Southold High School - Snuffbox Yearbook (Southold, NY)

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THE SNUFF BOX coils of wire and magnets, but without success. It was not his way to give up, and finally he discovered the secret; motion was needed either in the coil or magnet. Though he was forty years old. he danced around his laboratory like a boy. He built a larger machine than the one used in the experiments, and was able to make a spark jump a small gap. These discoveries were the forerunner of the modern dynamo and electric light. Faraday also set about standardizing measurements of electric power. Years of hard work in the laboratory, lectures in the afternoons and evenings was a hard grind for Michael. He had always been troubled with a bad memory, and this intense thinking made him worse. He realized this loss of memory and hated to talk because he could not work; he wanted to talk of his work. He found it necessary to seek a variety of mantal relaxations. He traveled and visited all sorts of places for amusement. Fie spent much time in the zoological gardens watching the animals. Many universities bestowed degrees upon him at this time, and because of his poor health he refused the presidency of the Royal Institution. All his successes and honors did not change him. He merely grew older mentally and physically. On June 20, 1862 he gave his last lecture. He lived for five more years, fading in mind and body. On August 25, 1867 he passed into a sleep from which he did not awaken. Michael Faraday had finished his work. He made possible this wonderful age of electricity in which we now live. R. H.. ’35. BLACK IVORY There I was, thousands of miles from home, somewhere off the dark, dark coast of Africa, and aboard what I had come to learn was a slave ship. I was born in Massachusetts in 18—, of a good New England family. I had early expressed a desire to go to sea, which was against my father’s wishes. However, being set in my ways, as was my father, who had been in the Navy in his younger years, I stole away one night and shipped on a vessel as a cabin boy. My father came aboard hunting for me. suspecting that I would try to ship, but I bribed the second mate, who had charge of the vessel at that time, to deny having seen me and thus I escaped. 1 soon discovered that the vessel was a slaver, but it was too late then, to turn back. I determined, however, to betray her to the authorities, if I ever had the chance, even though it meant my own capture. When we reached the coast of Africa, the captain went ashore and immediately started bargaining with a native chief, who had been expecting us, for his prisoners from the interior. We stayed on the coast for two weeks, loading hundreds of negroes who did 28

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THE SNUFF BOX this trip was to catch up on the scientific discoveries of other countries. Faraday was to go along as valet and general handy man. Although lie was a servant on this trip he had the opportunity to talk with many of the famous scientists. During their long stay in Switzerland he talked a great deal with Gaspard d'e la Rive, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the Academy of Geneva. This was quite a rise for a mere bookbinder in little over half a year. Not until lie was thirty did Michael think of marriage. In his early years he worked hard in the laboratory, lectured to the City Philosophical Society, and wrote for the Quarterly Journal of Science. All these tended to establish him firmly in the field of science. Faraday was religious and went regularly with his mother to a little Sandemanian Church. Here it was that lie met Sarah Barnard, who was to become Mrs. Faraday. She was a wise, clear-eyed, kindly daughter of a silversmith. They were married on June 12, 1821. Soon after his marriage Faraday made some important scientific discoveries. Wollaston was primarily a chemist, but in some way he had gotten the idea that a wire carrying an electric current, if brought near the pole of a magnet should revolve on its own axis. Wollaston tried this experiment in Davy’s laboratory but failed. Possibly Faraday saw Wollaston’s unsuccessful experiment, for in September, 1821 he made the electric wire rotate on its axis. The value of this experiment and discovery cannot be overestimated, for it was the forerunner of the present day electric motor. Wollaston tried to claim the credit for this discovery, but Davy and others agreed that the discovery was Faraday’s. Soon after this Michael offended Davy. He conducted an experiment in an attempt to liquify chlorin, using a suggestion of Davy’s. The experiment was a success, and he prepared a paper on it for the Royal Society. He included in it that Sir Humphry made the suggestion, but Davy was very jealous of this former bookbinder and his two discoveries. Not long after this Faraday was proposed for membership in the Royal Society. He was opposed by Wollaston and Davy, but nevertheless gained membership. Faraday had risen to the position of director of the laboratory in the Royal Institution and was more than ever determined to devote his entire time to science. Fie gave up all outside business except his work as an expert on lighthouses. 11 is next great discovery was in the field of chemistry. Fie separated benzine from condensed oil-gas. Many a big business has been built up around this discovery, but Faraday did not attempt to make any money from it. Fie also spent much time in perfecting the art of making glass for optical instruments. In 1820, a year before Michael’s marriage, Sir Humphrey Davy had magnetized a bit of soft iron by wrapping a wire around it and passing an electric current through the wire. In 1822 Faraday wrote in his notebook, as one of his objects, the words, “convert magnetism into electricity.” Nine years later we find him still struggling with this knotty problem, lie conducted many experiments with 27

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THE SNUFF BOX not know the hell that was in store for them, black ivory! They were put in tiers without room to move, let alone sit up. Three or four of the poor devils tried to escape hut were whipped to death to make an example of them before the others. After these two weeks, the vessel set sail, and we headed back to America. Once every two days or so. the slaves were brought up on deck and made to dance to limber up their cramped legs. The ones who disobeyed were whipped cruelly with a cat-o'-nine-tails weighted with lead. After three weeks, sickness broke out among the blacks, and about five bodies a day were cast overboard. About this time our water supply ran short and so the blacks got none. Many died of thirst and suffocation. The stench became so terrible that it couldn’t be borne. Because of this, all the hatches were closed, which made it even worse for the blacks. Two more weeks went by. and things became much worse. By then, we were nearing America, and great care had to be taken. Two days after this, we spoke a sail on the horizon. Immediately, we put on more canvas because we did not wish to be spoken. In spite of this she gained steadily and was abreast of us by the middle of the afternoon. 1 was very happy to see that she was a man-o’-war, for the sake of the blacks in the hold, even though it meant jail and maybe death for me if we were captured. However, to my dismay, she did not make us heave to for search, but kept on. Acting on the impulse of the moment, 1 leapt into the ratlines and. drawing two handkerchiefs from my pocket, signalled desperately in the code my father had taught me in my youth. Suddenly, a pistol spoke beside me. and 1 felt a searing pain in my side. Then 1 felt myself falling, falling deep into a dark, fathomless pit. and knew no more. When 1 awoke. I found myself in a comfortable bunk in a small stateroom. A man was bending over me and had evidently just finished dressing my side. He informed me that, thanks to me, the slaver had been captured and was on its way back to Africa under a prize crew. “Then I’m not a prisoner? 1 spoke wonderingly. “Why, youngster. he said to me. “the credit of capturing the slaver goes to you!” 1 drifted off to sleep happily, knowing that I had accomplished my task. VERSE A little bit of thoughtfulness. As you have all heard told. Makes a mind of truthfulness And a heart of gold. 29 B. L. L.