The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-03-07
STEINMETZ MAKES
ELECTRICAL STORM
Modern JoVe Produces Lightning and
Thunder in Laboratory at
Schenectady.


Schenectady N. ", March (By
The Associated Press Schenectady
has modern Joye, who sits on his
throne in a laboratory Of the Gen
oral Electric Company and hurls
thunderbolts at viii.
He Is Dr. Charles p. Steinmetz, II
electrical wizard who announced to
day he has succeeded in producing
and controlling an indoor thunder
storm, with all the characteristics Of
its natural brother except the thupder
clouds.
AT a demonstration Of his light
ming" few days ago the familiar
forked tongues flashed through the
laboratories with a deafening crash, |
/ splintered large block Of wood, !
hurlng the fragments rs feet, and \
ripped a miniature tree from tip to
( base.
The bolt carried the energy Of
100000 horsepower about one five
hundredth Of the energy Of natural
lightning bolt, DR.. Steinmetz esti
mates-and lasted for the one hun
dted thousandth part Of second.
DR., SteinmetZ hopes his apparatus
WI contribute largely to the deve-
lopment OF lightning arresters, as IL
provides on opportunity for the study
at close range Of the phenomenon that
| BENJAMIN Franklin began to inyesti.
gate years ago with his kite, string
land key.
His exper ments have convinced
Aim, however, that there is lit e
likelihood Of mans realizing his
dream Of harnessing thunderbolts and
making them work.
Despite their tremendous energy,
he says, their lie Is so short that,
harnessed, they would be worth only
a few cents apiece
in our lightning generator" he
said, we get over a hundred thousand
volts, that is a power of over a
million horsepower, lasting for a
hundred thousandtn part of second
kThis gives us the explosive, tearing
and shattering effect of real light
ming so, that for instance, a piece oil
small tree exposed to the discharge
is mechanically torn to pieces. A
piece Of wire struck by the flash van
= ishes in dust.
The difference between lightnin(
energy and ordinary electric curren
is similar TO that between pount
>, OF dynamite and a pint Of gasoline
j The pint OF gasoline contains NOR,
energy and can do more work thar
. the pound Of dynamite, but the pin
!" OF gasoline gives off its energy slow
. ~ at a moderate rate OF power
- While the pound Of dynamite give
I. off its energy explosye'y, an a
~ once, at an enormous rate an,
y thereby locally tears and destroys
~ The inspiration to produce artif
g cial lightning came 10 Dr. Steinmet
y two years ago wnen .he arrived a
u his summer camp on the MohawI
river to find the heavenly visitor ha
- preceded him by few hours am
r left the camp in sad disarray.
The lightning had struck a ire
n overhanglng the camp. tearing OF
r. some Of the bark 1t then had jumI
- ed to the camp where it divided On
" branch passed TO the ground throug
. post. while the other tore its wa
II through a window. jumped to III
II lighting circuit and made a tour o. IN
II house splintering screen, lookin
glass and a bed in which DR.. Steii
metz might have been sleeping ha
he arrived "A hours earlier.
Instead OF bemoanng the damage
ic Dr. Steinmet2 got busy with a Gamer
re a tape line aad q note book and co
IN leCted evidence" watch he SAYS wa
- OF inestimable value in the produc
ion Of his lightning generator. He wa
assisted IN It's construction by ]. L. 1
- Hayden and y. a. Tongue. his labor;
tory cO.workers.
II he wanted to, Dr. Steinmetz salt
. he could cut loose an artificial ligh
ming bolt that would do as much dan
? age as did the one which assailed hi
! camp. But he, is content with produ
ing one iive.hundredth as much kick
Producing the larger bolt would II
: volye great expense, and the DO
n would be to dangerous to observe &
close quarters.
S Dr Steinmetg's generator consist
C essentially OF a high voltage col
s denser in the form Of 200 glass plate
These are arranged in two rows.
B, groups Of so, and are capable o. hol
), ing 10000 volts OF electricity.
One of the double row of conden
K crs corresponds to the thunderclou
IN the sky in which an electr
current is gradually stored up an
q increased by the eongomeratlon
\ the rain drops. as Or. Steinmetz ht
y shown. The other end of the CO.
\ denser plates correspond
IN THE WORLD OF INDUSTRY.
! Three thousand merchant vesse
fly the Japanese flag.
\ France plans to conserve 100000