our sea-"
Professor Sees announcement IL
that Newton's law Of attraction Is not
strictly correct, except for bodies re-
volving In circular orbits. and thus
experiencing no relative change Of dis
lance; but that the true law of nature
b what Is known as Weber's electro
dynamic law, which will apply to
bodies revolving in orbits of any shape.
Gnvitation comes to the earth from
the sun in about eight minutes.
Hitherto astronomers have not un-
derStood the nature Of gravitation and
nothing has been known about Its We
locity Of propagation. Laplace tried
to Investigate the velocity Of trans
mission over a century ago. and
reached the conclusion that velocity
vas 1t least fifty million times greater
0an that of light. On account Of the
nigh authority Of Laplace In as
tronomy. 1t was q long time before
anyone attempted to further investi
gate the nature and velocity of gravi-
0ton. But for some years It has
ben known that method of calculation
snployed by Laplace was faulty; and
good many would have believed the
velocity of gravitation similar to that
Ok light II they could have discov-
cred any mechanical basis for such
theory.
Recently Professor See was able to
NOW that all electric currents carry
sotid matter with the electricity; in
met electricity cannot be separated
NUN matter. and an electric current
- n runs along q wire curls around
n IN corkscrew fashion. and In this
seu0l motion throws on at every step
aiiAioos Of particles Of solid matter
moving with the velocity of light.
Lasse solid particles are charged with
~sctricity. and 90 right through the