The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-30
EDISON'S LIGHT.
Already Perfected, but Requiring
To Be Cheapened
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS
What the Professor Has to Say About
the Gas Companies.

81 have to-day" said Mr. Edison, produced the
| highest temperature that has been made by art
| fetal means. concentrated the electricity from
thirteen horse power machine into the space OF half
an inch by enclosing carbon points in block OF lime
Pieces of iridium. of the hardest metals to melt
dropped into the fame volatilized Immediately with
an explosion. small screw driver passed across
| the flame would be cut in two. the part touched by
the heat melting instantly. Even parts of the lime
crucible fused under the intense heat and the light
from it was glazing that it painfully affected my
| eyes,"
The HERALD reporter had called at Mr.. Edison's
laboratory, but finding that he had gone home pro.
ceeded to the Professors neat dwelling. few rods
| off and greeted with the above information
| given in offhand way. Tie Professor then went
| on to describe the details Of the experiment which
| he was conducting in connection with his trial of
the electric light. The latter, he said, assured
success; it only required time to complete it. He
| then quoted from morning paper the following
marks OF Mr.. Samuel Carter. Vice President of the
| New York Gaslisht Company
II there anything in the discoveries he (Edi-
! SOM has professed to have made don't You think
that they would have been put to practical long
ago? that the streets would be lighted by electricity
| already II he could do what he pretended T?
'Just think OF such a thing" said Mr. Edison.
| 1.-THE idea that man can go to work and invent
whole system. overturning an established bust
especially such complicated system electric
| lighting, all within few months!"
NEoEsssARY INVENTION.
| The professor then searched among his books and
| brought out twenty-five large quarto pamphlets
the science and practice of gas making "Now just
| see.' he sad twenty five volumes that one
thing alone. and that mostly mechanical The cleo
trio light is much more complicated and requires
| knowledge Of the most complicated branches of
scence-of heat light. electricity. magnetism engi-
neering mechanics. chemistry, in fact OF all tho
| sciences-except botany he added laughing.
| 1T is very different to make practical system
| and to introduce it. few experiments in the
laboratory would prove the practicablity Of sys-
tenn long before it could be brought into general
use You can take pipe and put q little coal in it,
close it up heat it and light the gas that
of the stem, but that is not introducing gas lighting
I'll bet that if it discovered tomorrow in New
York that gas could be made out of coal would be
least five years before the system would be in gen.
| eral use.
II want to say also that there is COMPARE
| son between my light and the Jablochkof candle
than there is between the moon and the sun; Inc
Jablochkof light would be too bright for ordinary
purposes My idea is to make the light about fifteen
candle power-shat is about the same intensity as
thing in its natural color The trouble about the de-
lay is that laboratory experiments. although they
may show sQmething to be perfectly practicable to
one fsmiliarwith such things yet they require
full study before being introduced into general
have introduced several systems to the public
already and know what am talking about.
REPLY THE MEN.
mr. Zollico1er, Of the metropolitan Company,
| says:-'We have watched Edison's experiments. and
| we do not find that he has yet done anything more
| than We expected l can't see how he watched my
| experiments. was not aware that Mr. Zollicoffer
| had any of his agents in my laboratory General
philosophy of electricity. should like to know how
| General Charles Roome knows. have comprehended
it enough to have introduced in this country more
tclegraphc instruments than any other man. and
there more of my instruments earning money to-
| una
ern Union Telegraph Company are using
n n h"n the one ~ % snd
the company $500o00 yearly in construction. 1t
won't make particle Of difference what these gas
along retard it, If it is to be it will be- and if it is
not to be will know the reason why"
| writer.
| mot the slightest" answered Mr. Edison. 1.-THE
totore the ignorance of its principles There is
nothing in it that calls for anything very extraordi-
laws of nature. This cry against my discoveries may
help some people to unload their gas stocks. I
| would like to know how gas men with large amount
| OF stock could give an unprejudiced opinion.
1.-The electric light is an accomplished fact. and il
is more economical than gas But TO make perfect
demonstration of it requires that certain requisite
machines shall be determined upon, because II we do
| with the right kind OF machines 1t would
| cost great deal of money to make Others"
How long will it take to- perfect the light, Pro-
| lessor %
! Just as soon as decide upon the form Of gen.
| orators and lamps. he answered. II shall make
many as my engine viii run; but until have z
know will prove practicable in the hands of the pub
lie. shall not make exhibition. We viii have it
here within year but cannot say that 1t viii be in
general use by that time"
| ELECTRIC CURRENT.
10 what extent has the division Of the electric
| current been accomplished - asked the writer.
"wcl, circuit with sixteen horse power. had
iAS lamps OF iron wire curlcd spiray heated red hot.
These lamps made, not to give light to test
the number that could be brought TO red heat upon
| ono circuit An experiment with platinum would
have boon much costly, therefore did not
it. The size OF these lamps was such that, when
! was made OF piatinum-iidum, it would give light
equal to a gas let provided a certain amount OF
| power were used. Mir. w. II. Priest. Of the
h r's last pG nabcr 81 the nls paper Maoa
.,ae, in which he proves the impossibility
OF subdviding the electric light. Under the condi-
ions which lac states he docs prove it, but changing
the conditions alters such calculations to q surpris-
ing degree. 1t only requires the extra amount of
electricity which can bring to raise the temperature
| OF those i4s lamps TO a white heat
zone might as well talk OF the mpossbility of sub
dividing gaslight of tho electric light. We have
! been conducting experiments III tho subdivi-
sion of gas II gas burner is lighted it draws
tain amount OF gas. Then II another next to IL is
| lghted the gas has to come faster TO make them
equally bright. But IL YOU have 1t SO arranged that
only certain amount Of 5as can be drawn in gwen
| candle power. and IL you cause the gas 70 be
all, but only little blue jets. BY letting the gas
burn in two burners we found, not that We got a
| candle power che half OF the amount when ono
burner was uscdl in each burner. but total of So
| candle power in both burners or only "a candle
| power in each. This shows the enormous loss OK
| light when You como TO subdlvide 1t. Now N l
! have electric light that gives. cay 1000 candle
| power. and divide il between two lights. l have
total of about 200 candle power in both. or $50 in
each. Now, il you pat on double IN supply OF gas
you get another amount OF gas equal to the hrst and
the way with electricity. OK course II you put
| on more power you have just 40 much more result
ing but you can't get something OUT OF nothing. II il
such unfair argument to use against me to
| me Of trying TO do that
A MISTAKEN IDEA.
'Ihcrc Is no reason why 10000 lamps cannot I've
placed circuit IL they made right, but the
statement that have said 10000 lamps could DO
run one machine IN untrue. ! never said any
| thing OF the kind. They can be circuit
| from station bat not from one machine. The
problem am now solving is how many lamps OF To-
candle power can get per horse power per hour, or
how much light can get nom one pound OF coal.
The new Corliss engine at the pawtucket water
works in actual practice consumes but T4i0o of .
| pOInl OF COIL horse hour. |