The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-01-29


old Seattle boy, tapped the inexhaust-
ible reservoirs of natures energy and
harnessed to the use of man the
illimitable power that permeates the
universe?
Hubbard has announced the per-
fection of an invention he terms an
atmospheric power generator" and
made claims that caused Seattle's
leading electrical engineers to doubt
the evidence of their senses and to
pause before they condemned as folly
the assertions of the youth.
With the apparatus, in appearance
a small coil of wire about six inches
in diameter, surrounding perma-
nently magnetic core eight inches
long, the entire contrivance easily
carried on a mans hand, Hubbard
gave a demonstration several miles
from his laboratory that, regardless
of the principles involved, several
Seattle engineers declared without
parallel in electrical hist Pry.
Marvellous Machine Anyway.
An ordinary incandescent electric
light connected with the two termi-
nails of the atmospheric power gen.
orator" glowed to cherry red for
nearly an hour, and Hubbard volun-
teered to permit the lamp to burn
for as many hours as was necessary
to satisfy the most skeptical.
The young inventor says there are
no moving parts connected with his
generator, that there are no hidden
batteries, storage or primary, and
those who witnessed the demonstra-
ton made sure that there was no
outside connection with any source
of power.
Hubbard's explanation of the phe-
nomenon is that he has succeeded in
transforming the earth lines of mag
netic force into electrical energy
available for use.
While electrical engineers were
highly skeptical and held to the pos
sibility of fraud, still as George
Quinnan, superintendent of the elec-
trical operations of the Puget Sound
Traction, Power and Light company,
said, whatever the lad has done it
is a marvellous demonstration"
All the experts agreed that, if as
Hubbard declares, there are no NOV
ing parts and no concealed battery,
the invention is revolutionary. They
had no explanation to offer for it's
operation.
J. D. Ross, superintendent of the
municipal lighting department and
an authority on experimental elec-
tricity, declared it possible that Hub
bard had stumbled on the answer
to the question Of the ages-can the
power of the atmosphere be utilized?
Idea Still Possible.
) Carl Edward Magnusson, acting
dean of the University of Washing
ton college of Engineering, declined
even to hazard guess as to the prin-
ciple involved in the device.
'It sounds like trickery to me and
can hardly believe that the expert
ment as described to me actually took
place." he said II will not venture
an opinion until I have seen it,
G. F. Uhden, special engineer of
the city in charge of the skagit river
power development, declared himself
intensely interested in the invention
and after canvassing the possibilities
of chicanery admitted that he
wouldn't dare form an opinion until
he had seen the apparatus in opera
tion.
sIt's always possible" he said
though there have been many to
mdh0 LuG C1dlI duu IO OAO W SAD
stantiate it in the past
But Hubbard, because his device
has not been patented, owing to COM
plications arising with his financial
hackers, it is said, has refused to al
low technical men more than
glimpse at the apparatus.
All that could be learned from him
regarding the construction of the
instrument follows:
The machine, he said, is composed
of several layers of wire about
steel core, which is magnetized after
the construction is complete. Once
magnetized, the core needs no further
attention, he said and the entire
device will deliver enrgy unremit-
tingly for an indefinite length of
time.
II place a maximum of so years
on the life of the generator" said