Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-10
THE EVENING STAR.
WEDNESDAY. September 10. lSz0.
EdiAOn,a Li2hf.


A certain society that used to send out mis-
sionar1es to India decided that only married
ones would answer the purpose. On one occa-
SION SION bachelor presented himself for the SER
VICE wee, and said he was ready to marry, II the
society would provide a wife. They Issued a
c c announcing that a lady was wanted
a ds .ne VIE OF a missionary. Within few
q a,, mia,e LOT the missionary was quickly found
during the present year, Edison, the In
seneos, has put the efficacy Of circulars to
wanted platinum A rough calcuistion had
convinced him that the entire Weld Of thai
snnIv i tbiS an an known mines was not enough to
ms .newly-devfsed electric lamp. So he sent
S sor 10 one proprletors OF several gold and
siiSer mines h IN the Rocky mountain region.
new idea TO them, and, indeed, to eyerybody
AS result large quantities OF the rare mate.
rial were found In various localities The
gravel heap Of a single mine Will, IL is said.
yield more platinum than all the rest OF the
world does now. Specimens from several az
the new sources OF supply were exhibited at
the fact, and IL was remembered that Iridium
is usually found with California gold, and hence
other metals OF that class were likely To BE-
found In association.
But there were other surprises In store Very
few OF the many Investigators who have
studied the subject OF electric lighting believed
prove Important. Edison, II was supposed, had
walked into cnt de sac, where others had pre-.
ceded hi'n, End found no thoroughfare. con-
S!oeraole amount OF pity, both here and In Eng
iann, was wasted On the ingenious man who
mad gone beyond his depth. Not having been
properly educated In early life. he was Ignorant,
60 tney SAID or the properties OF matter. He
was trying 10 OBTAIN the electric light by in
cahdesce1 ice. Poor fellow. Some well Informed
iTlend ought 10 have apprtSed him OF the hone
lessness OF the attempt Everybody knows, or
oughl 10, mat III you connect the terminals OF a
powerful electric current by a slender wire.
that wire VIII become hot and give out light
But everybody should also know that when the
wire gets hot enough to yield plenty OF light 1T
meltS, and there is an end OF its brightness.
When 1t was currently reported that Edison
was experimenting with a carbon lamp, all the
told you so. He has found that the incandes-
cent light is an ignis fdtuus." What they did
not know was that Edison had discovered a
property OF matter, and especially OF platinum,
hitherto unsuspected He examined with
microscope the wire that had been nearly melt
ed, and found 1t penetrated with fine cracks
These, he assumed, were made by the rapid
escape Of air that had been imprisoned IN the
pores OF the metal. 1t struck him that If the
air could be removed during very slow pro
cess OF heating, the metal might not crack The
Wire WaS put under the receiver of an afr-pump,
the air was exhausted. aud the heat OF the wire
slowly Talsed the experiment lasting several
hours. BY this operation he obtained wire OF
singuiarly dense metal, which would not melt
or change when heated to vivid fncandescence.
The fnsuperable obstacle was overcome and
Edisons electric light blazed out of the chaos OF
uncertainty.
All else that may vet oostruct the path OF
THIS invention Is only matter OF detail. Doubt
less, there are mechanical difficulties In regis
tering the flow OF electricity, in the construc-
ton OF lamps, and the like; but these can be
managed, II they have not been already As
specimen OF the ingenuity brought to bear on
the subject there has been devised method
OF coating the wire SO that it can be used in
spiral form, and the current cannot leap across
the threads Of the helix By such means the
light can be concentrated, and the wire used
De no thicker than the human hair News
paper interviews have latterly brought this in
yentor into some discredit. He has unbosomed
himself too freely to reporters, and they have
Despattered him In print with praise and pro-
phecy. Electricity may never be wholly Sub.
stituted for street gas and will not be- prob
ably, to any very great extent for several
years. The incandescent light promises to take
Its place in the front rank OF nluminators
Time will develop its good and bad points. 1t
snould De cheaper, purer, more convenient,
more wholesome and less dangerous as regards
IRE, than gas or oil. II these promises are full
filled, Its inventor will be benefactor of the
human race-fN Y Times