Show ELECTRIC SPARKS The Lecture Given by Prof Tal ma ° e last Evening A VERY LARGE ATTENDANCE A Series of Interesting and Instruetire ExperIments Ex-perIments with a Masterly Explanation Expla-nation of All As previously announced a lecture on Electricity was delivered last evening in the Social hall under the auspices of the Students society of the Salt Lake Stake academy by Prof J E Talmage Th house was crowded to its utmost capacity in spite of tho squally stato of the weather and the space on the stage behind < the speakers stand had to be surrendered to the pressing throng Promptly at 73 I the exercises commenced THB SPEAKER BEGAN by performing what may be regarded as the earliest experiment in current electricity elec-tricity of which we have any recordthat of Sulzer a citizen of Berlin in 1707 This consisted in placing a coin on the upper surface of the tongue while a piece of zinc is in contact with the toa juo on the lower side As soon as the edges of the coin and the zinc were brought in contact a thrill characteristic to the electric passage was perceived Judging from the somewhat some-what vigorous contortions of the gentleman upon whom the professor performed the experiment the sensation was decidedly forcible Then followed the explanation of GU TAXIS IIISTOnlCAl Ton T-on the body of a recently killed frog The cruval nerves and the lumbar muscles being connected by a metallic circuit as was the case when Galvani in 1790 suspended skinned frogs on copper hooks from an iron railing violent muscular contraction is observed vivid suggestion of an actual resurrection from death to life Galvani explained this phenomenon as caused by a vital or life force but Volta a contemporary fe tfstrc advanced the theory that the wonderful contraction was in reality owing to the contact of the metals by which electricity was begotten De la Rue claimed that the cause of the development develop-ment of electricity in such cases was due to the chemical action exerted on the metals and this view is usually accepted as the one most probable TilE SIMPLE CELL consisting of plates of zinc and copper vas explained and illustrated and powerful batteries were then introduced to the no tie of the audience By connecting one battery wire with a file and drawing tho other wire over the roughened surface most brilliant scintillations and sparks were produced The file wire and even the experimenters perimenters hands appeared in a blaze of light A wire of platinumthe most refractory re-fractory of metalswas then introduced intro-duced into the circuit and was almost immediately volatilized Steel wires were likewise operated upon with astounding astound-ing results the wires were melted down as if they were but threads of hoarfrost It was explained that a platinum wire heated in this manner to BRILLIANT iNCANDESCENCE was now much used in place of the lance in surgical operations the advantage being that the process in this way is rendered less painful and hemorrhage is arrested by the sealing of the blood vessels as fast as they are severed The incandescent lamp consisting of a glass globe in which is placed a filament of carbon connected with the electrodes was finely shown The ingenious scarfpin lamp was also exhibited in operation with pleasing and surprising effect A portable battery was shown and then stowed away in the lecturers pocket while the pin was attached to the coat and on closing the circuit cir-cuit the little lamp shone forth with a lus tre far surpassing that of even fabled diamonds dia-monds AS A FCPTnEU ILLUSTltATIOX I ot the heating effect of the current a charge of gun cotton wasfiredby the simpl closing i of the circuit and the fact was vividly per rayed that in the celebrated Flood Rock explosion in New York harbor in which I I many tons of dynamite were exploded the flrtsOfb tPfh I action was brought about at the proper moment through the mere pressing of a button by the hand of tho engineers little evenyear old daughter A battery and spark coil were attached to a gas burner and a most striking result realized By pulling a chain the gas was automatically TURNED ON AND LIGHTED and by a second pull as easily extinguished Then by pressing a pushbutton another jet was fired entirely without the use of matches or other ignition material One of the doors leading to the lecture stage had been fitted with a contact breaker this door was opened by an assistant sistant as it would probably be bya burglar seeking ingress when suddenly the gas was lighted by an automatic devise similar to that already described and an alarm bell was set vigorously nnging while at the same time the finger on the indicator pointed > to front door as the place of assault as-sault A foot contact was shown which operated as an assistant stepped upon it and in response the alarm bell rang again and the indicator showed dining room as the point of entrance THE PRACTICAL VALUH of such devices can scarcely be estimated The connections could easily be made so that the opening of any outer door or Tindow would light the gas and ring the bell > in the bedroom of a residence while the indicator would show at once the place of disturbance The principle of the telegraph was next treated upon and by means of a line contracted con-tracted across the room messages were tnt during the evening At the close of the lecture the telegrams were delivered to those to whom they were addressed The chemical effects of the current were shown in the decomposition of waterand the electroplating process A bunch of brass buttons was placed in an appropriate bath > and finally silvercoated by the agency of the battery These buttons were distributed tributed among the audience as MEMENTOES OP THE OCCASION A powerful electromagnet was operated before the passage of the current it was entirely tirely inactive but as soon as the circuit was closed it became so powerful that a large bar of iron was easily picked from the floor and iron filings were gathered in a ball like snow The principle of the electric motor was explained and a magnificent little instrument of the kind was shown attached to a sewing machine which was driven in a powerful manner during the remainder re-mainder of the lecture The dynamo machine also received attention and long sparks were drawn from a small dynamo operated by the hand The physiological effects of the current were shown through the medium of an induction in-duction coil A coin was placed in a vessel of water and after contact had been made several gentlemen responded to the profes sors invitation to try and take the coin out but all gave up the attempt after wiggling wig-gling about for a time like LIVE EELS IN A PRYING TAN Professor Talmage offered his thanks to Mr E G Holding the United electric company the Deseret telegraph company and several private gentlemen who he said had ever been ready and willing lend aid by loaning apparatus and the like to assist the efforts of the society under whose auspices this lecture had been given This effort of Prof Salmage is indicative of the progress of science in the line of practical application and actual use Such an exhibition of the mystic power has never before been made in Salt Lake city |