942 Transactions of the American Institute. 



[From The N. Y. Tribune.] 

 ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA. 



The sympathetic recuiTence of polar lights and magnetic dis- 

 turbances in the atmosphere and crust of the earth, taken in 

 connection with the periodicity of sun-spots, has of late years 

 awakened much interest among physicists. A remarkable display 

 of spontaneous electricity, simultaneous with sudden changes in 

 spots upon the surface of the sun, occurred during the early part 

 of January of this year. The electrical phenomena was thus 

 described in The Rochester Union of the 10th of January last: 



*' One of the most beautiful electrical phenomena imaginable was 

 witnessed last evening in the office of the Atlantic and Pacific Tele- 

 graph line. Wire No. 1 of the line was down between this city 

 and Syracuse. Suddenly it was discovered that neither wire would 

 work. A continuous current of electricity was then observed to 

 be passing over the wires through the several instruments, and 

 this while the batteries were detached. The current seemed to be 

 of the volume of a medium-sized pipe-stem, and it gave the several 

 colors of the rainbow, beautiful to behold. With the key open, 

 the current flowed in waves or undulations, and from the surcharged 

 wire it would leap over the insulated portions of the key, and flow 

 along the wires beyond. The same phenomenon was observed at 

 Buffalo and Cleveland. The gas in the office here was lighted 

 without difficulty by holding the end of the wire within an inch or 

 two of the gas-burner. The current was intense enough to shock 

 one holding the wires or instruments — indeed, one of the employes 

 of the office had his fingers scorched by the current. With closed 

 keys, the current was continuous, as before stated." 



The same phenomenon was described by a Buffalo paper as 

 follows: 



" One of those electric phenomena which visit us but rarely, 

 occurred yesterday, from 4:40 to 7 o'clock in the afternoon, on the 

 lines of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company. The current 

 on the wires was so intense that it was impossible to touch them, 

 even with all the batteries thrown off. The current passed over 

 the wires in waves, and it was necessary to throw the instruments 

 out of circuit in order to prevent damage to them. In endeavoring 

 to lake the wires out of the ' switch-board,' one of the operators 

 received a shock which nearly lifted him from his feet, and, 

 dropping the wires, he ran off, snapping his fingers vigorously. 

 After the wires were disconnected from the instruments, the 



