Spirits Ignited By Electricity
Hang a small ball with a stem to the prime conductor, so that the ball
may project below the conductor. Then warm a little ardent spirit, by
holding it a short time over a candle in a metallic spoon; hold the
spoon about an inch below the ball, and set the machine in motion. A
spark will soon issue from the ball and set fire to the spirits.
This experiment may be varied different ways, and may be rendered very
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agreeable to a company of spectators. A person, for instance, standing
upon an electric stool, and communicating with the prime conductor,
may hold the spoon with the spirits in his hand, and another person,
standing upon the floor, may set the spirits on fire, by bringing his
finger within a small distance of it. Instead of his finger he may
fire the spirits with a piece of ice, when the experiment will seem
much more surprising. If the spoon be held by the person standing upon
the floor, and the insulated person bring some conducting substance
over the surface of the spirit, the experiment succeeds as well.