Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-09-28
EDISON'S NEWEST MARVEL.
Illuminating Gas to bs Superseded Edison
Solving the Problem Of Dividing the Too
Great Brilliancy from an Electric Machine.

Solving the Problem Of Dividing the Too
Great Brilliancy from an Electric Machine.
Mr.. Edison says that he has dis
covered how to make electricity a
cheap and practicable substitute
for illuminating gas. Many sci.
entific men have worked ussidu-
ously in that direction, but with
little success. A powerful electric
light was the result Of these exper-
iments, but the problem of its di.
vision into many small lights was
puzzler. Gramme, Siemens,
Brush, Wallace, and others pro
duced at most ten lights from a
single machine, but single one of
them was found to be impractical
BILE for lighting aught save foun-
dries, mills and workshops. 1t has
been reserved for Mr.. Edison to
solve the difficult problem desired.
This, he says, he has done within
few days. His experience with
the telephone, however, has
taught him to be cautious, and he
Is exerting himself to protect the
new scientific marvel, which, he
says, will make the use of gas for
illumination thing of the past.
Mr.. Edison, besides his power of
origination, has the faculty for de-
| veloping the ideas and mechanical
constructions of others. He visited
the Roosevelt piano-forte factory
in this city, and, while examining
the componeuts parts of the in
struments, made four suggestions
so valuable that they have been
| patented. While in the mining
district of the West, recently, he
devised means of determining
the presence of gold below the sur
face without resOrting to costly
md laborious boring aud blasting.
While on a visit to William Wal
lace, the electrical machine manu-
facturer, in Ansonia, Conn, he
was shown the lately perfected dy-
namo.electric machine for trans.
nitting power by electricity.
When power is applied to this ma
chine it will not only reproduce it,
hut turn it into light. Although
said by Edison to be more power
full 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 impraetibility
or general purposes is apparent.
Each of these lights is in II sub.
stantial metal frame, capable of
holding in u horizontal position
Two carbon plates, each twelve
nehes long. two and a half wide,
and one.half thick. The uppera d
over parts of the frame are in
sulated from each other, and one CT
he conducting wires is connected
with each carbon. In the centre,
and above the upper carbon, is an
electro magnet 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
carbons being together, the circuit
is closed, the electro magnet ac,s,
raising and lowering the upder car
hon enough to give u bright light.
The lig hit moves toward the oppo
site end from which it starts, then
changes and goes back, always
moving toward the place where the
carbons are nearest together. If
from any cause the light goes out,
the circuit is broken, and the elec
trio magnet ceases TO act. instant
ly the upper magnet falls, the cir
cult is closed, it relights, and sep
arates the carbon again.
Edison on returning home after
his visit to Ansenia, studied and
experimental with electric lights.
On Friday last his efforts were
crowned with success, and the pro-
ject that has filed the minds of
many scientific men for years was
developed.
81 have it now!" he said, on Sat.
urday, while vigorously turning
the handle of Richie inductiye
coil in his laboratory at Menlo
Park, "and, singularly enough, L
have obtained it through an entire.
ly different process than that from
which scientific men have ever
sought to secure it. They have all
been working in the same groove,
and when it is known how | have
accomplished my object, every
body will wonder why they have
never thought of it, 1t is so simple.
When ten lights have been pro-
duced by u single electric machine,
it has heen thought to be great
triumph of scientific skill. With
the process | have just discovered,
[ can produce thousa nd-aye, ten
thousand-from one machine. In
deed, the number may be said to
be Infinite. When the brilliaucv
and cheapness of the lights are
made known to the public-which
will be in few weeks, or Just as
soon as / can thoroughly protect
the process-illumination by car
bureted hydrogen gas will be dis
carded. With fifteen or twenty OF
these Gynamo-electric machines re-
Gently perfected by Mr.. Wallace | |
can light the entire lower part of
New York city, using 500 horse
power engine. propose to estab-
Iish one of these light centres in
Nassau street, whence wires can be
run up town as far as the Cooper
Institute, down to the Battery, and
across to both rivers. These wires
must be insulated, and laid in the
ground in the same manner as gas
pipes. l also propose To utilize the
gas burners and chandeliers now in
use. In each house 1 can place a
light meter, whence these wires
will pass through the house, tap
ping small metallic contrivances
that may be placed over each
burner. Then housekeepers may
turn off their gas, and send the
meters back to the companies
whence they came. Whenever il
is desired to light jet, it will only
be necessary to touch q little
spring near it. No matches are
reOuiret