The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-11-16
WHOLE No. 723.

insulated from each other, and one of
the conducting wires is connected with
each carbon. In the center, and above
the upper carbon is separated from the
lower as far as desired. Wires from the
source of electricity are placed in the
binding posts. The carbons being to-
gether, the circuit is closed, the electro
magnet acts, raising and lowering the
upper carbon enough to give a bright
light. The light moves toward the op-
posite end from which it starts, then
changes and goes back, always moving
toward the place where the carbons are
nearest together. If from any cause
the light goes out, the circuit is broken,
and the electric magnet ceases to act.
Instantly the upper magnet falls, the
circuit is closed, it relights, and sepa-
rates the carbon again.
Edison on returning home after his
visit to Ansonia, studied and experiment.
ed with electric lights. At last his eff
forts were crowned with success, and the
project that has filled the minds of many
scientific men for years was developed.
81 have it now !" he said, on Satur-
day, while vigorously turning the handle
of Ritchie inductive coil in his la
boratory at Menlo Park, "and, singu-
larly enough, l have obtained it through
an entirely different process than that
from which scientific men have ever
sought to secure it. They have all been
working in the same groove, and when
it is known how l have accomplished
my object every body will wonder why
they have never thought of it, it is so
simple. When ten lights have beenpro
duced by a single electric machich, it
has been thought to be great triumph
of scientific skill. With the process /
have just discovered, l can produce a
thousand-aye, ten thousand-from one
machine. Indeed the number may be
said to be infinite. When the brilliancy
and cheapness of the lights are made
known to the public-which will be in
few weeks or just as soon as | can
thoroughly protect the process-illumi-
nation by carbureted hydrogen gas will
be discarded. With fifteen or twenty
of these dynamo-electric machines re-
Gently perfected by Mr.. Wallace, / can
light the entire lower part of New York
city, using a 500 horse power engine.
''I purpose to establish one of these
light centres in Nassau street, whence
wires can be run up town as far as the
Cooper Institute, down to the Battery,
and across to both rivers. These wires
must be insulated, and laid in the ground
in the same manner as gas pipes. l also
propose to utilize the gas burners and
chandeliers now in use. In each house
l can place a light meter, whence these
wires will pass through the house, tap
ping small metallic contrivances that may
be placed over each burner. Then
housekeepers may turn off their gas, and
send the meters back to the companies
whence they came. Whenever it is de-
sired to light jet, it will only be neces-
sary to touch little spring nearit. No
matches are required.
"Again, the same wire that brings the
light to you," Mr.. Edison continued,
"will also bring power and heat. With
the power you can run an elevator, a
sewing machine or any other .mechani-
cal contrivance that requires motor,
and by means Of the heat you may cook
your food. To utilize the heat, it will
only be necessary to have the ovens or
stoves properly arranged forts tsreception.
This can be done at trihing cost. The
dynamo-electric machine, called tele-
machon, may be run by water or steam
power at a distance. When used in a
large city the machine would of neceS-
sity be run by steam power. have
computed the relative cost of the light
power and heat generated by the cleo
tricity transmitted to the telemachon tc
be but fraction of the cost where OBJ
tanned in the ordinary way. By bat
terry of steam power it is forty-six times
cheaper, and by water power probably
o5 per cent. cheaper"
1t has been computed that by Edison
process the same amount of light that IS
given by 900 cubic feet of the carbu-
reted hydrogen gas now used in this
city, and for which from $3.50 to 81 is
paid, may be obtained for from twelve
to fifteen cents.