Re: Bush on Tesla Coil

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Bert Hickman by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
>Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>
>Hi Bert,
<SNIP>
>The older coil and some of Dean's "close calls" are here too:
>http://wondersofscience-dot-org/sfs/BIO2.HTM
>http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/Ortner03.jpg
>I do note that dean seems to have turned down the power level recently.
>BTW - Don't try this at home ;-)  Dean has been doing this for 25 years 
>and he knows how not to get killed...  Especially risky since he is only 
>wearing a shirt and tie instead of a Faraday suit.
>Cheers,
>         Terry

Terry and DC,

Thanks! I viewed the web site video and it definitely looks like Dean 
Ortner is running the system at a lower power level than before. When I 
first saw this demonstration I was a 12 year-old in Milwaukee WI. At that 
time, George Speake was throwing at least 3-4 foot long streamers from his 
thimble-covered fingertips. And, the coil output was billed as a "million 
volts" based upon the streamer length. Dr. Speake would remove his shoes 
and all metal from his pockets, and stand atop the barrel-sized coil in his 
bare feet. A board held in his hand (with a pencil line drawn along the 
surface as a "starter") would burst into flame, and the heat of the flames 
would then cause the streamers above to become even longer. It was such an 
awesome display that I still remember it vividly 43 years later.

As a teaser, he'd sometimes put a (hidden) firecracker on top of the coil 
and ask a volunteer from the audience turn the system on for him - the 
unexpected explosion at the top of the coil would then be blamed on the 
hapless volunteer...  :^)

It was quite a show and Dr. Speake was quite a showman.

Best regards,

-- Bert --
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