Re: CROOKS TUBE

["Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr." <Greenslade@KENYON.EDU>]

   The first place I looked for your apparatus was the 1889 catalogue of
the James W. Queen Co. of New York. The device is listed as " 'The
Railway Tube" showing the strong mechanical action of Radiant Matter" at
a cost of $15. The electrodes enter through the glass wall at the top,
and are flush with the glass, apart from a small loop of wire. Exactly
the same tube (the very same cut) is shown in the 1900 catalogue of Max
Kohl of Chemnitz Germany at a cost of 16 marks, which is about $4. This
has the same description as the Queen tube; since Queen was an importer,
it seems clear that the tube was made in Europe.

   Looking ahead to the 1950 Central Scientific Company catalogue, a
different version of the apparatus is shown at a cost of $18. This one
has rather large protrusions extending upward from either end through
which the electrodes pass -- there are metal caps over the ends of the
electrode leads where they pass through the glass. The glass tube is 30
cm in length and it is 5 cm in diameter. The wheel is made of mica, and
may be driven in either direction by reversing the connections between
the induction coil and the electrodes.

   Another tube was sold by the Chicago Apparatus Company and sold for
$12 in the 1929. Although there no dimensions, this tube is shorter and
fatter and has aluminum vanes. Like the first two, it is called a
Mechanical Effect Tube.

   The 1949 Welch catalogue, which notes that Welch had just taken over
Chicago Apparatus Company, shows a tube very close to the Cenco tube.
However, it cost $35 and was called a Rolling Wheel Tube. The
description notes that it requires an induction coil producing a spark
at least 50 mm in length for proper operation.


David Abineri wrote:
> I have just come across a fully functional piece of equipment that may
> be some form of a Crooks Tube and I wonder if anyone can fill in any
> details on its operation.
>
> The tube is beautifully made in an evacuated glass tube in which there
> are two circular electrodes. Between the electrodes  are parallel glass
> rails on which a paddle wheel is mounted in such a way as it can roll
> back and forth between the electrodes very smoothly.  The paddles are
> apparently coated with one color or phosphorescent material on one side
> and another color on the other side. The paddle wheel is situated so
> that the upper half of the paddle wheel is on a line that would connect
> the two electrodes.
>
> When it is energized it is caused to rotate and moves, quite rapidly, to
> one end of the parallel rails exhibiting bright colors as to goes.
>
> One surprising observation is that, no matter how level we seem to get
> the device, the paddle wheel maintains a movement of rotating back and
> forth continuously between the electrodes. I am assume that this is
> because of the accumulated rotational inertia but I wonder if there is
> something I am missing.
>
> When might such an instrument have been made?  Are they still available
> anywhere?  It is truly a fine piece of workmanship. Anyone have more
> information about this device?
>
>     David Abineri
>
> --
> David Abineri
> dabineri@choice.net