Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-09

THE ELECTRIC IIG TIA SACRAMENTO
INVENTION.

It has been mentioned from time to time
| ID these columns that several inventors OF
Sacramento were engaged in the effort to
solve the electric light problem. la Brush,
Sawyer, Edison and other electricians of the
East, aud that it might occur that Sacra-
mento would yet have the credit Of producing
the most perfect and practical light by elec-
| trcity. At the Pioneer Box Factory of
Cooke & Son, M and Front streets, Saturday
evening and yesterday. an exhibition was
given of the electric light as produced by the
machinery of Wsterhouse l. Co.. of Sacra-
| mento Messrs. T. b. Rae. A. G.. Waterhouse
and w. 5. Johnston). After continued ex-
pertinent for the past eight or nine months
they have evolved the invention OF what Is
apparently complete system necessary to
the production Of electric light, embracing
! the generator for producing the electricity
and several forms of lamps or regulators.
AT the exhibitions mentioned small ma
| chine, designed to feed one OF two lamps OF
the large kind, was driven by power used
upon one of the planning machines, and the
cur ent led to the lamp near by. The light,
SO far as the non professional could judge,
was all that could be desired. II was white
| aud perfectly steady and uniform and did not
flicker in the slightest degree. 1t should be
stated that the claim for the lamp is chiefly
based upon its being designed to produce q
constant light devoid of the flicker notice
able in many other forms. The large room
of the mill, some forty by eighty feet, was
brilliantly liphted Saturday evening, and
even behind the tall piles of boxes, in
distant corners, small print could be
distinctly read. A conversation, full Of in
qairy, with MIR. Rae, the electrician, elected
a detailed explanation of the machinery con-
corning which but a few lines can now be
gwen. To make electric lighting success,
and to insure its introduction, the cost of
production and maintenance is necessarily
the first question. What in this case has
eel aimed az is the production for given
power aad az first cost of plant, greater
and steadier light than IS now on the market.
10 do this a generator that would produce
more current Per horse power was the hrst
sep. In the Sacramento machine he claims.
has been combined the best features of
other good generators, with several
important improvements, the chief of
which is found in the manner of
winding the wire upon the armature, whereby
greater length of wire IS brought within the
action of the fel1 magnets and all of the wire
rendered efficient. The divisibility of the
light upon this plan is regulated by the power
of the generator and the perfection of the
regulating mechanism of the lamp. By being
able to accurately control the resistance in
the arc, the number of lamps that may be
used depends he claims, only upon the power
OF the machine. The manner of accomplish
ing this perfect regulation has, it is claimed,
been reached by mechanism devised by Mr..
Waterhouse, and which contributes largely
to the success of the whole mach ne. 1t con-
tisss simply CT producing constant feed OF
she carbon candles equal to the consumption,
al d is done by causing the current itself to
govern the speed OF the feed. This is done
By a powerful magnet set over the lamp and
wound with resistance coils. Connected
with the aImature is a mechanical device
which, as the armature rises and falls,
under the influence Of the current and of
springs, communicates the motion to ma
chinery, of which only pendulum weight
can be seen by the observer, that in turn
raises or lowers the carbon burner. This de-
vice keeps the contact of the carbons in such
a state that there is a total absence of the oc-
casional fading or dinmirg, and the sudden
flashing up of the light noticeable in most
other electric light apparatus. Indeed the
device acts as the regulator does on steam
engine If the carbon feeds too fast it checks
l.; if too slow it increases it. 1t is in contem.
plation to have the machinery and light on ex-
hibiion at the depot tomorrow evening from
z to o'clock, and possibly later, If arrange
msnts can be made to secure steam power to
operate the generator The Knights Tenn
plar excursion is to arrive here at Z, and re
main until 745. and while the darkness at
THAT hour is very slight. within the depot the
light viii produce very pleasing effect and
show its power to contend with even daylight
and serve very appropriate part in the re-
ception Of the excursiOnists. Several Of the
Sacramento lamps have already been ordered
for use in hydraulic mines, and it would
seem, therefore. from this practical state
ment that Sacramento is indeed to enjoy the
credit of the solution of the electric light
,hIe1rn