Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-17
Modern ALADDIN
EXHIBITS WARES
Westinghouse Engineer Gives
Demonstration Before Board
of Trade Members.

Millions of electronS, unseen but ef-
fectively harnessed, answered the beck
and call of a modern scientist last night
and wrought wonders that amazed an
audience u more than 1000 at the No.
venlber meeting Of the Board of Trade
This modern Aladdin had his lamps
with him and with their help he set
the electrons jumping in a fashion that
made anere sham of the Aladdin Of fic-
ton and an amateur OF the William
Tell of legend.
For instance the scientist, DR.. Phil
lips Thomas, Westinghouse research en-
gineer, produced Robert j. Cottren, ex-
ecutive secretary of the Board of Trade
in the role of william Tell, jr., and
shot an apple off his head with beam
of light.
DR.. Thomas attributed it all to cleo
trons-smallest known units Of matter
at work in system of apparatus,
including photoelectric cells and other
electrical devices
The William Tell act was the climax
of q long series of scientific demonstra-
lions. Among these a ray Of light was
shot across the ball room Of the VIII
lard Hotel, where the demonstrations
were staged, and other lamps there
were flashed on and of in response to
its impulse. Another lamp was directed
at an electric fan turning at / 800 revo-
buttons per minute, and the fan ap-
peared to be standing still or to be
turning backward or forward, slowly or
rapidly, as the scientist wished.
Preceding the show of scientific
"sorcery," an outline Of some Of the
progress in scientific developments and
their practical application was Civ by
DR.. S. M. Kintner, vice president OF the
Westinghouse Electric & Manufactur-
ing Co.
DR.. Thomas opened his demonstra-
tons with an explanation Of the cleo
iron.
Whereas the atom once was consid-
cred the smallest unit Of matter mod
ern science has discovered and makes
use of a unit infinitely smaller, calling
it the electron.
To illustrate the difference in size,
DR.. Thomas said if an atom were the
size of an elephant the electron, in
comparison would be the size of just q
common garden variety of flea.
Outdoing the prohibition story
Of the man who attempted to blow out
an electric light, DR.. Thomas blew q
breath on an apparatus and every light
in the big hall was extinguished.
Then to show that 1t was not an ac-
cident. the scientist struck match
and held it before a special lamp.
The lights in the hall were nstantane-
CuSly lighted again.
To satisfy any doubling Thomas, the
scientist then reversed the process.
This all was caused, he explained, by
the effect of the match light and the
moisture of his breath against the
very delicate constitution of a small
shade at the base of the electric bulb
and its contracting agents
He then demonstrated how light can
be made to count.
Dialing a number much as one dia1s
a telephone number, then speaking a
command into a microphone, in one
machine, he set up a series of flashes
in q beam of light which struck a SEN
sitive plate in q second machine on the
opposite side of the room. According to
the impulses of the dialing. various
colored lights flashed on and of. A
fan was started running, then stopped.
One Of the last demonstrations was
that Of a light ray machine which
served as an almost human fireman.
email balls Of material tied to a large
Green we're lighted. The machine,