Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-11-02
EDrsoN.s NEW LrGHr.
Electricity 20 Take the Place of
Gas inn All Cities.

IL MANAA AAtC ANPAN
sentative of the Graphic entered
and encountered the pleasant faces
of Mr.. Bachelor, EdisOn's indis-
pensable assistant, and Mr.. Griffin,
secretary and correspondent.
tNow, what is that inhOspitable
sign fOr?o they were asked.
tsYou see," Bachelor said, tsEdi-
son is altogether more amiable than
it is wise to be. He doesn't want to
bar anybody out, so he lets all sorts
of inquisitive people come here and
occupy his time, when they are
moved by no motive higher than
idle curiosity. But at important |
seasons like this we can induce him
10 keep some of the people out"
ale is particularly busy now, is |
hep" asked The Graphic.
"Yes," responded Bachelor
'sthe fact is, for several weeks now |
he has been at work night and day |
on this electric light. He has
driven it into a pretty small corner
at last. Here he comes and can
speak for himself"
At this point Mr.. Edison came
Gathering down the stairs, glowing
with 2 pleasant excitement and evil
IDENTITY Just emerged from his wiz
ards cave. "HellO, is that you ?''
he said rapidly. sin week or two
I'll have my electric light ready for
you to illustrate, if you care to do
500
"YoU seem to be making panic
among the gas companies" said
The Graphic.
"Well, yes; those old fellows
know what they are about. Ive
got 'em, certain, and they are find
ing il out"
lis there really any good cause
for this sudden tumble of gas
stocks ,"
sit is a little precipitate, perhaps,
but it was bound to come. The
electric light is the light of the flu
tUre and it will be my light-un-
less" he added, with a cOnciliatory
twinkle, ''some other fellow gets up
Il better one. Still, the gas stocks
need not decline. The companies
can Just adopt electricity instead of
gas and run our wires inside of their
pipes"
'1The American Gaslight AssOcia-
ton doesn't believe in you" sug-
gested a scientific gentleman who
was present.
fThOse gentlemen are right from
their point of view," said Edison,
''but they talked in the dark. They
didn't know what 1 had got hold of.
l;atchelOr was at their meeting and
was greatly amused"
However, seeing is belieVing,"
continued he" and | will show you
the electric light and my methods
of feeding and regulating it, only
STIMULATING that you shall give no
description OF it which shall Vitiate
my patents in Germany, applied
for, but not yet granted"
He led the way up stairs again,
to the second story of the laboratory,
which has been i'm the Graphic, and
paused before the bench where he
first hit on the phOnOgraph, and
where he finished the telephone.
Three small brass standards were
there, six or eight inches high, each
with a small glass globe or cylinder
at the top, enclosing a curious nest
Of wires. From each standard a
wire descended through the floor.
''These are the lamps" said the
inventor, Telighting the pipe which
had gone out and laying it on the
bench where it Immediately per-
ished again. He touched lever on
the bench. "NOw the current is on
this lamp he explained, touching
the smallest "it is lighted, but you
do not see it," Presently the nest
of wire at the top assumed a dull
crimson glow. In another minute
it was scarlet; then it turned to a
fierce white heat.
''Of course, there is no flame," he
said "the light is wholly from in
candescence. That light is just
about equal to one gas jet. l can
increase or diminish it to any eX-
tent. l can regulate it with mathe-
NAUTICAL accuracy"
"What is that wire that glows ?''
"That is platina."
GLOW long will it last ?"
Forever, almost. 1t will not
burn. 1t never OXydiZes."
Then he turned it down through
all shades of red, till the light van
ished. "You do not see it nOw," he
said "but it is lighted. 1t is in
visible, and the electricity required
is almost infinitely small, bat it is
there, and touch will recall it
see I" and he tapped the lever and
the illumination returned. "HOw's
that for a sick room ?'' he asked
with a broad smile of pleasure.
lie connected the circuit with the
two other lamps, and showed their
different patterns of capacities.
Then he explained the popularity
which rendered this electric light
practicable and valuable, and said,
''If a statement of that were pub
lished, it might invalidate my
foreign patents" He didn't ask an
"aiiidaVy" of secrecy, but seemed
satisfied with the negative atfirma-
ton of silence.
-'This Is exactly what you want
it to be then, is it ," asked one of
the party.
"Not exactly" said Mr.. Edison
"there are three points to be per-
fected. / am working on them now.
One is an electricity meter. You
see this thing has to be invented
from the very beginning"
"Where does this electricity come
from ?'' he was asked.
"DOwn stairs. 1t is furnished by
>
machine-William Wallace, of
Ansonia n wonderfully ingenious
man. We Use his generator. 1t !
simply turns power into gas. In (
actual operation one large engine |
would supply a whole town with |
light"
elbow much will your lights cost, |.
Mr.. Edison ?n
They'll cost 4 good deal less than |
gas. How much less is not now |
certain, nor is it prudent to eSti- /
mate it. But cOnfidentiaIly ] will /
tell you that
mir. Edison here told i'm a Whis- /
per how cheap he thought the cleo
trio light could be furnished; but |
the Graphic Ambassador did not \
take notes, and is uncertain whether
he said il would cost cents an
hour for 100 feet, or cent for four
hours for 100 burners.
We returned to the electric lamps.
'NOu light one Of these" said
Edison, "by Just turning a thumb
screw. No light of matches, no
danger Of SUiTOcatiOn or damage if
YOU have it turned on full. And
the beauty of it is, said he taking
,,n bf- afnn opI iiogbtipgr II Gtbaf