The daily gazette., 1878-09-18
Light, Heat and Power.

Practicaole substitute for illumi mating
gas. Many scientific men have worked
as.ssiduously in that direction, but with
Ilttie success. A powerful electric light
W. was tne result OF these experiments, but
the problem of its division into many
small lights was a puzzler. Gramme,
Slemens; Bush, Wallace, aud others pro-
uuoed at most ten lights from siugle
machine, but single one of them was
round TO be impracticable for lighting
aught save large foundries, mills, and
WORKSHOPS. 1t has been reserved for
Mr. Edison to solve the difficult pro blem
desired This, he says, he has done
within few days. His experience with
the telephone, however, has taught him
TO De cautious, and he is exerting himself
10 protect the new scientific marvel,
which, he says, will make the use of gas
tor Illumination thing of the past.
3, While on a visit to William Wallace,
the electrical machine manufacturer, in
Ansonia, Conn, he was shown the lately
perfected dynamo-electric machine for
transmitting power by electricity When
power /. applied to this machine, it will
not only reproduce it, but will turn it into
light. Although SAID by Edison to be
more powerful than any other machine
OF the kind known, it will divide the
light of the electricity produced into but
ten separate lights These being equal
in power to 1000 candles, their impracti-
cabillty for general purposes is apparent.
Each OF these lights is in substantial
metal frame, capable of holding in
horizontal position two carbon plates,
each twelve inches long, two and half
wide, and one-half thick. The upper
and lower parts of the frame are insula-
ted from each other, and one of the con-
ducting wires is coBnected with each
nn hos. l..
upper carbon, IS an electromagnetic in the
circuit, with an armature, by means of
which 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 carbon being
together, the circuit is closed, the electro
magnet acts, raising and lowering the
upper carbon enough to give a bright
light. The light moves towards the Op-
posite end from which it starts, then
changes and goes back, always moving
towards the place where the oarbons are
nearest together If from any cause the
light goes out, the circuit is broken, and
the electric magnet ceases to act. In
stantly the upper magnetfalls, the circuit
Ia closed, it relights, and separates the
carbon again.
Edison on returning home after his
visit to AnsOnia studied ami experiment
ed with electric lights. On Friday last
his efforts were crowned with success,
and the project that has filed the minds
Of many scientic men for years was de-
"Ihave it nowp said he, on Saturday,
while vigorously turning the handle of a
inductive coil in his laboratory at
Menlo Park, "and, singularly enough, 1
have obtained it through an entirely diff
ferent process than that from which
men have ever sought TO secure
It. They have all been working In the
,ame groove, and when it is known how
my object, everybody will
why they have never thought of
It, it is simple. When ten lights have
been produced by a single electric ma
chine, it has been thought to be a great
process 1 have just discovered, can
produce ,000-ay., 10,000-from one ma
chine. Iudeed, the number may be said
TO be infinite. When the brillancy and
cheapness of the lights are made known
10 the public-which will be in few
weeks, just as soon as l can thoroughly
protect the process-illumlnating by car
Oureted hydrogen gas will be discarded.
With fifteen or twenty of these dynamo
electric machines recently perfected by
Mr. Wallace | can light the entire lower
yui v VI NCW u VI n SipJ eoibS q Ouo hoioC-
power engine. purpose to establish one
of these light centres in Nassau street,
wires can be run uptown as far
rs the Cooper Institute, down to tina Bat
terry, and across to both rivers. These
wires must be be insulated, and laid in
the ground in the same manner as ga>-
pipes. / also propose to utilize the gas
burners and chandeliers now in use. In
each house / can place light-meter,
whence these wires will pass through the |
house, tapping small metallic contri- |
vances that may be placed over each |
burner. Then nhoasekeepers may turn off |
their gas, and send the meters back to |
the companies whence they came. |
Whenever il Is desired to light jet, 1t |
will only be necessary to touch little |
spring near it. No matches are required. |
The N. Y. San of yesterday, adds:
Mr.. Edison was found in his laboratory |
in Menlo Park, busily preparing for the |
reception of Wallace telemachon, by |
which he proposes to transmit the power
Of q neighboring stream to his workshop,
thus to save the running expenses of his |
steam engine.
do you see that hill yonder?" he said. |
to an elevation that was appar- |
emily half mile distant. "Well, behind |
this is running stream, aud l propose |
hereaftar to utilize the power 1t Is con. |
stantly generating. l can't afford to al |
low all that power to be wasted. It's too |
valuable. have ascertained that it gen. |
crates power of ten-horse power. Now,
all want here Is about six-horse power.
telegraphed to Mr.. Wallace yes terday |
to send me telemachon, and have just |
received dispatch to the effect that it is
now on the way. When it comes and l
connect it with the neighboring stream,
I shall have no more use for steam, or for |
coal either, for that matter. The expense |
OF running the wire to transmit the pow
er will be trlfing. The cost of my en-
zine is about 5000, and, including the |
pay of an engineer, 1t costs about $3.50
per horse power a year, which would be
5000.
"The enormous power generated by /
the Falls of Niagara ruus to waste-it is
unused. How shall we transmit its pow
er? Shall we do it by endless ropes, by |
air, or by the telemachon
"Although in the transmission of pow
or by the telemachon there is slight /
loss, the question is whether that less is /
of material consequence. Prof Slemens /
estimates from his experiments, and Mr.. |
Wallace from his, that this loss amounts |
to only twenty per cent. of the original
mower. Now, If there should be need of |
the entire power at Niagara within q |
short distance of the falls themselves, |
there would be no occasion for any loss