The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-11-16 00:00:00

THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

The Times of Wednesday says :—" The Van der
Weyde electric light was employed on Saturday night
to illuminate Regent-street, London. The test it
underwent was more than usually severe, for at the
West-end house after house had gas jets in celebration
of the Prince of Wales's birthday, and many had huge
flambeaux of gas. But the electric light at No.
182 overpowered all, and served to show the incom-
parable superiority of electricity to gas as a means of
illumination. The new light was everything, while gas
light was as nothing. The people stood gazing at the
illuminator until obliged to move on by the pressure of
the crowd, a proof that there are no ill effects upon the
eyes. The exhibit was not in a lamp form, as at the
Gaiety Theatre; but the light streamed from a large
concave cover, placed at an angle of about 45
degrees, in the second floor. There was a disc of
porcelain between the carbon point and the space
illuminated by the light, so that only reflected rays
were seen. The motive power is given by an eight-
horse power gas-engine working in the basement of the
house, and this requires no attention. The carbon
point, when the lighting commenced on Saturday, was
a foot in length, and after four hours' burning only
six inches had been consumed, so that one point may
be fairly estimated to burn at least six hours. Placing
a new point in will occupy only a few seconds. The
effectiveness of the light for street illumination was
apparent to all who were in Regent-street on Saturday
night."

On Monday evening there was a trial of the
electric light in the erecting shop in Portsmouth
dockyard. The machine used was one of the Wilde's
electro-magnetic machines, and intended for service
on board the Iris. The lamp was placed near the roof
of the building, the carbon points being adjusted by
hand. The whole shop was lighted up, though the
shadows were opaque. Two lights, it is believed,
would be sufficient for practical purposes. After the
light had been tested nakedly, it was tried under a
dull glass globe, but the result was not so satisfactory
as before. No attempt was made to divide the
current. The Admiral-superintendent, Rear-Admiral
the Hon. F. A. C. Foley, was among the officers who
witnessed the trial.

On Tuesday evening Mr. Frederic Maccabe exhi-
bited with success the electric light known as the
Jablochkoff light, at the premises of Messrs Cope
Brothers, Liverpool, and in the course of an address
remarked that the success of the Jablochkoff candle
used in the Gramme machine had caused the resuscita-
tion of many inventions which had proved worthless a
quarter of a century since. He had reason to believe
that Mr. Edison would make some grand improvements
in the electric light, but at the same time knew how
that great inventor must smile at the discoveries con-
tinually attributed to him. Students of electricity knew
that some of the reported discoveries were very old, and
that platinum wire had been tried and found wanting
20 years ago. The experiments of Dr. Siemens, of
Berlin, had materially advanced towards the perfecting
of an electric light, but even an extensive use of the
light would not be a reasonable ground for the recent
panic in gas shares. While gas was being crushed
out for lighting purposes its use would be growing in
other directions, and would be used extensively in
the heating of the engines for generating electricity.
Then again the vested interests of the gas companies
would enable them to compete successfully for the
adoption of any improvement for the production of
light. He believed that ere long railway carriages
would be supplied with the electric light, the motive
power being furnished by the engines. Mr. Maccabe
concluded by expressing his eleasure to notice that
it had been decided to light up the Thames Embank-
ment, which was eminently fitted for the experi-
ment.

The New York papers announce that a new inven-
tion has been patented for the subdivision of the
electric light by two electricians, named Sawyer and
Man, of New York. The invention is said to be a very
simple one, consisting of a small pencil of carbon little
larger than a pin, and connected by wires with an
electric machine enclosed in a hermetically sealed glass
globe filled with pure nitrogen gas. The new inven-
tion is known as the Electric Dynamic Light, and is
stated to emit a brilliant white light. The company
asserts its ability to fit up lights equal to thirty gas,
aid state that by a very small switch in the wall the
current of electricity can be divided so as to supply
any number of burners. The meter difficulty has been
overcome by an invention which will register the num-
ber of burners and the number of hours they are
lighted. A company has been formed for the purpose
of working the patent.

The Brussels Correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette
writes :—M. Biebuysk, agent of patents at Brussels,
has received from Mr. Edison the necessary documents
for taking out the patent for his invention relative to
the practical employment of the electric light. Similar
documents have been sent for the same purpose to the
principal towns of Europe.

The New York Sun prints an account of an interview with
Mr. Edison, of which the following is an extract :
"On being questioned concerning the articles of in-
corporation of the Edison Electric Light Company,
recently filed with County Clerk Gumbleton, of this
city, Mr. Edison said that they proposed to light the
city, public buildings, and private residences with
electric lights. The electricity would be made by 20
or more engines, stationed in different parts of the city.
Instead of manufacturing all the electricity at one cen-
tral point, as gas companies make gas, there would be
20 stations. Each station would have an engine and
several electric generating agencies. 'You know,' said
the professor, that when electricity goes out it must
always get back to where it went from. Therefore each
station will have one grand return wire, with which
separate wires will connect, thus forming the necessary
electric circuit. I think that the engines will be power-
ful enough to furnish light to all houses within a circle
of half a mile. We could lay the wires right through the
gas pipes, and bring them into the houses. All that will
.be necesiary will be to remove the gas burners and sub-
stitute electric burners. The light can be regulated by a
screw the same as gas. You may have a btight light or
not, just as you wish. You can turn it down or up, just
as you please, and can shut it off at any time. No match
is needed to light it. You turn the cock, the electric con-
nexion is made, the plantinum burner catches a proper
degree of heat, and there is your light. There is neither
blaze nor flame. There is no singing nor flickering. I
do not pretend that it will give a much better light
than gas, but it will be whiter and steadier than any
known light. Ido know now that it will be cheaper
than gas. It will gives no fumes nor smoke. No
carbonic acid gas will be thrown off by combustion.
It will be a great thing for compositors, engravers,
and all forced to work during hot summer nights, for
it will throw out hardly any heat. Shades may be
used the same as shades upon gaslights, but there
will be no real necessity for them. The wind cannot
blow it out. There can be no gas explosions, and no one
will be suffocated, because the electricity is turned
on, for it cannot be turned on without lighting the
burner. A person may have lamps made with flexible
cords, and carry them from one point to another.'
Can you measure the amount of electricity used?' I
asked. 'Well,' Mr. Edison replied, I have made no
attempt to discover a meter. I know that it can be
measured, but it may take some time to find out how.
I propose that a man pay so much for so many
burners whether he uses them or not. If I find
that this works an injustice, why I shall try
to get up a meter, but I fear it will be very
hard to do it.' Mr. Edison says that elec-
tric generating machines could be placed upon
steamboats and locomotives, and the boats and
cars lighted by the action of the engines, but the
instant that the machinery stopped the lights would
go out. He thinks that it may be necessary to have
an extra engine in each station in cities, to be pre-
pared for accidents. If the first engine should break
down, the second one could be used to feed the lights.
Country towns, with the use of the electric generating
machines, could he lighted by water power. Any
Power could be used, provided it was strong enough to
tun?. the
rapidity." shaft of the machine with the necessary