The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-25
THE NEW ELECTRIC LIGHTS.
uutr Mr.. EDISON THINKS OF THE
RECENT ENGLISH INTENTION.

Marvellous Type W riter-A Patent Sc
.,r,d through the Use orthc Atlantic Gable.
, small American flag huttcred from the
.,of ofofthe new engine house in the rear OF Mr..
vMson's Mcnlo Park laboratory on Saturday.
Tbe building is nearly completed. The boiler
4. IN positlon. but the engine remains on the
-,.,,orn cars near the dopot. A score or more
s,men are at work in the yard. and every pos
ma nreparation IL being made for the de-
.,.,vc experiment with the electric light. The
,av.n,ors faith in the practicability Of his in
..,,,on ia shown by the estimated cost Of the
..osr,ment He purposes to start In at Menlo
~,,h 0 0O0 lights, usinR telegraph poles with
s.oen lights on each arm. This experiment.
sa.lndine the cost Of the buildings. engine.
..r.rating machines. and everything. he
,hi,ts will eat up from $4,000 to 100000.
One Of his assistants says: always 60 on the
rrinciple Of adding thirty per cent 10 the esti-
,ns,ed cost Of all experiments. and find myself
,s.rcr right in the end. 1t will cost nearer
,25OOO than 500 900 to make this experiment
a. Meno."
N, Edison nodded his head approvingy
"whatever the cost he said. 1t will prove
,he practicability. cheapness. and utility of this
,ubdivsion Of the electric light beyond
doubt"
hv A corresponding increase in the price Of
,hares OF the Edison Company. It is under
stood that 26O has been offered and accepted.
Tho men at Meno say that they are told that
me stock Of prominent gas company was re-
emily offered by auction at Nicolays in Wall
stree. ~he highest bid was seventy. Tho
shares we're withdrawn.
On receiving this information the writer said
,tat n well-iniormed Wall street gentleman
thought the purchase Of gas stocks was the
i.s, investment that n moneyed man could
make NJ this time. He thought they had
i1nclcd bottom. and would rapidly come to the
tnrfaee undcr the influence exerted by the
printed opinions OF Prof. Morton and other
sayans. Mortons articles had excited grave
doubts as to the utility OF Mr.. Edisons inven-
ton But even supposng that the Edison idea
was practicable there was always the chance
that the inventor might die and his invention
relapse into ohscurity for want Of development
NJ Edison tore soiled silk handkerchief
from his neck. and laughed outright.
Has this Wall street gentleman any money!"
askel one Of his assistants.
Il don't know" was the answer. Why do
you ask ?"
Because II no has any money. and backs up
bis opinion with IT, he's sure TO lose II" he said.
Mr. Edison broke into the conversation. He
seemed 10 think that Prof. Morton owned gas
stock. or was writing In the interest OF the gas
companies although he gave no expression to
such an opinion. His assistants. however. free
" uttered their suspicious. My DEATH" said
Mr.. Edison. could not destroy the utility OF
ny invention. The thing is proved TO be OF
practical use. keep a record OF each expert
nent and file away every drawing. Not an
siching or scrap OF paper is destroyed. Batch" :"
turning 10 one Of his assistants. who was ngur-
Ing out a problem. show him the records OF
our experiments with the electric light"
Bachelor disappeared and returned stagger-
ing under load OF books and foolscnp paper.
They would have made the ewes OF an old-paper
man dance with delight There were over a
thousand sheets of drawings alone. A notary's
seal was stamped on each sheet stranger
might have taken them for a manuscript edi-
tion OF Euclid sandwiched between scores Of
algebraic equations. The record was complete.
There was not a lapse. There they are" con-
tinued Mr.. Edison. Look them over for your
self. Before we get through with our expert
ments on this light. we shall have a pile OF
papers that will reach from the floor TO the
Confident himself in the success Of his inven-
tion. Mr. Edison seems pleased with INDICATIONS
Ia6hri 4 chauncey have bought from the Edi-
son Company the exclusive right to the use Of
the new electric light in South America. Prom
one oi the officers Of the steamship City Of Rio
JAnAiro the writer learns that the contract for
lighting the BRAZILIAN capital expires very soon.
II view Of the franchise bought by Iahbr n
Ihanpcey he thought II not improbable that
KiQ Janelro might be the first city in the world
lighted by electricity
THE RECENT ENGLISH INVENTION
In further conversation alluded to reports
that gentlemen in England and France had dis
covered means for the subdivision OF electric
nsht drew from my pocket slip rom the
no. America had solved the great problem oi
Tie diyIsihily Of this light 4 Mr.. Wer-
arrmann had given public exhibition of an
invention Tor lighting with divided electric
current. The current was generated by means
q q two horse power GrRmmes plating ma
ehne and was conducted along cable serving
U lght two lamps. stated to have the illumi-
h@ins power of about $50 candles each. The
nrht whieh was perfectly steady and IN the room
vs. soii and sunlke could be looked 1T will out
os'omior, though IL WAS not shaded. The
Wimng, n" arger lamps being eXtnguished,
was N" fNhilliion OF ten smaller lamps. led by
We same current. From the cable. which might
sam 20 t"IrHs Mt gas main, wire. answer
ins o. s'ryico pipe. asccnded 10 the positive
eletrole = each light. The construction of tho
IAmp may he thus described; An upright rod 81
clrhon 10e positive electr 1del resembling an
orvnnry saie pencil, touching the centre Of the
uhl-r sle" ~ a disk Of carbon the negative
e.'U9ie' which Was somewhat like half
pound weight Briefly. the lamp may be roughly
compared To- common weight balanced on q
U ~ The apparatus served TO keep tho pOsiti ve
eleVroie In its place AS the carbon would be
clnsumrd Another cable and n special wire
pIls1 900 M" negative electrodes. and n the
itS amp The current went 10 earth The con-
spNon having been made, the ton lamps were
uon'e lighted earh light was stated 10 be ot
9I loNycandle power. The lamps burned
nsRaily. with a beautifully soft anA clear white
,,sbt First one of the ten lights was then eN-
essssaiished. and aiterwarl a second. the only
sNsA 9n the rema ainder being that they became
HSauy more brilliant, as gas viii sometimes
ltler similar circumstances, Mr. Morder-
.wluA explained that this would not really hc
~ ,tse rs there would be Ru arrangement by
wniti nm the extinction OF n light tho current
s"u9 o. directed along "A supplementary wire.
itLl ll re- stance % the consumption ol tho
a.fTut ~ mat the resistance in tho case Ot the
W.. llehis on the circuit would remain un-
M Werd rmaun. with the aid Of diagrams
fApalnei bis invention. II was well known.
~ hull uGi when they burned nm electric light
y, w" far0lne, one carbon burned out in a
yy'"et, W.l'e the other burned to a point: thus
II .hn urt0u was consumed twice as mt as
~ NlArr. II l'rurred 20 him 10 tud out what
,,,ahRe would take place If he varied the Sec
% SD4 %. lAH eleoirodos-that was, II he made one
SNIDoh smaller and the other larger h" then
a. y ttl9 curious fact that when he had
T'e'e'iri" are 81 one inch he could not maintain
WW d he diminished the sectlOu OF his pos
49, 49, eAIl"l Ne w.ui ON reducing tho section
A. NHshHud' oi ils positive carbon, the electric
T, per0mihs leSsened In regular proportion
,Ntt Vt dilerNuce 81 section of the two rlcc.