The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-04
EDisON'S TRIUMPH.
Monlo Park Illuminated by Forty Electric
Lights, and Eigbty-four Burning
Steadily in the Laboratory.
lNaw York HernId. Dec. al


The laboratory Of Mr.. Edison at Menlo
Park was brilliantly Illuminated last night
with tho new oleGttiG light, tho occasion being
a visit of n number of the Inventors personal
friends Forty lamps In NIL were burning
from six o'clock until after ton. Tho various
parts IF the system were explained by the In
ysutor nj length. "A II practical Illustration
of HIS method Of subdivl1ing the electric cur
rent ha had two copper wires OF about nm
eighth Of an Inch In thickness lending To the
generating machines. placed side by side on
elenls along tables nearly the entire length
Of the laboratory. To these he connected
lamp after lamp by merely fastening little
wires To each Of the parallel supply wires md
then attaching them ~ tho lamps. The illu-
mnatlon or extiugulsiitnent made not the
aIighteat perccptble difference In the strength
Of the current.
Twenty electric lamps burned with exactly
the same bii lianCy AS did one when the Other
nineteen were tiisconneeted he Hight given
was of the briIianCy ri ihe best gas JET per
hnpa d triile more brilliant. The effect Of
tho light on the eyes was much superior to
gns IN softness and excited tho admiration Of
all who s1W IT,.
A now feature. shown by tho inventor for
tho first time. was tho method OF regulating
the strength III the current to be used ut tho
central stations. By moving q little wheel
tho assistant IN charge OF this branch OF tho
system was enabled 70 readily vary tho
atrenuth Of the electric lights from the msr-
est gmmcr to II dn2hling incnndescenGc
When tho latter point was reached tho little
horseshoe paper presented the appearances of ~
beautiful globe of IRE The method 81 OBJ
tanning the vacuum In the little glass bulbs
Of the lamps Was also explained and proved
highly interesting.
The little motor for running sowing ma
chimes and doing other light work was MISC
shown. md created much interest. The 0leC
tricty consumed for the operation OF II sew
ing machine Is equal to that required to give
out M illumination OF the brilliancy Of an or
binary gas jet.
The effect Of the exhibition was 70 convince
those present who before were skepttCal that
Mr. Edison had In reality produced tho cleo
trlc light for household illumination.
No day Is yet set for the general public fx-
hibition, but 1t IL quite probable that inside 81
II week everything will bo In readiness to be
seen by alI who desire to visit Menlo Park.
IN Y. Times. Dec. 28
"What will be tho cost OF these conduct
ors I" asked tho reporter
1.-The cost, compared TO ghs pipes, will be
very small, and there IL very little chance Of
their getting out OF order. 1he wire Itself,
which will convey the electricity, will be al
ordinary No. . telegraph wire, the same wire
that you see In use every day by the Western
Union Company. That Is AZ near the size OF
BARREL as | intend to get.
How will the light be distributed z.
Precisely as gas Is now distributed. You
II / wish to; | can lower it or ! can raise 1t,
Just as you can lower or raise gas Jet. Our
electricity will go from our central stations
lust az gas flows from the meter. Whether
the company will charge for the light accord
ing to the amount OF electricity which each
consumer uses, or whether SO much month
will bs charged to each consumer cannot
say. That is question which the company
will determine when The electric light Is In
trOduced."
"Do you intend to illuminate MEMO Park
on New Years Ever
mot for the public as soon a5 that. MEMO
Park Is now illuminated every night to a
certain extent All the lamps that we have
give the grand display that ! intend TO give
until we have more lamps. You can say this,
however, that the electric light - perfected,
and that all the problems which have been
puzzling me for the last eighteen months
have been solved. | expect to have every
house here lighted and a number OF street
lamps going within ten days. When | once
get the light started shall keep them burn
ing night and day for at least two weeks, In
order to make time test of my carbon.
| believe that it Is practically fnfusible
and [ have confirmed my belief by expert
ments here In my laboratory for several
weeks, but / want the public to believe 1t
from their own knowledge, and the only way
to make the public believe 1t Is to show 1t 10
them. | think that my carbonzed paper Is
the only substance which is capable OF becom-
ing thoroughly incandescent, and at the
same time Of offering to the current OF cleo
tricty sufficient resistance to prevent It from
melting away. Inc vacuum In the globe, OF
course, offers no oxygen OF any consequence
to burn; but the intense heat generated by
the electricity would destroy any other sub
stance than this earbonized paper. There is
absolutely nothing there to fuse It is car
bon pure and simple, and no machine known
to this age can generate enough electricity to
destroy it,
Nine. Pappenhelm has made great success