The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-11-21
ABOUT THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
The Progress that hns been Made towards
its Introduction ns IN Elluminntor

There is probably more inventive gcni
us engaged in working out the yarou,
possibilities Of electricity Mt the present
time than in any other direction. Ger.
tanly, the recent achievements of inven.
tion into which electricity enters us an
agency have attracted wider public
attention than all others. The growtl,
Of this dabbling with the electric fluid
by inventors, is indicated by the fact that
ut tho Mechanics Fair in Boston this
Fall there have been eighteen entries
classed under the head of electrical in
vchtions, whereas four years ago there
were but nine. Just now the greatest
interest focuses on the endeavo-s TO at.
tain cheap electric lightning. The prac-
ucal applications Of the electric light to
everyday purposes arc as yet mostly
confined to England and France. The
London Times has introduced the light
into its establishment, aud the London
public bonrd of works are experimenting
with it along that magnificent boulevard
called the Thames embankment. In
Haris the use Of the light is more COM
mon. III this country the most notable
display of the electric light is Mt the
Mechanics Fair in Boston, where two
rival American machines, the Wallace.
Farmer and the Brush, are in operation
sue by side, illuminating the Iarge Ex-
-hibition Hall with sunlight brilliancy.
-Four lights appear to be the capacity of
the latter machine and five of the for.
mer, and one uses carbon points or pen
cils, while the other consumes its carbon
in the form of oblong plates. But n
grea! deiect OK these lights, as well rs of
the famous JabblochkoT candle and all
a En- Il
lightning, is that the carbon necessary to
the illumination is burned away and has
to be frequently renewed. thus adding
sensibly to the cost of the light The
other difficulty is that, as the lights are
multiplied OH given circuit, the ;llnmi.
mating power is reduced OF: of all pro-
portion to the electricity expended.
Edison claims to have remedied both
OF these defects. The past week has also
brought to public attention still another
inventor, who processes to have achieved
the same thing in what is called "the
Sawyer Mann lamp" This lamp ia on
successful exhibition at New York. and
a one and half horse power engine il
sad to be equal to supplying sixty of
them. 1t uses q single carbon pencil,
out Its burning away is avoided by sim.
ply placing over it n Theoretically sealed
glass globe. by this arrangement the
pencil is enveloped in an atmosphere of
nitrogen gas in which it is incapable of
Being oonsumei. Tie lamp gives an
excellent light, is under perfect control,
and several months since company
with nearly 100000 capital was formed
at New York for its Introduction. A
New England mill, which has been pay.
ing $4,000 year for gas. has, says Mr..
Sawyer, the inventor, ordered two hun
the ensuing year it is estimated, aside
from the. cost of apparatus, will be re-
duced to $40. This cheapness is largely
due of course to The fact that the mill
already uses the requisite engine.power
In it's manufacturing operations, but
where this is specially supplied and the
lightning is carried on to any extent the
cost is immensely less than gas.