The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-12-01
EDISoY's NEW FORCE.
The Discovery Made By a Newark Man. and
Whit He says lt will Do.


ventor, OF Newark. has been experimenting
with what he considers either new force
or tho new Development OF tho previously
known force Of electricity. On the evening Of
Nov. p, while Mr.. Edis on and bis assis ants.
Charles Bachelor AMI James Adams, were
working Ia their laboratory they noticed an nm
usually strong Development Of the new force,
which they recorded in their Journal, as follows:
IN exp rmcnhng win vibrator na,7et =, ns'.'ins
vlbratr ~ m,nu. a. imagine W. rot 4 spir, com
noicci bcforci LAYS. IN STOCK printers Wdcn there
we're iron nlnes nctveeu m" arinsture ana
Always supposed o. was ,nductve eierricny. oui
irong ne We suspected itu sit m ,ons'n@ LINN more re
ilnl m ucu.u. Acting on ulc ,uprosit.n We found
net ~ plcc d meta We roi ,,bc ,ears. We ucn
9ne Of tie moot cu us rheg, hena - that YOU turn
Mre ucl anl ,tl'r portion of its 4 you ~ .pars.
npc We drcw III ~ from The gus pee IN ant part Of
The cork Thls ,in,piy wondrttuI and A rood proof
that tnc cause II he splfk 10 ru, unknown force
Several months ago Mr. Edison had been az
tractcd to weeks Of study and Investigation Of
this same force, and had then been compelled
10 decide that It was electricity by induction.
He Odd not re believe that he was the discoy-
crcr Of % ncv force. But Is more recent inVes-
ugations have led to the discovery that sparks
could he drawn from an instrument or wire that
were apparently electric, out persistently re-
fused to answer any Of the most delicate tests
ci her for vo!tair or even static electricity. The
action was attributed to induction Of n false or
eccentric character. This led to more careful
examination and experiments that after four
~ nt EXPERIMENTATION have given most as
:onishing results.
A strong current Of sparks was drawn from
tho end OF wire that apparently bclon ed To
no circuit Whatever. ~ wns as Thoroughly ~.
sulated a. possible by those materials tn .
are non. conductive Of electricity. and II
circuit was formed It was through
some unknown channel. mirror ralvanum-
etcr, that reveals the presence 81 voltaic
electricity, even when carried through extreme
lengths 81 cattle. was placed In the direct cur
rent Of Sparks Of the new force without being
influenced In the slghtcst degree and strong
charge was thr wn upon the god leaf detectOr
Of static electricity without using the deli
cate leaves 70 uiveTge pCrccptihly.
The earliest EXPERIMENTS were mrde with AN
iron bar. tut later other metals have been used,
and the spark has been obtained IN different de-
grees ~ intensity with antim ny, lead. iron.
carbon, copper. manganese. platinum, mercury,
tin. pail diun. potassium. sodium, tellurium,
ztnc. boron. cagmtum. hismuth, nickel, gold,
cobalt arsenic. thallium, inoium. and silver.
\ later entry in the io irnal descrines the IN
strument that uas been made by MIR. Ellison for
the study II the new force
we a'S 9SA %se Tn s S0 ESs SQ va ss
eyc-Siecc The points were ron, ana we fanmG the
sparSs we're very Irregular Aier resting some time.
I2ed he sraphlie P9a b We ni nS inc on non
| circu aud nasnet operated oy KEY It woul work
H. cover and flc Wire et'ehcd and carrieH ne rSch
S a spe a9 c nee s sS1 W eqq sa s 4s ps1 e'
ihe cover sud ol hat IN, hc'i rr-nlf- were reached
nang4ncse ee.c s,li.fi1t1ry.
As vet Mr. Edison does not understand the
power of the lew force or how o. harness u, but
he claims that II Is ~ distinct ami his regular
laws a. lie 1. magnetism OF electricity. II, ear
lest alpiicailnn.he thnks,wil he to teleerlphv,
| though ifs lower would have to he utillz a
| through the hshi Of the spark, 50 f4r as present
The 81 ark il, believed to have a'tin.c proper.
ties In m lrhod %, gree. and 30 would prove
&c vice hle NJ use with chemical pa or Paper
impresnated with sulphur Is peculiar, susccpti-
| bic to the influence Il the sp NIX. and Mr. l. ~
son has carried nj eXpe .ineut- sum tent ~ f-r
to demonstrate the value Of the new force m
tue direction Of photo reglsterinc.
| registering mecnanical power, but that is not
yet detected. IL seems 10 tee ron-p"lar. ra-
mission To indefinite distances over unin.ul {
ed wire. ms was shown on Sunday. wien
| messages were sent from the laboratory to NJ.
| Edisons house over the street gas pip =. the
only means Of commune .tion. the wires ueing
| Al ached To the burners at each end and there
att ,cuiue wires g. tie Wc-lrrn I ninn Ines. t.
Ncw hrunswi IL, hence - Nv ~ and BACK
! t. Ntwaik. over % miles. nd an incomplete
| q rcuit. the spark teiug as .trong ms thtt shown
hy the artery circuit by thus force mes ages
C. II, according to the experiments. tie sent under
| the Atlantic ON singie unins Ilated wire or, TO
put it more strongly. messages e n be sent
| Clbles. ana tnat without the knowledge of the
operators Of the cable. SnOuid all mat claimed
|
sent to Europe al u cost Of SIS than cent a
word. for single wire would be all that was
necessary TO transmit them.
The force Is retro ctive. the spark being oh
tain bic when he wire Is turned back as to
touch itself, ana II foil IVA a lpuer or iron wire
| without reference to any known cl-cutt. and
| jumping breaks withO 4 dimiuuuon of intensity.
| Whether II can he evolved eXc-It IN connection
! with magnetism or electricity Is unknown. Mr..
! Edison thinks thIt It exists In connection with
! heat, aud that II can also he generated by indie
! pendent and 80 Yet undiscovered means.
| Last ght the wire between the battery and
! the instrument was uroAcn, and the ends were
! come ted 70 the op orltc siue- of 90 Nlnnus
! condenser. There was no complete ctrcaI.. YET
! the spa k passed through the glass logs ana The
! thlcA glass lldte uf the C.nd user. and con-
tinued its course through the wire TO the instru-
! menL where II wa seen In unfinished lustre,
! even after the electrical current had been
| shunted ~ oy means OF n indepe dent citcuit.
| would have cluus 10 the circuit Of conducting
! metals; uut, instead, II brGncbed On through
] tue glass aud wool II the condenser as thou.n
! II found them TO furnish a clearer channel to
! the Dit 4 broken wire on the utner side. The
wire ended IN he instrument mat h already
! been described, and watch was separated from
the cable Dy ass knous, and tue circuit, ii there
| was any. was clearly unin~ulalcu material. And
iu This the practical value of the discovery con-
insulatorr. IL seems u be necessary uniY m Ike
an attachment 10 tine railroad track or 10 " r.
| llid Ia the earth Ia order to transmit Message
! a. readily a. hY he present process. "GrOuud-
I ed aud or s-ed vines VIII 40 lon-er be n
/ banc 81 telegraph ,aerl.ors, tor the new force,
! lar a. lb known. shows nrt 81 tie anlntytO the
/ III.