, 1877-07-14
MORE ABOUT TIE ELECTRIC
C1NDLE.
From the Times

The value Of electricity as a source Of artif-
cial light has always been recognized, and its
utilization has frequently been attempted. The
great obstacle, however, which has hitherto
prevented the practical attainment of this object
is the diff Guilty of sub!ividirg an electric cur
rent and producing a number Of Ii gifts from one
main source. This subdivision of the current
as it flows from the generator has several times
been attempted, and in some cases, experiment
tally at least, it has been attended with success.
The fine carbon points we're, however, quickly
consumed when burnt in contact with oxygen,
and thin platinum wires melted as soon as they
began to give a perfect light, and so far as We
are aware, no system of subdivision of electricity
has come into practical operation. About the
first who attempted to solve the problem was
NJ. L0lyghin. of St. Petersburg, who, some few
years since, used a vacuum, burning the carbon
out of contact with the oxygen of the atmOs'
phere. The details of his apparatus, however,
were imperfectly worked out, and failure result
ed. NJ. KOsloff then took up NJ. %Lodyghin's
idea, and in time succeeded in producing an
efficient means of subdiyiding the electric light.
BY forming the holders for the carbon points
of a special metal, and producing the light in a
vacuum lamp, excellent results were produced.
NJ. XosIoff's apparatus was exhibited in London
in May, 1874, and sons very successful trials
we're made with it, and reported upon by us
at the time. 1t does. not, however, appear that
this invention went beyond the phase of expert
ment, at least in England, although it was an
invention of great promise. Hence, Wherever
electricity has been utilized, as in lighthouses
andfOrSignalling or other purposes, the constant
shortening of the carbon points by combustion
has to be compensated for and followed up by
clock work, 50 that the necessary distance
between the points is preserved as nearly uni
form as possible.
It has remained for another Russian man of
Goience-M. Paul Jablochkoff, who was former
~ in the Russian military servioe-tO demon
strate in practice the feasibility of sub'dividlng
the electric current. lie has worked out his
results in the form of an electric candle, which
governs the probation of the electric Ilght ana
supersedes the ordinary clockwOrk arrange
ment. BY it he has, moreover, demonstrated
the possibility of obtaining several lights from
a single source of electricity. This first prac-
teal trial of this system was made a tortnlghe
ago at the Magasins du Louvre, aud the ex
periments we're attended with perfect success.
The Marengo Hall was the apartment
lighted. and six electric candles were
sufficient to shed around a very bright
light, which was softened by being transmitted
through opal glass globes. som idea of the
comparative value of gas and the electric llgnT
under notice may be formed when we STATE
that the Marengo Hall is ordinarily illumlnat'
ed by means of 100 argand gas burners 81 the
largest size. The cause of the wide dHference
between this and other electric lights lies Ia
the fact that electricity plays, so to speak only
a secondary part in producing the light; Inc
light is principally the result of the combustion.
of the refraoting material which occupies IN
the electric candle the same position as does
wax or tallow in ordinary candles.
The electric candle, as originally Designed
by NJ. Jabloohkof, consisted of what may be
termed a double wick and a surrounding mate
rial. The wick consisted Of two carbon points
about Lin. long, embedded parallel TO eacn'
other in an insulating substance, by wn'0n S!so'
they were separated from each other; InIs
material, which was consumed as veil as the
double wick, was composed of several. lngredl'
ents, forming a combination known only by tne
inventor. Each of the carbon points term'n'
ated at the bottom 10 a small metal t1oe nn1o
which the conducting wires were leo WIN
these candles q series OF experiments
was some time since carried out by a war
Office Committee of Royal Engineers at OnaS-
ham. It was then demonstrated as one resoas
that the system gave so. per cent. greater PSw "w
If light than had ever before been, obtained RON