The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-11-28
DAYLIGHT At MIDNIGHT.
Mr. Edison's Latest Experiments With tn
Electric Light.
From the New York SUM

VIZ -NN" AOAR 1NA-i
Grimy and sooty, Thomas Edison yes
terday descended from his Menlo Park
laboratory. All his time and energy
are now bent toward the development
of the electric light. His eyes are bright
and restless, and his motions quick and
impulsive. 1t is easy to see that his
thoughts are with his experiments when
talking on the most commonplace SUBJ
jects. "The thing is opening up be-
fore me-" he says, "and l am daily
making new and most important dis
coveries." He seems like q man walk
ing in another world.
When asked concerning the report
that an examiner in the Patent-office
had rejected his application for patent
upon divisible electric light on the
ground that it is an infringement upon
an invention made by John w. Starr, of
Cincinnati, in 1915, he said that it could
not be true. "Prof. Morton, in an ar
ticle printed in the San last week, spoke
of that invention" he saws. /" The
patent was taken out in England by a
Mr.. King, who was Starts patent
solicitor L was for an electric lamp.
The light came from incandescent car
bon, and was identical with the light
now on exhibition in New York by Saw
yer & Mann"
Here Mr.. Edison referred to Prof.
Morton's article, which described the
Starr light as consisting " of an alright
glass vessel, within which small rod
of platinum or carbon was so placed
that it could be heated intensely by the
passage of an electric current. The air
was removed from within the vessel, in
case a carbon rod was used, to prevent
its combustion"
Mr.. Edison says his invention is diff
ferent. 81 can't patent the divisibility
of the electric light" he adds: shut
can patent the means that allows it. In
other words, can patent a lamp, or
any device that will make this division.
My application for patent for lamp
is already before the Commissioner, land
is taking its regular course. According
to the rules of the Patent office nothing
concerning it can be divulged. | have
heard that it is progressing favorably,
and that is all have heard. One thing
is certain. My application does not
conflict with with Starts invention.
have already received seven patents
bearing on the electric light, and have
filed three caveats. Five more similar
applications are now under way.
have had man in the Aston Library
search the French and English patent
records and scientific journals from the
earliest dates down to the past fortnight
and nothing like my arrangements ha;
been revealed.
Scientific journals says Mr.. Ed
son, Frequently pick me up on mis-
statements by reporters. For instance
one of your attaches some time ago rep,
resented me as saying that could pro
duce 10000 lights with one electric ma
chine. He misunderstood me. 1 meant
that could produce 10000 lights from
one station, and there might be from 81
to 80 machines in each station. If YOU
remember, l propose to light cities from
electric stations, the wires covering Sc
many blocks. There is vast difference
in the two statements.
" Now" continued Mr.. Edison, s'l
find the scientific journals going for mt
on the idea of the supplying power.
fully understand and know that there i:
an enormous loss in transforming steam
power into electric power, but if car
sell the latter power for three times
more than the original cost of the steam
power, there is good profit notwith
standing this loss. To illustrate: Will
the same wires used for the electric
light | could put electric power into ;
private house that would run a sewing
machine Now, the loss in furnishing
this power might be IS per cent, but i
| could get 10 cents day for supplying
the power to run each machine l should
make an enormous profit"
"Do you mean to tell me that yo-
can supply this power with the same
engines, the same electric machines,
and the me wires that you would use
to produce the electric light?" asked.
l mean just that" answered the
Professor, smiling, ''and if [ am not
mistaken in the purpOrt of my expert
ments, mean to say that | can light
and heat private houses and supply cleo
trio power for sewing or other ma
chimes with the same telegraphic circuit.
have made a discovery by which
think l can concentrate and use the
electric heat which has heretofore been
wasted. My discovery is a substance
which, placed between two metal plates,
holds the heat, and gives enough of
it to cook beefsteak or make
tea, soup, or coffee. l am not yet
positive about it. 1t may prove a fail
ure, but the result of my experiments
justifes me in saying that it bids fair to
be q success. We know that we can
transform electricity into heat, light
and motive power. There is less loss in
turning it into light and heat than in
making it motive power. The loss in
the motive power is considerable, and
is probably due to defects in the electric
machine. The loss in Transforming
electricity into light and heat is incon-
Siderable
Here Mr.. Edison folded his arms and
relapsed into brown study. The cleo
trio light was recalled, and he resumed
the conversation. " The success of the
light" he said, "is assured. Why, if 1
not mistaken in my experiments this
far, l can go to New York and buy gas
from the gas companies at the rate they
are selling it at, and through the use
of gas-engine turn it into motive pow
er for the production of e ectricity, and
transform the electricity into light, Civ
ing better light, more of it, and fully
as cheap, if not cheaper, than the orig
inal gas light. This is no more Won
derful than what was done by Prof.
Apony with a German electro-machine
driven by a five-horse petroleum engine.
| read it in the Sun The engine con-
sumed little over six and half pounds
of crude petroleum per hour. 1t pro-
duced a stream of electricity having an
power three times greater
than that OF the petroleum used"
Mr.. Edison reflected a moment, and
then said Now, write this down as |
give it to you. 1t is law that have
figured out and verified. Take gas
jet having ten inches of radiating sur
face, burning five feet of gas an hour, Civ
ing light equal to fifteen candles. If
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