Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-16
EDISON'S ELECTRIC.

EDISON'S ELECTRIC.
Trouble With the Carbon Horse Shoe
Hopes of the Inventor.
New YORK, Jan. 15.-The Graphic has re-
port from Menlo Park to the effect that carbon
horse shoes, the main reliance of Edison In
perfecting his electric light, have failed, and
that in consequence he has decided to suspend
their further manufacture. Mr.. Edison, how
ever, is not downhesrted. The Post, referring
to the same subject says: Some days ago
many lamps which had been burning beauti-
fully suddenly went out, owing to breakage of
the carbon herse shoes. Some lamps were
! found to last not more than an hour,
and it was decided to suspend their
further manufacture. Edison is now at work
trying to find out the weak point which causes
the trouble. he thinks that the heat emitted
by the light cracks the glass at the place where
the platinum wires enters the lamps and that
the air gets in. No change can be found in
any of the carbons which have been burning
for some weeks. The edges are just the same
under the microscope as before the carbons
were put into the lamps. At present there
are fifty lamps burning, one of which has now
been in use for nearly forty days. A new glass
DlOWcI mas Deeu euSdStu auu uOu1uC8bluus Auoy
be made in the lamp allowing for some means
of carrying off the heat emitted. Edison and
his assistants hone to overcome the newly dis
covered difficulty in time to introduce the
light into practical use in New York city before
next winter. Edison says that he has hard
work in convincing the people that his lamp is
yet an experiment only, at which he works
every day.
NEW YORK, Jan. 15-The Sun this mGrning
TIL 1ol efoto-
ment that matters in the shops of Inventor
Edison, in Menlo Park, are rather at q stand
still, that many lamps have suddenly gone out
owing to the breaking of the carbon horse
shoes, and that Edison is now at work solving
the mystery of the failure. 1t was said that
the light cracks the lamp glass and admits air.
The article concluded with the announce
ment that Edison hopes to overcome
these difficulties in time to introduce the light
into practical use in New York before next
winter. MIR Edison was shown the state
ments last night. Some of these statements
arc falsehoods, said he, and some are quite
true. The lamps have not gone out, and the
carbon horse shoes have not broken, but some
of the lamps have been cracked, and that air
has thus gained entrance to the flame is true,
but this does not affect my invention. 1t Is
purely a mechanical fault, trouble with the
glass. I do not claim to have perfected that
part of my lamp. l am still experimenting
with it. Then Mr.. Edison took one of his lit
tie glass pear-shaped lamps in his hand and
showed how some of them had broken. A few
defective ones broke at the top of the dome, a
few broke where the inner Or wire glass was
Joined to the big vacuum glass, but the ma
jority broke where the platinum perforates the
inner bulk. Edison has found that he can
make an almost absolutely perfect lamp by
using certain kinds of glass and shaping them
by hand, but it would be expensive, and the
very first object he strives to attain is cheap
ness. His lamp must be perfect and cheap.
Also to be cheap it must be made by machln-
cry. He does not want it to cost more than
twenty or twenty-five cents. He makes the
big outside bulb of his lamp of the best glass,
unannealed, and thin enough to be elastic, and
therefore stronger for the purpose of lamp
than if it were thick glass. This cannot be
battered. Only those that were badly made
have broken. The trouble is with the inner
bulb in its relation to wires that pierce it.
His experiments have shown him that by SOL
dering platinum wires, firmly in
the place where his inner bulb
with cement of peculiar
white glass, that he has obtained from Europe,
there is result of only % per cent. breaking
now. By annealing this glass that compos.ess,
the inner bulb he believes the breakage will
fall to per cent. "Hang it," he says, in bis
quick way, eff they would only break ri ght
away could hurry up the experiment, but
they don't. Some of them crack in twenty
four hours, some in two weeks, others have
| been burning four weeks and have not cracked
YETI
As for their going out, there is this remark
able thing about it. They crack and yet don't
90 out. when all these people go away" he
said at another time, referring to the sight
see1s that throng his place until the O'Clock
train takes away the last one, "Pll go to work.
| and then you won't think things here are at a
| stand-stili."
Edison intends to increase the number OF
lamps in Menlo park 600 or 700, because he says
the more lamps he has to study and experiment
with the sooner he will remedy the defect that
is his only obstacle. So far az could be learn
ed yesterday there have been no sales OF cleo
trio stock for some time. The highest bid is
81 200 per share while none is offered less than
Sl.S00 and $4,000.
New YORK, Jan. l5-The Times, this morn
ing says that an entirely disinterested gentle
man visited Edison's labratory at Menlo Park
the offices of Edison's Electric Light company
in this city, both visits being in the interest of
to obtain tie refusal of the light
for we'll known city in case its
practicability should be demonstrated. The
room which he was told was the scene of car
bon making, appeared deserted, as indeed did
every room which was expected to be lively
with the work of getting electric lamps.
On the cars. returning from Menlo park, he
fell in with gentleman who had been there
on New Years night. This gentleman said that
he had counted every elecric lamp in
operation that night, and that there were
tbirty-four all told. At the offices of the Edl-
son Electric Light company he was told that
they were not yet prepared to sell privileges to
anybody. They were not through experiment.
ing, and until they had demonstrated the prac-
ticability of their light through the construc-
ton of regular system, they did not propose
to put it in the market.
Some Queer Things.
Take, for example, the following genu-
inc notice on an Irish church door: