Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-05-16

San Francisco-Prof. T. J. ]. See
government astronomer at Mare
island, announced his discovery that
gravitation is caused by electricity
He has upset Newtons law, he said
and shows that gravitation is trans
mittsd with the velocity of light. 1885,
600 miles per second.
For 80 years Professor See has
worked on the problems OF light ano
gravitation. Able. impartial and ex'
perienced men of science, he said. as
sure him that the way is now opened
for more important developments than
any which have occurred In the phys
ical sciences for two centuries. II he
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 Z and April IA. He also teie-
graphed his discoveries to the navy
department in Washington for trans
mission to President Wilson.
The discoveries are made public
coincident with the discussion OF the
nature of gravitation before the Ameri-
can Philosophical eociety at the an,
nual general meeting in Philadelphia
The law of universal gravitation was
established by Sir Isaac Newton in
1886, 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 US 1t is
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 is
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
is what is known as Weber's electro
dynamic law, which will apply to
bodies revolving in orbits of any shape.
Gravitation 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
was at least fifty million times greater
than that Of light. On account OF the
high authority Of Laplace in as
trooomy, 1t was q long time before
anyone attempted to further investi-
gate the nature and velocity of gravi-
tation. But for some years 1t has
been known that method Of calculation
employed by LAplace was faulty; and
. good many would have believed the
velocity Of gravitation similar to that
OF light If they could have discov-
cred any mechanical basis for such a
theory.
Recently Professor See was able to
show that all electric currents carry
solid matter with the electricity; In
fact electricity cannot be separated
from matter. and An electric current
as It runs along a wire curls around
1t In corkscrew fashion, and In this
helical motion throws on at every step
millions of particles Of cold matter
moving with the velocity Of light.
These solid particles are charged with
electricity. and 60 right through the