The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-22
DAYLIGHT AT MIDNIGHT.
tIR. EDTSON's LATEST EXPETIMENTS
WITH THE ELECTRIC LTOHT


Library lie ThInAs he Can Lipht and
IIrnt Private House. and Run Sewing Ma
.hiacs wish the Same Telegra phic Circuit. |
Crimy and sootv Thomas Edison ycstcr- |
day descended from his Mcno PARK laboratory. |
All his tme and energy are now bent toward |
uo development Of the electric light Ills eyes |
arc bright and restless. and his motions quick |
and impulsivc. II is easy to see that his |
thoughts are with his experiments when talk |
Ing On the most commonplace SUBJECTS Tho |
thing IL opening up before me-" no says. and I
am daily making now and most important !
discoveries lie seems like man walking in |
another world.
when asked concerning tho report that nm
Examiner in the Patent Oricc had rejected his
application for n patent upon dvisiblc electric
li.;ht ON the ground that 1t is an infringement
upon an invention made by John w. Starr Of
Cincinnati in 1si5. he said that It could not be
true Prot Morton. in an article printed in
THE SuN Inst week. spoke OF that invcn-
ton he says. Tho patent was taken out In
England by a Mr. King who was STAIRS Patent
Solicitor. 1t was for an electric lamp. Tho
Light came from incandesccnt carbon and was
identical with tho light now on exhibition in
Now York hy Sawyer 4 Mann"
Hero Mr.. Edison referred to Prof. Morton's
article. which described the Starr light as con-
sisting "of an alright glass vessel within
which n small rod of platinum or carbon was
- placed tina, it could be heated Intensely by
the rassage OF nm electric current. The air was
removed from within the vessel. in cnse n car
bon rod was used. 90 prevent It's combustion"
Mr. Edison says his invention is different
9" | can't patent tho diyisibility Of tho electric
light" he adds but can patent the means
that allows IT, In other words. can patent a
lamp or any device that will make this divi-
zion. Ny application for patent for lamp is
already before the Commissioner. and is taking
its regular course. According TO the rules OF
the Patent ONCE nothing concerning 1t can be
diyulgcd. have heard that 1t is progressing
ftvornhy and that ia all I have heard Ono
thing is certain. Ny application does not con-
iir with STAIRS invention. have already re-
,elN.u seven patcntS oenrlng on the electric
similar applications are now, under way.
french aud English patent records and scien-
tine Journals from the earliest dntes down 10
the past fortnight. and nothing like my ar
rang'meuf- has been revealed.
" Scientific journals" says Mr. Edison " fire.
Quen,ly pick mo up on msstatements by re-
Iorters. For instance. one OF your attaches
son" time ago represented me as saying that |
could produce 10000 lights with one electric ma
chine. He isunderstood mo- | meant that |
could produce 10000 lights from one station
and there might be from thirty 10 my machines
IN each station. IL you remember propose 10
light cities from electric stations the wires COW
ering so many blocks. There s vast differ
Now" continued Mr.. Edison. "I ind tho
scientific journals going for, me on the idea Of
know that there is an enormous loss in trans
forming steam power into electric power, but II
than the original cost Of the steam power there
isaeood profit Notwithstanding this loss. To
electric light could put electric p poS% '9 into
private house that would run a sewing machine.
seventy.nve per cent. but IL could get ten
rents day for supplying the power TO run each
Do you mean 70 tell me that you can supply
ms power with the same engines, the same
would use to produce the electric hght"
II mean just that" answered the Professor.
smiling. and II am not mistaken In the
purpoIt q my, experiments. mean TO say that
elecrc power Tor sewing or other %a sIfs
with the same telegraphic circuit l have made
heat Witch has
been wasted Ny discovery is substance
the heat. and gives enough OF II 70 cook beef
steak or make tea, soup or coffee. / am not
in saying that il BIDS fair to be a success We
Sest. light. and motive power. There Is less less
loss in turning IL into light and heat than in
motive power Is Considerable. and is probably
due to defects in the electric machine. The loss
trSnsi9fgTmipg electricity Into light and heat
Here Mr.. Edison folded his arms and re-
lapsed into brown study. The electric light
was recalled. and he resumed the conversation.
The success q the light" he said "is as
ments thus FAR. can 20 TO New York and buy
gas from the gas companies at the rate they are
gine turn II into motive power Tor the pr1duc-
tion Of electricity. and transform the electricity
into light giving better light. more OF u end
fully as cheap, II not cheaper. than the original
what was done BY Prot Apony, with German
leum engine ] read Il In THE Sun. The en-
CINE consumed u little over six and a half
bounds Of crude petroleum per hour II pro-
Ilcei stream 81 electricity having an M.
initiating power three times greater than that
Mr.. Edison reflected n moment and then
said: Now write this down as give u to YOU.
j is a law that have figured out and verified
Take gas Jet having ten inches OF radatns
Surface. baruing five ieet Of gas an hour giving
llght ep9ai ~ fifteen candies II the radating
Hnriac" ~ this gas Jet could by any Sslhle
means be- r-u"'d from ten inches to an eighth
81 an inch without losing any heat, the tempera-
creased. and would give light equal 10 that Of
gJpbiQ'hkon electric candle. or a light equal to
In other words continued Mr.. Ellison " II
n were possible 10 concentrate gus Jet 10 the
80 Nc llsht 81 800 candles Instead - hleon.
We ngurei THIS cat aud verified II. This shows
Nnrr. electricity gains iot wliie II Is not pos
siue 10 concentrate me gits I"t. keeping MI the
heai IN H. you can turn II into electricity. and
practically concentrate 1t by the use OF gas
engine. II the ra- men could 'onccntraie their
gas ltt- there would b" NO use for an elctri;
hshti They furnish ninety per cent. Of heat.
watch you lon't want ~ give You ten per cent.
OF Hight. When you turn their gas into ele trie-
nv you sel ninety per cent. Of hight and only ten
prT cent 90 heat
Nr Ellison then retired 10 his laboratory. All
NNlois ana lnpuir'rs cooperating the electric
eoinTany in this city. The Professor Will SOC
pnly his intimate friends and very few NJ them.
me preparations tor the decisive experiment
house Is rooted and tie engine ~ the railroad
depot Tho wires will probably be- up within
tx weeks. and midnight ~ Menlo Park viii be
hoOded with daylight