Mr. G. Fuller on a Water-spray Influence-machine. 47 



the water has been divided into finer spray. At times, even 

 with half the delivery of water, the same length of spark has 

 been obtained. 



One experiment the author has made in which the spray 

 was not obtained by the action of gravity, but by a steam 

 u atomiser," as it is called. The water and steam passed 

 through a copper wire ring \^' diameter, connected with one 

 of the receivers of an apparatus made up of sections I. and IV., 

 as above. The nozzle was ^' from the ring and 5-g-'' from the 

 receiver. Sparks ^" in length were taken freely from the 

 receiver, which is a better result than has been obtained with 

 a fall of water of some 23 feet. What was very observable 

 in this case was the very small amount of water used, a small 

 teacup-full being passed over in some five or six minutes ; and 

 the author has recorded in his notes that the experiment was 

 made on a very wet day. 



Adding to the number of jets does not seem to increase the 

 power of the machine, either in quantity or potential, at all in 

 proportion to the number added ; though the action of an 

 electrical machine is so eccentric that it is difficult to be cer- 

 tain of this, for at times the nozzle with eighteen jets has given 

 much better results than the one with twelve jets. 



It has been stated that, in the machine as made, the rings 

 are \" larger in diameter than the circle of the jets, and it is 

 found that they give a better result than when larger rings 

 are used ; but in some experiments with a small flow of water 

 a ring 3J" diameter gave as large a spark as one of \\. In 

 the dark, electricity is often seen to fly off from the rings, the 

 water on them being made into pointed-shaped drops. 



The machine in its present form is by no means powerful, 

 as with a small Leyden jar attached to it the longest spark 

 has hitherto been 1^", the head of water being about 23 feet. 

 The state of the atmosphere has very great influence on the 

 working of this machine ; for though in all states of the 

 weather electricity will be generated, it requires a fairly dry 

 atmosphere to give \" sparks. 



It may be mentioned that the machine has only been tried 

 in a small bath-room, which is a very unfavourable place for 

 electrical experiments ; and it perhaps is worth mentioning, 

 that on one occasion sparks were only obtained when window 

 and door were open and the machine was in a thorough 

 draught. 



To what extent the power of the machine may be increased 

 it is difficult to predict ; but the author thinks that the expe- 

 riment with the atomiser points to high velocity in the water, 

 combined with minute subdivision, as the direction in which 

 any future attempts should be made. 



