, 1923-10-26
c. ?. STE|NMETz
DIES SUDDENLY.

immigration authorities at Ellis
Island refused at first to allow him
to enter the country. He was sent
to the detention PEN and WINS only
released by the eloquence and
persuasion OF his American com
panion. A few years later he be-
came a naturalized citizen.
At the time Of his death DR.. Stein.
metz was regarded not only as n
of the foremost authorities on cleo
trical engineering but one of the
greatest mathematicians in the
world. Strangely enough. one OF
his greatest difficulties as n child
was in learning the multiplication
table.
Born in the city OF Breslau. Ger
many, on April .. 1885, and educated
at its famous university. young
Steinmetz early became interested
in socialism at n time when vigor-
GUS steps were being taken against
it by the government. An issue OF
a socialist publication In which the
students were interested and in
which Steinmetz had several articles,
wns confscated, the publication sus-
pended and the editors arrested ana
imprisoned. Steinmetz fed from
Germany and found refuge with a
friend. a clergyman, near the
Austrian border. From there he
went to Zurich.
Two weeks after landing in Amer
tca. Steinmetz obtained employment
in the manufacturing establishment
of Rudolph Eickemeyer at Nonkers'
\. Y. as a craftsman. At that time
h company was making a few elc2-
tric motors and generators and had
lust taken up work on the problems
OF the electric street car, Jointly
with Stephen d. Field. All the de-
signs for the experiments with the
electric ears passed ms
hands. Quarters for a laboratory
xVere obtained. and he began to spe-
oialize on magnetic testing. ifis
vritings on electrical subjects began
10 attract attention. his discussion
Of the law of h~ysteresis eliciting
much interest on the part OF cleo
trica1 engineers.
In 1892, the General Electric com
nanv Fought the electrical manufac-
,nrinr business Of the Eickemeyer
company except the making or
motors for elevators. which the Gus
company took over to It's w plant
ana steinmetz went to the Lynn
Mass. works OF the General Electri1
In January, 1893 ne was
transferred to h SchenectauS
works, and has since that time mad
schenectady his home. In lslz' ne
"a appointed president of h board
Of education OF Schenectady ana IN
1918. was elected president OF the
common council Of h a city on the
Socialist ticket. He never married
DIR. steinmetz served for many
,erm, as the president of national
and international societies connect
ed with the electrical industry har.
ward honored him with the degree OF
Master OF Arts and Union Collese
r,,de him n Doctor of Philosophy.
since 1918. he had served Union Col
I.ge as professor of electrical en-
pineering and electrophysics, lie
70. tho author Of many books.
A recent feat which attracted at.
,en,ion to the work of the electrical
wizard. was the PRODUCTION OF m
artificial indoor thunderstorm inciuu'
ing a bolt of lightning. The tnun,
derstorm which DR.. Steinmetz DON
produced and controlled had All tne
eharacteristics Of its natural brother
except the thunder
Ala demonstration of the stem
,netz .lirhtning generator in the
Laboratory Of the General Electric
con,nanv i'm March. 1922. h IA
mIIIar forl,ed tongues flashed
through the air with a deafenlng
rr.sh. srllntered q large block OF
wood hurting the fragments 20 feet
,nd riuning n miniature tree from
tip to a =,
TN holt carried the energy ~
/ o0o o0O horsepower. about n nNe
bundreth OF the energy of a natural
lightning bolt and lasted for one
hundred thousandth part of II
second.
In Ii lightning generator "
SteInmetz explained, w get n US
charge OF 10000 amperes at oN''
100. 900 volts, lasting for one nun
dred thousandths part of n o
-rhIs gives us the explosive. tearing
md SCATTERING effect OF real light
ming so that a piece of small tree
,xnosed TO the discharge is me
chanically torn to pieces. A piece
81 wire struck by the fash vanished
in dust.
.'The difference between lightning
energy and ordinary electric cur
rent is similar TO that between a
mound OF dynamite and n pint OF
gasoline. The pint Of gasoline CON
t.ins more energy and can do o
work but It gives off its energy
slowly. while the dynamite gives OH
IL. energy explosiyely all at once
at an enormous rate OF power
DIR. Steinmetz took a keen per
,onal interest in socialism and in
the work abroad of socialistc
economists. Last year he was a
candidate of the socialist party Tor
the office of state engineer n sur
veyor and although defeated ran
well ahead OF the other candidates
on his ticket. During the election
the socialist party an
nounced no had worked out n plan
for a gigantic electrical system
which would provide heat. light n
mower for the state.
In April. 1922. DR.. Steinmetz MADE