, 1879-05-03
WHAT EDISON HAS DONE.

! Els New Dynamo Electric Machine, ant
What Hs Says It Cnn po-The Principle
| OF Subdivision Identical with Electricity
! and Gas-How Electric Mains VIII 1st
/ Laid.
Ne1o Fork Torld, April so.
~ won't say word to a newspaper man, :
said Edison yesterday to World reporter whe
called upon him in his new laboratory. ''Some
| of the newspaper men have so misconceived
| and misrepreseuted everything ] have done
with regard to the electric light that am mol
! going to give them any more information. They
Gun rumnage around here md draw their OWE
conclusions from what they seer The World
reporter did not draw his own conclusions but
succeeded in getting Edison SO warmed up that
be talked freely about his plans: and gave an
explanation OF bis entire system Of lighting By
electricity. This is now for the first time made
public. III have had my generator construct
cd" said Edison, "and tried 1t for the first
time last night. It developed so much power
that the coil on the bobbin was torn to pieces,
and had to stop. I had new one made im-
me1iately; come aud look' at 1t, but don't aslz
any questions
Edison led the way into the shop, and pointed
to bis dynamo-electric machine. It consisted
Of two upright cylindrical bars OF iron about
two feet IN hight mud about four inches in
diameter, wound with covered copper wire,
Joined at the top By an iron bar, and resting On
an iron pedestal pierced horizontally to receive
the bobbin, which was about five inches in
diameter. The bobbin Is about eighteen inches
long, and two-thirds Of its length is composed
Of copper wire covered with cotton and securely
fastened with ash-lfne. The remaining third
consists Of alternate plates OF copper, and zinc.
=, 1T At1- l-Ah
When in place the bobbn reyolves against two
wire BRUSHES which generate the electricity In It.
Near by were the three-horse-poWer Gramn1e
machine which Edison has constantly employed
in his experiments, und fourtecn-horse-poWer
Wallace machine, which has been OF little use
to him. Edison declined to say what amount
ot horsepower was required to run his gener-
ator, although afterwards, in the course OF coE-
versa1ion, he said 1t was tTo-and-a-h half-horse-
power machine.
ing to number Of carbon or voltaic-arc lamps
Of Waltace's pattern winch hung near the cell,
ing. "Well, in a short time am going to light
those lamps BY the Wallace machine. by the
Gramme machine, aud BY my machine; aud any,
draw conclusions as to the relative economy Of
each generptor.3'
''Why do you intend to employ the carbon
lamps for purposes OF illustration, Instead OF
your Incandescent lamps2" asked the reporter.
lump is; and, besides, bccausc it isn't my lamp
''How many carbon lamps can you light with
one 1nachiuef"
II du11't know. That is to be one OF the tests
am going to put as MANY lights in circuit rs
each machine will stand, aud: then We will see
how my machine will conc out" =.
The reporter took advantage OF, the opSor-
tunlty to lead Edison totspeak OF his plan for
subulviling the electric light,-a matter which
has hitherto been surrounded with mystery, and
which has never been attempted to any e1teut
by anY electrician. stThc question Is very Sim
p!e,'' said Edison. "Ifyou take lamp III which
the yoltaic arc is produced from two carbon pen
ellis, tile more curreut you put On the faster tie
pencils are consumed, aud the resistance offered
Is lcssencd. There necessarily: results great
waste OF power. Ii the lamp Is limited to $50
canulc light, 1t costs too much. By my plan
thu resistance is almost. entirely at the lamp.
The resistance Of the conductor is TO the resist
my lamp is rs 1872 against to the resistance Of
the carbon lamp. You mny consider the q1ics-
tton most inteligently by taking gas-burner
as an example. II you have haif-Inch gas pipe
and light The escaping gas without putting on
burner, how much gas-light can you get from
an ao1oii.ing burner? Very little. But, II you
put gu ls,at half-lncu pipe burner with pin
hole in It, YOU get a light without interfering
with other burners. Tie same condition oh
tatns in electric lighting, The carbon lamp rep
rcseats the half-inch easjct; the pin-hole burner
represents my lamp.";
but is not the electric current exhausted,
not with regard to-. the 1esistin. agent, but
eled?" :, -.
mo. Il: you are supplying mile of wire,
and then add another mile, the current will be
Weakened equally throughout tic whole liue,
but not to that extent II you keep on extend,
LIZ rour line. you will have to make vour con,