New Britain herald., 1923-10-26

The American carer Of Charles F, steinmsts, A, M., Ph,p, chief consult ing engineer Of the General Electric Works schenectady. \. i,. had its be- ginning in New York in lsAa where, penniless and able to speak but very little English. he arrived from zurich Switzerland. He was accompanied by young American who had been ms fellow student at the Zurich Poly teehnieium,
 Was Refused Admittanee
 one side Of steinmeiz's face was hadly swollen as the result of a triflng illness aboard ship and the immigrar ton authorities at Ellis Island refused st first 10 allow him 10 enter me country. He was sent 10 the "deteh" ton pen" and was only released Py the eloauenee and persuasion or ms American companion, few years later he became natnralized citizen
 World Famous Man
 At the time of his death nr. Stein mety was regarded not only as one of the foremost authorities on electrical engineering but one Of the greatest mathematioians In the world. Strange ly enough. one of his greatest difh' entities as child was In learning the multiplication table.
 Born in 1885
 Born in the city Of Breslan, Ger many. on April 2. 1865 and educated | al its famous university. young stein- ! metz early became interested fin social- 1 ism at time when vigorous steps were being taken against fl by the government An issue Of socialist in which the students were interested and in which Steinmctz had several articles. was conhscated. the suspended and the editors and imprisoned. steinmetz fled from Germany and found refuge with n friend. clergyman. near the Austrian border. From there he went to Zurich.
 Entered Motor Plant
 Two weeks after landing in Ameri- ca, Steinmetz obtained employment in the manufacturing establishment of Rudolph Eickcmeyer at Yonkers, N. r.. as a draftsman. At that time the company was making a few electrical IT otors and generators and had just taken up work on the problems of the electric street car, jointly with Ste Dhen D. Field. All the designs for he experiments with the electric cars passed through his hands. Quarters Or a laboratory were obtained and le began to specialize on magnetic esting. His writings on electrical discussion of the law of hysteresis dieting much interest on the part of electrical engineers.
 His Rise Was Rapid
 In 1892 the General Electric com ,any bought the electrical manufac- uring business of the Eickemeyer ompany except the making of motors or elevators, which the Otis company ook over to it's own plant, and Stein 1etz went to Lynn, Mass, works of he General Electric company. In :, anuary, 1898, he was transferred to : he Schenectady works, and has since i hat time made Schenectady his home. n 1912, he was appointed president , the board of education of Schenec- ady, and in 1915, was elected presi- ent of the common council of that ity on the socialist ticket. He never larried.
 Given College Degrees
 Dr. Steinmetz served for many srms as the president of national and ,ternational societies connected with be electrical industry Harvard enored him with the degree of mas er of arts and UHion college made i'm doctor of philosophy. Since 913, he had served Union college as rofessor of electrical engineering and ectrophysics.
 Wrote Many Books
 Books written by him include the ,lowing Theory and Calculation of ltcrnating Current Phenomena" lS9D; "Theoretica Elements of lectrical Engineering" G90D;| Theory and Calculation of Transient lectric Phenomena and Oscillations" l909); General LecttHes on Elec- ical Engineering" US&); "Radia- Oll, HI anu NIJUJJ | Mathematics" q911); Electrical Discharges, Waves and { npulses" 191D; America and the CIV Epoch" (916); Theory and alcuation of Electrical Circuits 917); Theory and Calculation of ( lectrical Apparatus" G91D. He alzo k rote numerous papers on mathe- atical and electrical engineering bjects. pr. Steinmetz's special field, in hich he was most expert included agnetics, symbolic method of alter ting current calculations and tran snt phenomena.
 Artificial Lightning
 A recent feat which attracted at- ntion was the production of an ar N icial indoor thunderstorm including H bolt of lightning carrying energy of 100000 horsepower. The thunder / ,rm which Dr. Steinmetz both pro N ced and controlled had all the char teristics of it's natural brother ex- pt the thunderclouds. "A At demonstration of the Steinmetz N generator in laboratory the General Electric company in z Irch, 1922, the familiar forked N lgues flashed through the labora- N y with 3 deafening crash, splinter 1, a large block of wood, hurling the V gments 25 feet. and ripping min (( ure tree from tip to base. N
 Million Horsepower
 The bolt carried the energy of v 1000 horsepower. about one five N 1dredths of the energy of natural N ltning bolt and lasted for one v