(Note: Bingy started out with Rectangular engines and shifted to Juice so some discourse on Rectangular engines was edited out.)

In 2/c juice labs, I recall working with open frame motors, both AC & DC, that had apparently come from one or more turn-of-the century battleships and/or cruisers. Does anybody remember sitting in a skinny class and hearing the whine of something or other, probably a generator, when one of our classmates put the two ends of the same cable in the deck plate sockets, shorting out the whole lab below us?

While reminiscing, I think of the Mahan Hall tower clock which sounded the eight bells around the clock. A publication of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors some years ago cited that clock and averred that it and only one other (where, I don't remember) had the maritime chime scheme.

(If anybody happens to have a few hours and is in the area, he or she might find it fascinating, as did Marion and I, to pay a 2 or 3 hour visit to the museum of the NAWCC. It's in Columbia, PA, the first exit off the Lincoln Highway (Route 30) eastbound after you cross the Susquehanna. There are signs that will lead you the three blocks or so to the museum).

So much for the reminiscence. Thanks, guys, for bringing back the memories. I really enjoy reading the mail every day!

Bingy

The Juice Lab incidence occurred on our watch (at least once). I wouldn't want to name any names, but his initials are Quentin Glass. We were working with one of those huge wire wound resistors. It was wired wrong with a dead short from the power strip to ground. It began to warm up, and soon began to glow cherry red. To solve this problem Quint grabbed one of the leads from the resistor, and it began to cool down and change color back to black. The day having been saved Quint stood there, unfortunately, with the hot lead from the trunk in his hand. Thinking that all was cool, Quint released the hot lead to fall on the power trench deck plate. The lead was instantaneously arc welded to the deck plate and the lights went out. After power was restored, Quint finished the Juice Lab that day wearing a welding helmet.

That is the gospel according to the memories of

Fred Underwood (22)

As I recall some of us in 8th company blew out all the lights on that end of the yard and several blocks into town. Something about trying to plug in both ends of same line into trough. Do you remember that Tony?

Hood Powell (08)

I recall...perhaps a sea story...a yarn, I think about Sleepy Stewart...he frequently felt that the board and table were giving him "jolts" from time-to-time and would ask the instructor to check it...as fate would have it, one day after wiring the particular experiment, the switch was thrown and blue arcs and smoke quickly filled his space and some of that around him...when all had cleared he was found under the table saying that he didn't care about passing the course as long as he got out alive...does anyone else recall this yarn?

George Lawniczak (24)

In response to Hood's earlier message, I believe that it was Don Lange who inserted both ends of one cable into opposite sides of the trench. I still remember all to well the circuit breakers on the wall of the juice lab popping in rapid succession, Or do I ??. Tony, Dres?

Denny

If I remembered I wouldn't admit it. Hell, I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast. Maybe Drese can answer that. He seems to recall all those past stellar acts.

Tony Hastoglis

And I thought I was the only one that had problems with "skinny lab"....checking the Lucky Bag write-up with my photo, it reads "Skinny had top spot as his pet peeve---and he still insists that they don't use the kind of electricity in lab that hurts". Believe me, I was responsible for plenty of sparks flying! 

Steve Kaiser (1) 

Denny: 

I believe you are right!! I remember the breakers, sparks and all of us being as white as our jumpers. Only time I ever saw Pete Blair look scared. Then everyone came running in telling us that the lights were out everywhere. But we all passed!!! If all of that lab didn't give us cancer, I don't believe we need to worry about cell phones. 

Hood Powell (08) 

Bingy stated, "Does anybody remember sitting in a skinny class and hearing the whine of something or other, probably a generator, when one of our classmates put the two ends of the same cable in the deck plate sockets, shorting out the whole lab below us?"

I can state with some authority it did happen. Bob Phenix (one of my two wives for the 4 years) and I were working as a team setting up one of those open frame DC motors. It was my turn to figure out the wiring and hand the cables to Bob to plug in the deck plates. Up until that time Bob had some faith in me. He was handed the end of a cable that was supposed to be plugged into the main motor field but was actually already plugged in to the deck!

The result was indeed a magnificent display. I presume I had also handed him that same cable before. In any event it is my understanding that we not only shut the skinny lab down but blew all the breakers at the main power plant, shutting down all or a major portion of the Academy for a brief period. At least that is what our instructor subsequently informed us when we were awarded our 0.0 grade. Fortunately no one was hurt. Bob for some reason would never perform another EE practical with me.

Norm (4)

Bingy,

The whine you refer to was from the instructors. No truth to the rumor that it was a series-wound DC motor started under no load.

Robin

I recall a juice lab class when someone (I think it may have been "Gooner" Lange) attempted to insert a cable into the wrong polarity hole. The flash and the mini-mushroom cloud caused an ovation by us lab-mates, a bit reminiscent of the atom bombs in '45 in Japan but on a bit scaled down size. A whiff of ozone was the air.

