Experiments and Observations Tending to Illustrate the Nature and Properties of Electricity: In One Letter to Martin Folkes, Esq; President, and Two to the Royal Society — John Shaqi
Experiments and Observations Tending to Illustrate the Nature and Properties of Electricity: In One Letter to Martin Folkes, Esq; President, and Two to the Royal SocietyWatson, William, Sir
History
Experiments and Observations Tending to Illustrate the Nature and Properties of Electricity: In One Letter to Martin Folkes, Esq; President, and Two to the Royal Society
Watson, William, Sir
Electricity -- Early works to 1850
AS an excited non-Electric emits almost all its Fire, if once touch'd by
a non-Electric not excited, I was desirous of being satisfy'd, whether
or no the Fire emitted would not be greater or less in proportion to the
Volume of the electrified Body. In order to this I procur'd an Iron Bar
about five Feet long and near 170 Pounds in Weight; this I electrified
lying on Cakes of Wax and Rosin, but observed the Flashes arising
therefrom not more violent than those from a common Poker. In making
this Experiment, being willing to try the repulsive Force, it once
happen'd that whilst the Bar was at one End electrifying, a Spoon lay
upon the other, and upon an Assistant's pouring some warm Spirit into
the Spoon, the electrical Flash from the Spoon snapped and fired the
first Drop of the Spirit, which unexpectedly fired not only the whole
Jett as it was pouring, but kindled likewise the whole Quantity in the
Pot, in which I usually have it warm'd.
I FIND, in firing inflammable Substances from the Finger of a Man
standing upon Wax, that _cæteris paribus_ the Success is more constant,
if the Man instead of holding the Thread (the Use of which I
communicated in a former Paper) in his Hand, the Thread is suspended at
the End of an Iron Rod held in one Hand, and he touches the Spirit with
one of the Fingers of the other.
IF a Man, standing upon the electrical Cake with a Dish or deep Plate of
Water in one Hand, and the Iron Rod with the Thread in the other, is
made electrical; and a Person not electrified touches any Part either of
the Plate or Water, the Flashes of Fire come out plentifully, and
wherever you bring your Finger very near, the Water rises up in a little
Cone, from the Point of which the Fire is produced, and your Finger,
though not in actual Contact, is made wet. The same Experiment succeeds
through three or more People.
IN firing inflammable Substances, the Person who holds the Spoon in his
Hand to receive the electrical Flashes, when the Finger of the
electrified Person is brought near thereto, not only feels a tingling in
his Hand, but even a slight Pain up to his Elbow. This is most
perceptible in dry Weather, when the Electricity is very powerful.
THERE is a considerable Difficulty in firing _Electrics per se_, such as
Turpentine, and Balsam Capivi, by the repulsive Power of Electricity;
because in this Case these Substances will not permit the Electricity to
pass through them; therefore when you would have this Experiment
succeed, the Finger of the Person, who is to fire them, is to be applied
as near to the Edge as possible of these Substances when warm'd in a
Spoon, that the Flashes from the Spoon (for these Substances will emit
none) may snap, where they are spread the thinnest, and then fire their
Effluvia. This Experiment, as well as several others, serves to confute
that Opinion, which has prevail'd with many, that the Electricity floats
only upon the Surfaces of Bodies.
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