Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-04-12
Ihe gspnblifaa.
Electric Light.

/
ever before. 1t is certainly far from i'm
+ possible that many who are now living
may witness products of genius vet I'M
thought of, which, for usefulness. may be
! ranked with the Locomotive, the Telegraph,
and the Photograph. endeed, we are not
visionary in believing that we are already
advancing into the shadow OF something
4 which may be as admirable and useful as
any of them. Recent advances in science
seem to indicate plainly the path which
promises to lead to one Cf the most benif-
icent developments.
1t has been demonstrated that what we
call Light, Heat, and Electricity, and sup
posed TO be peculiar kinds of matter. are
after all, only forms or modes Of motion
that the motions which constitute their
peculiarities have no greater differences
among themselves than the motions Of our
ordinary machines. 1t has been demon
strated that they may be converted into
each other that either of them may be
converted into ordinary mOtion-and, con
versely- that ordinary motion may be con
veTied into either Ofthem. In other words
their production and operation involve
simple questions of mechanics. The pre-
else amount of mechanical force required
/ to produce heat and electricity have been
exactly and maihematically determined.
! Thus, the force of the falling of q weight
of one pound distance of 772 feet will
produce heat just sufficient to raisea pound
/ OF water one degree Fahrenheit. This
/ exact transformation of falling force mo
heat may be accomplished with the greatest
ease. The converse. however, we have not
yet reached in practice. In our attempts
/! by the steam engine to get heat into ordi-
nary useful motion, we practically realize
only about five per cent. OF what we strive
after. 1t is possible that, before the Nine
/ teenth Century closes. we shall learn how
+ to secure all, or nearly all, of that % per
cent. which now escapes Us. When we
have that knowledge, one pound OF fuel
which we use for generating power may
have its present value multiplied nearly
/ tWentY-fold.
The ..@@50rs of scientific men, within the
last five years. have developed methods or
transforming ordinary force into electricity
When these methods are put into the most
practical form, we shall have electricity so
cheap that its applications may be multi
piled a hundred fold.
/ Practical results have not been so fully
obtained in attempts to transform mechan-
ical force into light. But what we know
is sufficient to fill us with the most exalted
expectations. The possibilities are too
bright even for dreams. The precise
amount oftorce required to produce given
degree of light has not been determined
mainly for the reason that it is so small that
Il el1des our mcGSUT6meRt Ii is asserted by
Swans that the strength ola child would be
sufficient to turn night into day for the City
of New York, provided that strength were
wholly converted into, and should reappear
as, light. MAY not this be accomplished in
I the Nineteenth Century.
: But. concerning Electric Light, wonder
+ ful things are already accomplished facts.
We have transformed force into light
through the medium Of electricity, and the
process has been 4 success. Such light
promises to come, ere long, into general
use.
Thorough experiments in France and
ENGLAND and official arrangements for tests
in the United States, indicate the Importance
attached to electricity for Illuminating
lighthouses. The results at Cape Ia Ieve
on the French, and at Dungeness on the
British coast, prove that, in clear weather,
the electric light is visible seven miles fur
Their OF miles against POI than the best
lights ever before shown at those points;
while the advantages are still greater in
thick weather; rs its density, whiteness,
and brilliancy. enable il 10 penetrate iogs
that almost totally obscure other lights.
The successful experiments of the French
Lighthouse Board, corroborated by the
British experiments, may well encourage
our American Lighthouse Board in the tests
about to be Instituted in this country,
especially rs the difficulties which cause the
British authorities 10 hesitate about introdu-
cling the electric light generally along their
coasts (''lest their heavy machinery. might
break DOWN. are understood to have been
overcome by inventions of American
genius.
Il may be added that the hrilliancy Of the
Electric Light viii actually throw shadows
from the flames of street lamps on a wal
distant about 500 feet, and that il surpas
ses sunlight in aphing-efiectins
the object in one third of the time required
by Sol himself Some of the Brihsl
photographers now use the Electric Ligh
at night for much ftheir work, especially
for copying and charging pictures.
profitable part oftheir business.
The occasional working of the Atlantic
Gables (both being thrown into one circui
of nearly 5000 niles by the infiniteSimally
small battery in lady's thimble has 81
utterly revolutioniZed the notions Of elee
tricians and telegraphers concerning th,
power required for working that vas
telegraphic circuit, that intelligent people
are now scarcely surprised at the lates
assertions concerning the illimitable resOur
ces for cheapiy generating Electric Light
and the quality of tina. lighrcompared will
solar light.
The electrical display on top of tn
Massachusetts State House one Fourth Q
. July night, which shed flood of light tia
enabled people to read newspapers OF
, Boston Common. was useful in indication
what may be profitably done by apparatu
less clumsy and less costly So also wit
! the g weighty machinery" that produce
brilliant results in fog or clear weather o.
, the Dungeness Lighthouse on the BIRTHS
E coast. Simplify and cheaper the mode c
eifecting such results, and what is ther
to prevent the general use Of electricity i
producing light? Why should not on
streets and our harbors, our factories an
workshops, our offices and our homes, b
thus brilliantly and cheaply illuminated
now that American scientific skill has devils
ed certain modes ofproducing electric ligf
which are claimed to be ''more economics
. and effective than any of the method
, hitherto employed?
We scarcely open foreign scientifi
journal without finding illusions 10 variou
uses for which electric light are employed
or about to be employed One ofthe late:
papers March s. says that one of thes
lights is arranged for service on board th
Prince Jerome, Prince Napoleon's yacl
mot to illuminate the vessel itself, bu
on the contrary, TO throy light o
other objects such as avessel, or
coast for purposes of attack or defens,
For such uses, especially in case of 70!
: this light promises to prove very valuabl
as ships at full speed. or lying-to, or at al
chorage, can thus be kept free from dal