Nipher — Gravitation and Electrical Action. 171 



in the temperature of the room. It was found that the 

 flame of a wax candle, placed fourteen inches from either 

 of the suspended masses, exerted a marked apparent at- 

 traction for them. When a sheet of glass and two sheets 

 of asbestos paper were placed between the candle flame 

 and the metal shield, it being provided with a wrapping 

 of asbestos paper in addition to the inside lining of the 

 same material, an apparent attraction resulted. A change 

 of 20 scale divisions would then result in two minutes. 

 This result was obtained with either of the suspended 

 masses, when the other was protected by the two 50-lb. 

 masses and other means before mentioned. Fluctuations 

 in the flame of the candle due to the condition of the wick 

 produced observable effects. When the outer wall of the 

 screen was rising in temperature more rapidly on one 

 side of the suspended mass than on the opposite side, this 

 mass moved towards the warmer side. This was appar- 

 ently due to the convection effect of air within the lining 

 of the metal screen. 



The suspended rod bearing the small masses was below 

 the central axis of the enclosing shield. If one side of 

 the shield was warmer than the opposite side the sus- 

 pended rod would be in a slowly drifting current of air, 

 which would urge it towards the warmer side of the 

 screen, or away from the colder side. The temperature 

 of the large masses lagged behind that of the screen in 

 the small daily changes in the temperature of the room. 



The effect of a noiseless discharge from the pin-point 

 terminal into the air around the knob connected with the 

 screen and the large masses, was to produce an apparent 

 decrease in the attraction of the large masses for the 

 suspended masses. This result was obtained when no 

 trace of disruptive discharge could be detected. After 

 the extreme displacement thus produced had been 

 reached, the distance between the pin-point terminal, and 

 the knob connected with the shield and the large masses, 

 was increased from 15 to about 90 cm., the charged bod- 

 ies being then grounded. This was done by means of a 



