The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-08-05
Scientists In Trailing Lightning,
Go Adventuring In Arnored Car
Portable Equipment Used
In Invading New Mexico
For Better Understand
ing Of Storm Causes
By AL WEST
SDy Assoc Infed IPresa)

OGNSOE INs W., aug
5.-A portable laboratory re-
sembling a homemade armored
car is invading New Mexico's
storm area in quest of a more de-
tailed understanding of she
causes of electrical storms, sought
by Benjamin Franklin with a ki.e,
a key and a piece of string more
than a century ago.
The American Philosophical So
ciety of Philadelphia, which in an
indirect way "Poor Richard" help
ed 20 found, is financing in part
this modern-day scientific investi-
CATION in which he was a pioneer.
The mobile "lab," which easily
could be mistaken for a stream.
lined armored car such as Uncle
Sam uses 20 cart around gold bull
lion, was designed by DIR. E. J.
Workman and DIR. r. E. Holzer,
University of New Mexico ply
sicists.
Object of this scientific in
quiry, DIR. Workman and his col
leagues, Dr.. Holzef and DR.. ]. W.
Beam and DR.. l.. B. Snoddy of
the University of Virginia, de-
scribe as the simultaneous photo
graphing of cloud to cloud and
cloud to ground lightning flashes,
measurement of the related cleo
trical field, and recording of ac-
companying meteorological con-
ditions.
Fool-Proof Lab
The scientists were reluctant to
discuss the practical benefits of
their Investigations, but indicated
that they might aid technicians in
eliminating static in radio recep-
ton.
Their "lab" is as fool-proof as
possible, DR.. Workman said. A
heavy copper lightning conductor
encircles the roof of 14-gauge
sheet iron. A 1OO-foOt cable chain
connected to this rod and the
metal covering may be trailed
from the rear of the car.
Theoretically. if the car were
struck by lightning, the bolt
would scoot off into the ground
without doing damage or injury
to the occupants.
The "lab" itself is mounted on
the chassis OF large automobile.
There, is working space for three
men and drivers seat.
The equipment consists of three
specially designed cameras, an
electrical field measurement de-
vice and a elaborated instrument
board.
Cameras At Portfolios
Lenses of the three cameras
peer out of portfolios in the side
of the armored car in much the
same way barrels of machine guns
stick out of the side of an army
tank.
These special cameras" ex-
planned DIR. Holzer. differ from
ordinary high quality machines in
that the film is placed on very
rapidly rotating drums which oper-
ate in such a way that the cameras
are always focused"
Pictures are taken only at
night. The cameras are without
shutters. When the lightning
flashes through the skies the
image OF the jagged streak is rec
orded on the spinning film by its
own brilliance.
Lightning itself, the scientists
salo, comes in a series of flashes,
although the naked eye sees only
what appears to be a sustained
1iash' The moving film, driven by
a bank of storage batteries. rec
ords each flash as a separate pic
ture.
Equally important to the inves-
tlgatlon are the simultaneous
measurements made with the pic
lures. "This measurement" DIR.
Snoddy said, amounts to esti-
mating the voltage difference re-
sponsible for the lightnino flash IS