The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-08
The Light of the Future.

1 III
! Mean temperature. 500.
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The Light of the Future.
| WHAT AN ENGLISH SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL THINKS
OF EDIsoN's LATEST INVENTION.
| The announcement made by the London
attorneys o! Mr.. Edison in the latest mails
that their application for British patent in
Mr. Edison's behalf was fled on the 2lst OF
| October, gives an immediate interest to The
| following article on the Edison light from
the London Engineer. That paper says :
1t may be taken as proved that electricity
can be employed to light streets and large
| public buildings. We regret to find that the
engineers Of the gas companies refuse to adj
nit truth which should be patent to every
one who has recently visited Paris and kept
his eyes open. At the half-yearly meeting
OF the South Metropolitan Gaslight and
Coke Company, held on Monday, Mr.. George
| Liyesy. secretary and engineer to the
company, maintained that the electric light
was not fit light for all public streets, for
q diflused and not concentrated light was
required. The electric light could not be
di1fused; sthey would have very brilliant
centres Of light at long intervals, and ms
they increased the distance from light
| they would have to increase its Intensity
in the ratio OF the square OF the distance.
There was another objection to the electric
light. which was its extraordinary inten-
slty-a light equal TO 1000 candles was no
bigger than fingers end, and its intensity
could not be diminished. Ii the light could
be made as cheap rs gas it would, on ac-
count Of these objections. be wholly un-
suited for ordinary lighting purposes
1t is not necessary to criticise Mr..
~fc nj
cite them only because they are Identical
with those which have been used at nearly
| every recent meeting Of a gas company to
reassure the shareholders. Facts exist
which entirely refute all such statements.
Thus, for example, the Avenue de FOpera,
in Paris, very magnificent new street,
much longer and wider than Pail Mall, is
lighted from end to end by electricity. The
Jablochkoff candles are carried in fortY-siX
opal glass globes at 4 height OF about SIX
teen feet above the pavement. The illumi-
nation is perfect. The whole street is food
ed with IA light as clear and soft and more
brilliant than that OF the moon. There Is
no lack Of diffusion. There are no hard
and offensive shadows. There is no trou-
blesome glare, and it is quite certain that
each lamp gives not much less light than
that of 1000 candles. The Avenue Gle
IPOpera is the most maSnlhcentty
lhghted thoroughfare in the world, and
it is useless to argue, with this fact be-
fore us, that the electric light is unsuita-
BILE for streets. For public buildings it is
equally useful. II those OF our readers
who hesitate to accept this statement can
pay visit to the great Hippodrome in Paris
they will have their doubts set at rest. This
enormous building, capable OF accommo-
dating some 5000 or 1000 visitors. and
more like Roman amphilheatre OF old than
modern circus, is lighted entirely by cleo
= tricity. some twenty-iour lamps being EN-.
| ploycd for the purpose, greater or smaller
= number being ignitcd as the exigencies OF
scenic display require. There is no glare,
no heat, nothing to fatigue the eye, and this
while the smallest stones in the sand with
which the arena is streWed may be seen as
: in daylight by those in the boxes above.
We cxaggerate in no way when we assert
that the Paris Hippodrome could not have
been lighted by gas any more than our own
Crystal Palace. II we descend to smaller
J buildings we find shops and factories
: all over France using the electric
:, light freely and successfully. The
y whole goods-yard of the St. Lazart
terminus OF the Western railway o
: France is lighted by electricity. In one
word, the people OF France have succeeded
in applying electricity to The production O
\ artificial light for every conceivable pur
! nose save the illumination OF private dwell
ings. We are happy to add that in Englant
the example set by France is being followed
> The electric light may be seen every night il
: the Strand, and it has within the presen
| week been adopted by the London Stereo
scopic Company, in Regent street, and b.
: Messrs. Wells & Co., in Shoreditch. 10 al
a F.;l
!. suitable or inapplcable to the required pun
pose, is sheer waste Of time, and we are SUI
prised that gentlemen OF Mr.. Livesy's stand
J ing should be so ignorant Of what is goin
j on around them rs to be able Conscientious
to assert the contrary.
"The weak points about theelectric ligh
J are its enormous cost, and the fact that u
: to this moment no means have been devise
y for bringing it into dwelling-nouSes. Eve
this last statement must, however, be take
| with some reserve, ii the news whic
breaches us from America be true. 1t is no
) easy to see why the expense Of lighting
= street by electricity should be enormous
but it appears that it is so. 1t will be see
that il Mr.. Edison be right. gus shares wi
become of very small value indeed. MI
Edison is so much sTraid OF pirateS-an
not unreasonably-tbat he absolutely re
IttSeS 10 make Tue SLlaReSG ueIailS Vi lEe III
agention public until his patents are sc
scurfd. Were it not that such thing
las the telephone and microphone exist
1--WE should say that Dir. Edison wa
icomp!etely mistaken. AS it is, we mus
leon,eut ourselves with saying that he ma.
have discovered something entirely new
concerning electrity andits behavior W.
DO not wish to convey that it is impossible
80 put electric lights into every room OF {
|; dwelling7house. At least one small light o
the kind,may be seen near the French fur
nftxsre department OF the Exhibition. Blu
we cannot see how, with only 500.horst
p0sier, he can DO all that ile promises. A.:
to the details Of his system. las we have sid
nothing is known, and il his
somewhat mystic illusions Alright, there ere
only three Ways in which. soSar as we cen
see, IT could be practicable to use single
engine to light large metropolitan dh-
trict. Tie first plan would sensist in 80
arranging matters that each lamp should
be supplied by an intermittent cur
| rent OF electricity so that the resistance
caused by each lamp would be alternately
\ very great and Little or nothing. E!ec-
14ricIans will not faa much difficulty in.un-
| dsrstanding lis. and to those who are not
l.eleetric1ans 1t would he impossible to make
| ourselves ineligible without diagrams,
I 4hieS the mere Idea involved is not worth.