Bonus

Included with your January-March newsletter is a subscription bonus that goes hand-in-hand with the theme of this issue (see DEDICATION). It's an advertisement circulated around 1910 featuring stage entertainer Alice Marconi. I wonder if that was her true name? It was customary in those days for performers to adopt attention-drawing titles. Many entrepreneurs of stage and sideshow leaned on the fame of celebrities. Inventor Guglielmo Marconi had acquired world-wide notoriety for his achievements in wireless telegraphy. Anyway, this 8 1/2X11" print should make an attractive addition to your den or lab.

Cover

The striking cover announcing the theme of this issue is from the book by J.F. Burrows, a magician who performed under the name of Karlyn. The Burrows book is an expose of how stage tricks, such as the electric chair and the lighting of unconnected bulbs, were performed. TCBA is indebted to William B. Dodson, a professional magician (now retired) who was kind enough to loan TCBA the Karlyn material from his private collection. I also wish to thank Mr. Alan McIntosh, TCBA's London contact, for faithfully researching some of London's finest sources on this subject.

Thorn Mayes

It is with regret that I pass on the news of the death of Thorn Mayes. As an electrical experimenter, Thorn was in a class by himself. He was, what I call, an “educated basement tinkerer.” His projects went beyond being mere working models. Mayes came up with technical information not commonly known about devices as Tesla coils, Van de Graaff generators, Wimshurst machines, and so on. Unfortunately, the tips that he had to pass on to us will never appear in TCBA NEWS. There aren't very many of those old timers left and their passing brings to an end any personal contact we might have with that historic era in electrical development now long gone.

New Catalog

Resonance Research's new publication, TESLA COIL EXPERIMENTER'S GUIDE CATALOG, is specifically designed for the serious experimenter. It lists not only TC parts for sale but carries many tables, charts, and photos which provide parameters and relationships for coil forms, terminal capacitances, wire, primary power/capacitance ratios, and hints for improving the Q of one's project. I know of no other catalog providing this type of information. Available from the above named firm for $9.95 at RR1, Box 320-A, Baraboo, WI 52913. The phone number is (608) 356-3647

Dedication: The Electrical Wizards of Stage & Sideshow

The men and women who long ago stood before audiences to perform spectacular electrical feats were artists in an order all of their own. They employed awesome-looking devices that hummed, whirred, and zapped as their way of perpetuating an art that began long before electricity became commonplace - that of illusion.

How impressive it must have been during the waning days of gaslight and kerosene lamp when electrical wizards allowed thousands of terrifying voltages to pass through their bodies in mock electrocution. It matters not whether their names were Volta, Resisto, The Electrified Man (or Woman), Madame Electra, Alice Marconi, and so on. This issue is dedicated to all who applied their high voltage machines to entertain, fascinate, frighten, and, yes, “con” us. Elsewhere, you will find an article describing one devilish character whom I have chosen to represent those fascinating electrical wizards of yesteryear - all gone - forgotten.

Come one, Come all, See the Electrified Lady!

I came across some history of electrical wizardry one summer while attending a large antique show. Hanging before me in full sail was a carnival sideshow canvas decorated with striking color art. It showed a young maiden seated in an electric chair with brilliant sparks flying from her body. Above her was the declaration, DAILY PUBLIC ELECTROCUTIONS! And at the bottom of the canvas, the words ELECTRIC CHAIR stood out boldly.

Nearby, I could see what looked like a real electric chair. My pulse quickened a bit as I anticipated finding the original high frequency machine used in the act. I learned that the device had been relegated to the junk pile some years before.

Einsteinian Physics

During the long drive home, my mind was constantly filled with thoughts of wondering - wondering about the people who had participated in that electric chair act - wondering about a similar act that I had seen in the 1930's - wondering if I, as a child, had not stood before the very same canvas I saw that day - wondering what life is all about?

A few sleepy hours later, I woke up to find myself seated behind the steering wheel of my pickup. The truck was parked in my driveway with its engine shut down. I had no recollection of when it got there. Suddenly, there came a clear understanding of what Einstein had once talked about. You know - relativity, time, space, and all that. Einstein was right!

The Show Must go on

Electrical wizardry is not a lost art. There are a number of touring acts that include electrical magic. One such performer is Marvyn Roy who goes under the stage name of MR. ELECTRIC. In one of his acts, he brings an unconnected 5000-Watt lightbulb to full brilliance. Only one word can describe it - GEMULKELIGHTNINGSTRUCKEN!