BTW - In 1/c year near graduation one of our civilian profs introduced us in his skinny class to a new word: "transistor". He suggested that we remember it, as he believed it would revolutionize electronics. He said that two scientists at Western Electric, (Shockley and another name I don't recall) had just created this micro-miniature device. It sounded so amazing that I still remember his enthusiasm. Boy, was he ever right. Do any of you remember that comment about the transistor?

What a difference since fifty years ago when we were young Plebes!

Bob Price (6) 

Well, I didn't exactly put both ends of the same cable in the sockets in the deck plate . . . but I did put both leads from the set-up on the lab table to the sockets on the same side of the deck plate. I heard a loud SNAP. Somebody said something and I looked up to see a CDR barrel-assing down the passageway toward me.

He said, "Let me take a look at that." He was very calm. Explained to me what I had done, how it should really go, and then, I don't remember. I don't think we got power back to the lab before the end of the period that day. (I don't know when they got power back to the laundry.) They told me I had blown circuit breakers all the way back to the powerhouse, and had put about a quarter of the yard out.

Len Duffy (23)

It appears we have another "can you top this" series going back into "trench warfare"/ Skinny P-works ...I've enjoyed hearing how so many classmates managed to double-dip an electrical lead into two trench sockets...blowing the P-work power for the day... and having to march back to Bancroft with tears in their eyes. My roommate and lab partner, Pat Byrne, isn't here to validate my story...but maybe someone out there in the Heavy 16th can attest to the happenstance.

Our task was to hook up a "Y" connected lamp bank to a "D" connected motor...it involved a closed book project where we had to draw our schematic, submit it to the prof for approval-, and then draw our hookup requirements from the electrician petty officer in the cage. Pat was a whiz at juice...and our drawing passed with flying colors. My contribution was to append the note on the schematic, "This is Three Phase."

To me...at that stage of my understanding - "three phase" had to mean three wires... While Pat was busy setting the voltmeter range settings and readying the table- I went to the cage and ordered out the hardware necessary for our hookup...I went back to the cage moments later when Pat's back was turned, and ordered a third cable - which I was issued. We "Y" connected and Delta connected and inserted our instrumentation and agreed we had a solid solution. Pat never should have turned his back on me a second time...for I found a third tap somewhere on our work table and ran that third cable to our trench. POow!...welded that sucker right into the socket. Not only did we blow the circuit board for the entire lab...Roger Nelson, our section leader that day, pointed out to our entire group as we passed Mahan Hall enroute to our Mother Dorm...at least two of the clock faces in the old Library Hall tower had blown...they were 12 minutes off...and remained stopped until they got that cable out of my third trench socket! So help me!

Pat

Bob Price wrote:

"BTW - In 1/c year near graduation one of our civilian profs introduced us in his skinny class to a new word: "transistor". He suggested that we remember it, as he believed it would revolutionize electronics. He said that two scientists at Western Electric, (Shockley and another name I don't recall) had just created this micro-miniature device. It sounded so amazing that I still remember his enthusiasm. Boy, was he ever right. Do any of you remember that comment about the transistor?"

Didn't we learn of the transistor earlier?

I recall aviation summer in Philadelphia when we were visiting one of the many factories or research labs we did that summer. It was there that we were told about "a new invention, the transistor". Shortly thereafter I bought one of the first transistor radios.

Norm (24)

I remember someone earning the nickname "ampere turn."

John

All those memorable incidents in skinny lab makes me wonder how the place actually survived for all those years. Our class could not have been so inept that we were the only ones who had such experiences, and yet the lab endured for years without major participation from the fire department. Amazing!

I seem to remember one of my Ninth Company classmates getting so wrapped up in rigging an experiment that he had cables strung over both shoulders while he went about his work. He had what he thought were two extra cables strung over his shoulders after plugging into the power trench, and was starting to stand up when someone stopped him. He had actually plugged the two spare cables into the trench, and if he had stood up the bitter ends would have shorted out against each other. The cable ends were just a little too long for him to grab them, and were swinging freely. On the other hand, if he bent down again to pull the cables out from the trench, the bitter ends would have shorted out against the metal deck! As I recall, there was much humor in watching him stooped over, trying to keep the cables from swinging together. I'm not sure who the victim was, and if I did remember, I wouldn't expose him now!

John Haynes (9)

My recollection is that we studied the transistor. It was invented before we graduated, and was in products in the marketplace while I was an Ensign... so not quite that new fangled. Bell labs invented the thing, but were the last to use it. 

Al (13)

Speaking of radiation, do you all remember going over to the Nav Comm Station and standing inside while a guy held up a dead florescent bulb and having it glow? I remember we had to remove our belts because of the metal buckles. We obviously didn't have to remove our brains, I guess they were expendable. Why not, we didn't get to use them anyway.

Al (13)