The Cecil Whig., 1878-11-09
Is MR.. EDISON TO BE ECLlPSED.

The Salisbury inventions, which have
just undergone remarkably successful tests
at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, show that VT
have already a rival 10 Edison, if, indeed,
the petroleum savant is not To eclipse the
electrician altogether. The points, which
scientists and manufacturers say have al
ready been demonstrated beyond all doubt.
with respect TO the work accomplished by
the Salisbury fuel and appliances, show
that we ale ON the eve of an astonishing
revolution iu iron, steel and gas manufac
turing. The Besscmer steel discovery was
nothing in comparison with it, and is To
become antiquated by it. Iron. which the
present furnaces melt in two hours, is
melted by the Salisbury process in ten
minutes. Furnaces which have TO be cool.
ed every day in order to replace the fire
brick, will now run for three months with
out cessation of beat. Sulphur, which has
always been the cuIs of coal ht cause, upon
leaving the coal, it entered tie iron steel
or glass, will no longer figure as a deieriorat
ing element in these articles; " i'll be known
only by its utter absence. The mixture
of material for making glass which the man
ufacturers call "batch" and which they
melt in sixteen hours with their greatest
heat, is melted in two hours by the Sails
bury process. Without attempting de
,cTiption of the full effects of these inven
tions one circumstance may be noted. \
large manufacturer at Pittsburg after read
ing AN account of ;he achievements at TIE
Navy Yard, wrote to the inventor: - am
willing TO accept all that has been said
about the results if you can do one thing
Can you maintain 3, 800 degrees of heat for
six hours ," At the time this letter was re
ceivcd the furnace had been at almost 1,
COO degrees for twenty-four hours. 81
could keep i, there till doom's day." said
the inventor.
The use of petroleum for fuel is not
new idea. Countless experiments have
been made during the past fifteen OF twenty
years with view to applying it for steam
purposes. They have all failed. chiefly be-
cause the matter could not be controlled.
The difficulties all seem To have been over
come in these inventions. Mr.. Salisbury
and his associates propose 10 make per
manent contract TO take all the surplus pc
troleum produced in the oil region. This
must necessarily have the effect To stimulate
the long depressed oil market, and to re
vivc the development of oil lands.
Students OF history now look back over
the inventions and discoveries of the past
fifty years. and trace the hand of Providence
in timing the various important develop
ments. The claim is well supported in rea-
son that the discovery of gold i'll Califor-
MIA and Australia came just at time when
the world needed great increase of cur
rency in order to meet the enlarged com
merce which the moving machine. the
reaper, the telephone, the rapidly enlarging
railroad system had developed. At the
present time there is nothing that the
worlds industries need SO much to relieve
them from stagnation as a discovery or IN
vention which will cut away one-half from
the expense of production and substitute
excellence where imperfections now exist
II is long time since there has been any
marked improvement in iron, glass, or steel
The Improvement is overdue now. iIas a
new era come? Although the whole world
is trying in thousand ways to consume
our petroleum, one half of the product is
a surplus, drug upon the market. Is it
in our destiny that this abundant exudation
Of our hillsides is to supply the world with
its future fuel and motive power. and is
this to be accomplished now when the whole
mechanism of our industries needs So sorely
new, radical, beneticent and hereafter
impossible impetus ~. y. Mail
~ Judge a man not by what lie has ON
him, but by what he has in him.