Evening star., 1880-02-14
EDISON AND HIS VISITORS.

IN. Y. Sun.l
To any one who has seen the electric lights
Mr. Edisosls light must at first seem a very
fec lie illuminator. The passenger by the Penn
syivara Railroad invariably scramble to that
sCe OF the cars from which Edson's lights on
tie depot steIs at Menlo Park are visible; but
Wien tie lights are seen they are either pro-
ncunced failure or those who see them declare
tlat they cannot be the lights they were look
Ing 1Gr, but gas Jets; In the darkness OF a
country roadside the light they shed seems at
distance to produce only glinmer.
When passenger quits the train and, mount
ing the stairs, obtains close view Of the lamps
aid perceives the horseshoe shape OF the flame
he is assured of two certainties-that they are
Edisens lights, and that their Illuminating
power is at least that of an ordinary gas Jet.
Il heIe is 10 biiiIant, fierce name SUCH as is pro-
dueed by what New Workers know as the cleo
trio light. In its place Is dny hoop OF white
fire, bent at the top and fastened at the ends,
and this seems to glow like white hot metal
rather than to blaze Once on u the brow Of the
ary lamppOsts placed at short distances from
Che another and following the lines of the
country roads. They look like gas lamps
are white They are not encountered with
any mechanical appliances as the old electric
lights are, and take up less room room than than flame
ar-shaped lamp chimney containing, two
wires and the horseshoe OF fire. This Is en-.
closed In great glass gG6 en as our city ab
bottt ms Of these globes, because when the
lamp was first exhibited many were stolen. TAe
visitors to Edisons shops saw him and his en-
plOyeS lifting the lamps in and out of their sock
cts. and they made tour of the country roads
and lifted out tWenty-three lamps to carry home
ard exhibit. One OF these stolen lamps Is on
exhibition in Railway, another In Broadway
window, and the whereabouts OF several o5her'
is known. Since the wire gauze protectors have
globe, one lamp has been cen stolen. The man ma who who
took It got it by smashing tae great globe with
a cobblestone.
lamps because they were of various kinds, and
he was studying their behavior from day to day
In order to determine which shape or material
or combination Of devices was the best. AS the
Sun has already stated, Edison keeps book in
which he enters daily whatever has been no.
ticed about each Of the sixty lamps that are
aee ae ne SAYS p aeT II
In such small points that none but a practised
eye can detect it. 1t is when the lamp is seen
burning indoors that the first feeling Of dlsap,
lamps In the sitting groom Of house near the
depot. 1t can be seen from the road through
the great bow window Of the room. The room
seems to be brilliantly illuminated by but one
lamp although only few feet away street
lamp of exactly the same power is feebly strug-
Cling with the darkness, just as gas lamp
Mr.. Edison always explains to his guests, the
Edison lamp was designed for use In houses,
and it is meant to have the same candle power
as a gas jet. Nearly every house in the village
contains one or more of these lamps. Whoever
remains over night there dimes by this light and
finds it in his bedroom. The Menlo Park people
are all enthusiastic partiSanS, and praise the
lamp as If they were all stockholders In the new
company.
''1hose other fellows" said Mr.. Edison, in
the big end of the horn with a Tremendously
powerful light. They tried to reduce their
light down to serviceable power. They are
with light of two candle power, and 1 have
raised it to the power OF an ordinary house
light" Mr.. Edison was standing in his office
with well-worn high hat on his head hand
kerch1ef around his neck and knotted under one
ear, and with his hands In his pockets. Two or
three persons were talking to him and twenty
others @ were 81 staring at him. m He had pencil
these in calculations continually. He solves
arithmetical problems rapidly and accurately,
and it is said that he leaves to conjecture moth
ing that figures will demonstrate. He Is said to
have astOnished some gas men who found that
he had at his fingers ends the details Of their
business. He assured them that he had not
the close monopol1es OF this country,
but upon the official Partisan reports covering
very many years During one hour the other
out the average breakage per day among mill
lion lamps If the average life Of lamp was one
year; another sum was worked in order to dis
cover the percentage of breakage thus far
among his 60 lamps, and a third concerned
future operations In this city. Mr.. Edison had
been talking about the near prospect Of the in
man was busy With the plans for the interior of
the great depot from which the Illuminating
power is to be distributed over a square half
mile OF city houses. Mr.. Edison had been say
ing that recent law permitted the laying of
wires under the streets. and that he would take
advantage of this.
''But how will you secure customers for your
nght?" he was asked.
:'Ill trust to human nature for that" said he
6 II can furnish an article as good as gas at a
cheaper rate, am sure it will be purchased.
shah say TO the people who live in the di strict
propose to begin with:-'Here is light tina
gives out one-f1fteenth the heat OF gas, thai
ire to nothing, that does away with matches
that can be managed by child, that can be
turned upside down, that Is ornamental, and
to run a sewing machine, for instance1when it
is not needed as light Suppose a person
wishes to illuminate his house, can furnish
the mistress of the house decides. Afterward
they can all be taken down with but little trou-
BILE, and but little cost for the whole operation"
Hall; consequently, in the daytime and early
evening a never-ending line OF visitors march
through the different buildings. 1t is at nine
O'Clock, after the last train has carried OF the
last visitor, that Edison and his assistants do
their hard work. 1t was while Mr.. Edison and
the writer were walking and talking together
one evening last week that the inventor was In
formed OF the desire of several ladies to ''See
him.
"Tell them" said he good naturally, s'that
inc HAL lIley SAW DlOWlnS SldSS III Ine uCtle
building to the right was me. Tell em it was
me fncognito. They will be Just as well salts
fed" Whether this deception was attempted
or not, the women, three in number, suddenly
came across Edison in one Of the shops, and
one of their male companions introduced them
to him before he could escape. He looked per-
picked, then smiled, bowed afterward, and
finally plunged past the women through an
open door.
Wen, they saw YOU said the writer:
"YeS, and they must have been aStoniShed to
see such stupid fellow Edison replied.
Mr.. Edison will not increase the number OF
his lights until he has decided upon the most
economical and efficient description of lamp.
There are eighty five lights now up. Among
these are some OF the old lamps, some of the
new, and lamp with car0onized hemp horse
Shoe, instead OF cardboard. Again, In some
the horseshoe caIbons are attached to the wires
by platinum clamps, while in others this con-
nection is made by clamps of llgnum vlta, and
again of plumbago, made up almost entirely OF
carbon, and containing little iron. The eighty
horse power engine Is at work night and day.
Besides the lights which Mr.. Edison says are
generated at the rate OF from to 10 per horse
power, this engine runs all the betting and
shafting for the big workshop back of the labor
atOry.
Good and bad Breakfasts.
1.-THE London News.
MIR. Ernest Hart has been saying some very
sensible things about breakfast In the Sanitary
Record. In few things do civilized nations