Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-01-29
PLATINUM FOR MR.. EDISON.
The Discovery Said to have been Made IN
California--restinGf the lforseshoes,
New York Sun

New York sun.
/ Thompsons the Flat, on Feather River.
in Butts County, California. seems In 4
| fair way OF becoming famous. Mr.. Edi-
sons agents have, il Is said, discovered
platinum there In paying quantities.
Heretofore the great platinum mines in
| Russia have been controlled by two large
| firms, one In England and the other In
France These firms have been acc,Is-
toned TO regulate the price Of the mate
I rial to suit themselves, and have always
taken care that the demand should ex-
ceed the supply, in order that the price
might be kept up. The amount ofnlati-
mum used IN Mr.. ftison's first light
that is TO say, in the spiral principal, first
! illustrated in the Sun--cost about fifty
cents for each lamp. In the carbon light
now in use the two fine pieces of wire
that support the horseshoe have together
| been estimated TO be worth only seven
cents. When Mr.. Edison begins TO
manufacture his lampsin large quantities.
II is expected that the increased demand
for platinum will tend to increase the
price should this proves to be the case
Mr.. Edison intends 10 mine his own
platinum at Thumpson's Flat instead Of
submitting to the demands of the foreign
platinum mOnopOlists Mr.. Edison is of
the opinion that in discovering the
metal in paying quantities in this coun-
try he has virtually discovered the value
of the emily remaining unknown quantity
necessary to an absolute solution Of the
electric light problem.
Some interesting experiments were
made in Menlo Park Yesterday which
have determined Mr.. Edison 10 reduce
the size OF the carbon hoTseshoes in the
globes. Two lights that have been burn
ing constantly for nearly 2j0 hours, were
taken down in order To- ascertain whether
they had deprecated by combustion
since first lighted. BY means of the gal
Yanometer, an accurate test was made,
and the result was compared with the
original tests. No reduction had been
made. That Is to say, the amount of
oxygen that had gained admittance had
been so infinitesinal that the combusE
tion of the carbon could not be measured
by the finest and incest test. II was
found too, that, by reducing the size Of
the carbon horseshoes one third, eleven
lights could be generated per horse
power instead of eight. BY Increasing
the resistance of the lamps from 100 20
200 ohms Mr.. Edison finds that he can
still further increase the number of
!iehts per horse power. This, however,
not be attempted AIthougn Mr. Edi.
sons lights are each of only eighteen
candle power or equal to one ordinary
gas jet, their intensity may be increased
fourteen fold if necessary, although, of
course, at relatively greater expense.
In an interview with a reporter for
the Louisville Courier-Journal, few
days ago, Mr.. Pinckney f. Green, speak
ing of Edison Electric Light Company's
stock. said:
'When | went to New York, about
seven weeks ago; the stock of the COM
pany was valued at 5000 per share, just
double its face value. At that time. how
ever, the stock was scarce, and very lit
tie was thrown upon the market /
knew of only one transaction--one Of
the original stockholders sold to friend
enough stock at 500 to repay him for
the money he had subscribed ut first.
The stock jumped in 4 few days TO $500
per share. and the friend who had
bought at $500 sold out two-fifths of his
interest and covered his outlay. The
stock then went up in regular jumps,
and is at present about SIS, 900 per share,
Probably the first exhibition in this
country of photographing at night by
electric light was seen at Sixth avenue
and Fourteenth street last evening. The
exhibitor was Mr.. Dana, the photo
grapher The light was produced by a
Fuller machine OF f.2 horse power. The
lamp was set in a bright metal funnel
like that which encloses the headlight
of a locomotive, opening widely outward.
4 food of light was cast upon the person
sitting TO be photographed. \ sheet of
ground glass, held close to the funnel,
tempered and ditIused the light A gem
tleman was Photographed in thirty-three
seconds, as short time as would have
sufficed on bright day, and the negative
when subjected to bath of chemicals
in the photographers dark closet, was
as distinct rs though It had been taken
in sunlight. Completed photographs
could be prepared from it, Mr.. Dana
said, by tomorrow morning. Mr.. Dana
says that photographs by electric light
may be made as faithful likenesses as
any others, and cost no more than those
taken in sunlight.