The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-06-14
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.


yerrunrS mn eERSal Trial 10 he mAue An the
Mall OF the Blouse.
Washington Post.
"This ia the dynamo-electric ma
chine" said Professor j. 81. Rogers to
the Post yesterday, as ne began to ex-
plain the manner in which the capitol is
soon to be illuminated with the electric
light. .
The reporter was glad to know it. 1t
looked something like the half OF Hour
barrel. But how did il work
"I will show you," said the professor,
and 80, both metaphorically and literally,
he relit we'd the dense ignorance OF the
quill driver by turning on the current
and igniting the carbon points. The
apparatus was down in the room where
are placed the boilers that supply the
engines underneath the house, and the
brilliant glare of the light -contrasted
strongly with the usual gloom OF the
subterraneRn chamber. Jhe machine is
of the kind made by Arnox & Hochhau-
sen, of New York, and, as explained by
the professor, consists of many helices
connected together by soft iron
| bars worked around a magnetic center
80 as TO have a cylindrical shape.
The revolution of these helices
produces continued stream of
electricity, which is conducted by means
of copper wires to the lamp situated
about sixty feet distant, through the low
dark corridor. This dynamo-eleetric
machine is set in motion by being con-
nected with one of the engines and is
capable of making 700 revolutions to the
minute, and of producing light equal
in brilliancy to from sixteen to twenty
Thousand sperm candles. The lamp was
next visited, and the reporter saw por>
celain globe resting on small bars of
copper, fastened to q metal ring that Ell
circled the globe. There were four marrow
cylinders which contained the carbon
pencils, and they projected from beyond
the edge of the ring aud cenverged till
they met equidistant from the center of
the globe. This obviates one of the
Objectionable features OF other electric
lamps, which is that the carbon points
do not always remain equidistant from
each other, and consequently there ap-
pears stalagmite on the negative pole,
which obstrncts the brilliancy of the
light. There lis also another irregularity
that is prevented by using four carbon
points. When only two points are used
the positive pole becomes concave, caus-
ing the light to burn as in q crater; but
by using the four points the carbon In
each cylinder is let down equally and
simultaneously by small weight rum
ming over several pulleys, connecting
with the carbon. It is consumed ON all
sides in the same quantity, thereby
doing away with ali irregularity. The
FOcault burner. the one heretofore used,
was regulated by clock-work, which
could not be depended upon, and hence
the light fickered and became painful to
the eyes. But MIR. Rogers light is soft,
brilliant, agreeable and steady, making
no glare, and burning perfectly. The
price of one of Focaults lamps is $40,
while Mr.. Bogers' invention costs only
$l5. The expense of lighting up the
house alone, where there are /, 300 gas
jets, liz $22 per hour, while the electric
lamp can produce much better light
for fifty cents an hour. Mr.. Clark, the
architect of the capitol, intends to place
four of these lamps above the glass cell
ing of the house, and has whitewashed
the real ceiling above the hall, go as both
to refiect and retract the light. The
engine which will run the dynamo
electric machine lis in process of con-
struction, and the house of representa-
tives will soon be lighted up with an
electric blaze that viii necessitate ex-
ceeding caution by every member of
congross during the night sessions.