Michael Faraday: Third Edition, with PortraitGladstone, J. H. (John Hall)
Science
Michael Faraday: Third Edition, with Portrait
Gladstone, J. H. (John Hall)
Faraday, Michael, 1791-1867
Mr. James Young, who was in the laboratory of University College in
1838, thus writes:--"About that time Professor Graham had got from
Paris Thilorier's apparatus for producing liquid and solid carbonic
acid; hearing of this, Mr. Faraday came to Graham's laboratory, and,
as one might expect, showed great interest in this apparatus, and
asked Graham for the loan of it for a Friday evening lecture at the
Royal Institution, which of course Graham readily granted, and Faraday
asked me to come down to the Institution and give him the benefit of
my experience in charging and working the apparatus; so I spent a long
evening at the Royal Institution laboratory. There was no one present
but Faraday, Anderson, and myself. The principal thing we did was to
charge the apparatus and work with the solid carbonic acid, Mr. Faraday
working with great activity; his motions were wonderfully rapid; and
if he had to cross the laboratory for anything, he did not walk at an
ordinary step, but ran for it, and when he wanted anything he spoke
quickly. Faraday had a theory at that time that all metals would become
magnetic if their temperature were low enough; and he tried that
evening some experiments with cobalt and manganese, which he cooled in
a mixture of carbonic acid and ether, but the results were negative."
Among the deep mines of the Durham coal-field is one called the
Haswell Colliery. One Saturday afternoon, while the men were at work
in it as usual, a terrible explosion occurred: it proceeded from the
fire-damp that collects in the vaulted space that is formed in old
workings, when the supporting pillars of coal are removed and the roof
falls in: the suffocating gases rushed along the narrow passages,
and overwhelmed ninety-five poor fellows with destruction. Of course
there was an inquiry, and the Government sent down to the spot as
their commissioners Professor Faraday and Sir Charles Lyell. The two
gentlemen attended at the coroner's inquest, where they took part
in the examination of the witnesses; they inspected the shattered
safety-lamps; they descended into the mine, spending the best part
of a day in the damaged and therefore dangerous galleries where the
catastrophe had occurred, and they did not leave without showing in a
practical form their sympathy with the sufferers. When down in the pit,
an inspector showed them the way in which the workmen estimated the
rapidity of the ventilation draught, by throwing a pinch of gunpowder
through the flame of a candle, and timing the movement of the little
puff of smoke. Faraday, not admiring the free and easy way in which
they handled their powder, asked where they kept their store of it,
and learnt that it was in a large black bag which had been assigned to
him as the most comfortable seat they could offer. We may imagine the
liveliness with which he sprang to his feet, and expostulated with them
on their culpable carelessness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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