New-York tribune., 1922-03-04
SAYS Man-Made
LigIntrlinggCan't
Be Harnessed
DR.. Hutchinson Explains
Artificial ThunderbOlts of
DIR. Steinmesz by Sparks
Drawn From Cats Back
Z energy Is Enormous
Electrical Condensers of an
Unusual Size Enabled
Production of Discharge

The Jovian achievements of Dr.
Charles Z. SteinmctZ, wizard Of the
General Electric Company's lAbola-
tories, who has created electrical up-
paratus which enables him 20 hurl
miniature thunderbolts into the atmos-
phere. may be duplicated on a smaller
scale by any average citizen possessed
OF sensitive cat, according to DR..
Miller Reese Ilutchison. Dr.. Hutchison
is head of Miller Reese Hutchison. Inc,
an organization OF inventors, and has
won renown as an electrical expert.
Formerly he was chief engineer and
personal representative of Thomas A.
Edison.
In his Office in the Woolworth Tower
yesterday Dr.. Hutchison explained
that what Dr. Steinmetz had done wac
TO create electrical condensers of un-
usual size, probably larger than any pre-
vlously known py means of this APP
paratus he would be enabled 10 produce
tricity which would duplicate in 4
small degree the effect Of what non
technical people call 4 thunderbolt,
which would instantly destroy objects
coming within its range. The dis
patch from Schenectady telling Of Or.
Z alnmetzs discovery described the de-
struction of large block of wood by
/ the Steinmetz bolt. accompanied by q
lightning fash and the crashing de-
tonation OF pocket size thunder
storm
Like Thunderstorm of Nature
~ have not seen DR.. Steinmetz's in
vention,' DR.. Hutchison explained,
"but from the description of the effects
/ it produces I should say that his con-
densers answer for the clouds which
y
and would operate in exactly the same
manner.
ou know how, when atmospheric
conditions are suitable, you can draw
! electric sparks from the back OF a cat
by rubbing your hand along the cats
fur: or how you can create electricity
on the tip Of a vulcanjtc pen or pencil
hy rubbing it persistently on your
clothes?' DR.. Hutchison asked. "a
thunderstorm is created by & similar
/ process.
q piece of paper--"is your cloud
Moisture created in the cloud the ac-
ton of the winds driving through it
and other atmospheric causes create
friction which generates electricity so
that the cloud eventually becomes
charged with it, Below is another
cloud which may or may not be
similarly charged. The electricity III
your rst cloud wants to get out into
cloud number two, and directly the
contact is established it jumps-bang!
I'd there you have lightning and its
tacc )mpanying thunder.
"A condenser is simply a metal plate
charged with electricity. or it may be a
series Of such plates, properly insu-
lated. If and when a contact is cstab-
llshed between such condensers. the
electricity passing from one to the
other viii create an electric spark and
an instantaneous explosion. DR.. Stein
metz, | should judge from the pub
lishcd report OF his experiments, has
created the condition | have described
on a very large scale. In cffcct he has
reproduced in miniature the conditions
which bring about thunderstorms, aud
inevitably miniature thunderstorm is
he result.
Impossible to Control
The great obstacle IN the way Of
the adaptation of such a process to a
commercial use lies in the fact that IL
is impossible to control the power rep
resented in the lightning fash so that
it may be regulated Either the dis
charge is instantaneous or it does not
occur at all. 1t is like a dynamite eX-
plosion. 1t happens all at once OF else
it iust doesn't happen. The energy in
volved in such an explosion is enor-
nous, but it cannot be harncssed
Most small boys at some time or an
other have experimental with 4 rapid y
running belt, drawing electric sparks
from it into the tip of i pointed tinger
IN the same way lightning rods are
made with points reaching toward the
sky. They draw off the electrical con.
tents Of thunderclouds gradually, al
most by milking process, and convey
them safely to earth. If instead of 8
point at the end of q lightning roc
there were metal disk Or ball offer
ing a broader area Of attraction, the
result would be the instantaneous dis
charge Of great quantities Of energy
and consequent disaster. In the same
way if YOU held tin pan over youl
rapidly revolving belt instead Of :
pointed finger you would get a series
of crashing explosions and vivit
h spark"
DR.. Steinmetz's experiments Dr.
4 Hutchinson said. should prove very
valuable in research work looking t(
the providing of protective measure.
4 against lightning and the improvement
I of those already created