Thank you for your comments Bill; Here is the answer I was looking for.
Doug
1. The C-W multiplier rectifies the AC output from the inverter and
steps up the voltage to a high DC value.
2. The output of the C-W rise is limited by the breakdown voltage of
your spark gap - if you widen the gap, it will fire at a slower rate,
and if you reduce the gap it will fire at a higher rate (per second).
3. When the spark gap fires, the TC primary tank circuit rings like in a
normal TC. The tank circuit capacitance equals the capacitance of each
C-W stage divided by the number of stages.
4. However, the presence of the C-W diodes prevents the stage capacitors
from efficiently ringing, since the C-W diodes effectively short the
caps out when they try to reverse polarity.
5. The result is an inefficient, out of tune TC that has just enough
energy transferred to the secondary to light a nearby fluorescent lamp.