The Indianapolis times., 1934-03-26
Today's Science
By
David Dietz

The column by Westbrook Peger is omitted from
this space today His mother is dead.
TINE voice of Charles Protesus Steinmetz Ger
Il man-born Jew who became Americas electrical
wizard" will be heard once again when the General
Electric Company broadcasts program in his MEM
ory from station WGY at p. Saturday, April 7.
During the latter years of his life, the General
Electric Company was experimenting with device
for recording the human voice upon the photo
graphic film. This device, the torerunner OF one
type of talking motion pictures. was called the pal
lophotophone'
short film was made of a talk on lightning by
DR. Stenmet2. And so, despite the fact that 1t is
now nine years since he died it Will be possible for
the whole United States to listen to his voice.
Preceding the broadcast of his voice, there will
be a brief sketch entitled "Steinmetz, Maker of
Lightning"
In his last days. he was best known for his
periments in the production of artificial lightning.
1t was early in 1922 that he gave his first deaon-
straton of artificial lightning in the General Elec-
trio laboratories.
The fact should not be lost sight of, however.
that Dr. Steinmetz was primarily a mathematical
standing of alternating current. We owe it to him
that the nation today is covered with long trans
mission lines, carrying electrical power across the
countryside to cities, villages and farms
CTEINN1ETZ, as most readers know, was a hunch-
- back. But he was compensated for the hump on
his back by one of the brightest minds this earth
ever has seen.
AT SChOOI ne was unusually DrlllanJ. Ills pnyS-
ical handicap made 1t impossible for him to indulge
in the sports of the other boys and so he made
learning his recreation.
At the University of Breslau classes frequently
turned into discussions between young Stein
metz and the professor, with the rest of the stu
dents bewildered by a conversation beyond their
comprehension.
At the university he Joined the students Socialist
party and in time became editor of their journal.
The German government intent upon stamp
ing out the movement and finally young Steinmetz
had to flee from the country.
This happening just before graduation, and he
fled, taking along with him his graduation thesis
which titled "On Voluntary Sef-Reciprocal
Correspondence in Space Which Are Defined by
Three-D -Dimensional Linear System of Surfaces Of
the Nth Order"
For time he lived in Zurich. Then he de-
cided to try his fortunes in America He crossed the
ocean in the steerage of a French ship arriving in
New York in June, 1889.
The immigration official stopped DR.. Stenmetz.
He deformed, had no money, and spoke no Eng
sh But friend, who had also crossed by Steerage,
told the official that DR.. Steinmetz had misunder
stood the questions. He took roll of bills from his
pocket and said that half belonged to DR.. Stein
metz, who was a great scientist. The official re-
Tented.
TNHE rest of the story is an American epic. After
i being refused position in Thomas A. Edison's
laboratory, he obtained one with small electrical
company as craftsman. The pay S12 week.
His employer, Rudolph Eickemeyer, understood
him and encouraged him to devote his time to the
development of electrical theories. Gradually his
first great discovery the law Of hysteresis took form
in his mind.
On jan 49, 1892 in very poor English, he read his
paper upon the law before meeting of the Ameri-
can Institute of Electrical Engineers. DR.. Stein
metz then was 27. With the publication of that
paper he took his place of the greatest elec-
trical engineers in America.
That year. number Of companies were
merged to form the General Electric Company. E.
w. Rice Jr, who later became president OF the COM
pany had heard about Dr. Steinmetz.
Mr.. Rice bought Eickemeyer's electrical patents,
but with the stipulation that the company also got
DR.. Steinmetzs services That was the beginning Of
his connection with the company.
Up until that time, the electrical industry had
been using direct current. DR.. Steinmetz that
alternating current ought to be used. But nobody
at the time understood the theory of alternating
current. DR.. SeinmetZ set about to develop it. He
did it in three huge Volumes They are the foun-
dation stones of the Electrical Age.