THE MIGHTY ATOM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19349, 9 December 1924, Page 11

THE MIGHTY ATOM.

PROFESSOR’S EXPERIMENTS

MANY TIMID PEOPLE. SOME STRANGE LETTERS. The recent announcement made.ljj Hr T. F. Wall, of Sheffield University,:;.' that his apparatus for experiments in, splitting up an atom of copper foil will be- ready shortly,'filled many people with .abroad of what may occur to the world at-Jafge. This apprehension (says the Daily Qfiron* icle) is doubtless brought about try tha fact that for many years past eciantista have looked upon this sort of exp'SHfiaent as fraught with unknown possibilities, and some have even said that there is sufficient latent energy in a single atom to demolish the world. - j. In an interview, the doctor statedk-ihat the experiment would be watched, ,-yery carefully from the start, and if there were signs of anything alarming he would then cease and think mattfeip'WVer. Dr Wall’s post-bag for the past fdW:'3ays has contained many extraordinary. Titers. While some are of a jocose nature,;* other* ere in real earnest. The foliowiarf’ are examples:— . • “Dear Sir, —Please don’t blow up, the atom. I. am terrified. Please,’ ‘i’jKses leave things alone.—One Who is Frightened.” ~.ni Another letter reads:— “Having read to-day of your wonderful invention for blowing up the world .liext Wednesday, kindly make it Thunwhw op next Sunday, after we have had owuHanal half-holiday and drawn our Septqjnbep salaries.” if , “Trusting this will meet with yor^.kina approval, and wishing you every suoffEfs. — A Believer in Inventions.” ■' ~ \ father writes on behalf of his children thus:— : “I regret to see you are determined to carry out your experiment; Perhaps il you were a married man with oidSiren, and not so callous, you would not>pe so keen on the possible destruction, of - the human race. Oh You must be hard to have no pity for those with lovqd ianea. M'ay God curse you if you carry oiltyour experiment.—A Married Man.” People with strange religious tendencies have also written to Dr wall, aba one writer finishes by asking the ho is saved.