The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-08
EDIsON,S HORSESHOE LIGHT.
The Long-Promised Illumination of Menlo
Park.

EDlSON'S HURSE.SHUE LlGHIs
The Long-Promised Illumination of MenIo
Park.
From the Ne,U York Star. Dec. Is.
The little village of Menlo Park, N. j.,
was illuminated with Prof. Thomas A.
Edison's electric light last evening.
Only four outdoor lamps were in opera
ton, but the electric burners to the num-
ber of twenty-eight were distributed in g
dozen houses, and the new light was pro-
nounced perfect success. There were
not more than 300 people at the Park to
witness the illumination, as Prof. Edison
and his associates had kept the matter as
quiet as possible, and no invitations to
attend had been sent out. When asked
why the public had not been advised OF
the intended lighting of the village, Su-
perintendent Bachelor, who is the great
inventors general manager at Menlo
Park, said: "My friend, we do not wish
to get crowd of people down here, as
we have no accommodation for a multi
tude. This place, as you see, is very
small hamlet, and we could not take care
of more than 200 or 800 people at time,
unless they stood out of doors, which
would not be very pleasant, as you can
Judge. Then, we do not want too many
strangers at any one time going through
the laboratories and workshops. The
most of people will meddle with and
handle things they ought not to touch,
and by having only few persons here
at time, we can watch them and see
that no damage is DONE"
When the reporter arrived at Menlo
Park yesterday it was late in the after
noon. A misty, foggy atmosphere per-
vaded the locality, which, together with
the clouded sky and lowering weather,
made twilight come much earlier than
would otherwise have been the case. In
fact, it was not later than 4:S0 o'clock
when the illumination began. The con-
nection between the enormous electric
generators and several of the houses, in
Guiding the residence of Superintendent
Bachelor, were only just completed in
time for last evenings display. The vii
lage presented much the appearance OF
patriotic celebration or an illumination
in honor of some great event. The peo-
pie present could easily imagine that the
Importance of the occasion was not at
tached to the light itself, but that the
people were celebrating for some other
reason.
Climbing up a staircase in tue labora-
tory building, the reporter found himself
in the presence of Professor Edison. The
Professor, who wore plain suit of me-
chanic's clothing, and had check hand
kerchief tied about his neck to prevent
his taking cold, was in talkative mood.
Although he was evidently much re-
ioiced at the success of his invention, he
preserved the self.possessed unassaming
department for which he is noted.
aDoes your new light meet with the
success you anticipated?" asked the re-
porter of the Professor.
Mr.. Edison. who is somewhat deaf, did
not understand the question at first, but
when it had been repeated in louder
tone of voice he replied, 20, yes {; it is q
complete success. 1t is carbonized paper
that is the last link in this discovery"
"Well, you have made q great discov-
cry" remarked the reporter, "and you
deserve credit for it."
"Of course" remarked Mr.. Edison,
.'the success of this light is owing in
great measure to study and scientific re-
search, but it can also be attributed to
some extent to chance"
"Do you mean to say that you made
this discovery by chance"
"Not exactly that, but-let me think
moment how to express myself so as to
give you the correct idea" (Here Mr..
Edison placed his forefnger on his fore
head and was for moment in a brown
study "Well, you can best judge what
mean when I tell you it was something
like throwing double-six at dice. You
know you might throw hundred times
and not get double six. Several condi-
tions were requisite to the success of my
light, the want of any one of which
would have made the thing a failure.
But was lucky enough to throw a dou-
BILE six in this instance, you see."
The Professor then opened drawer in
one of the work benches at his side, and
produced a very thin strip of black car
bombed paper. The strip was not much
greater in thickness than coarse sewing
needle. It was about two inches long
and bent in the shape of horseshoe.
This, he explained, had sufficient reten-
tive properties to hold sparks of electric
ity long enough to give clear, steady
light. The electric current strikes one
end of this carbonized slip and passes off
at the other end. The slip is placed in q
small glass globe from which the air has
been exhausted, and then all that Is
necessary is to turn on the electricity and
the light is produced.
1t was demonstrated by last evenings
illumination that the light of each of the
| so-called burners was fully equal to that
produced by an ordinary gas jet in a
| street lamp or a dwelling house. Only
| two electric generators were in use yes
| terday to supply the twenty-eig ght burn
ers which were in operation; but with
additional or more powerful generators
the intensity of the light, Mr.. Edison
said, could be increased many fold. A
third generator was nearly completed
and in readiness for operation last even
ing. 1t will be finished within day or
two, and then dozen or more additional
burners will be set going.
After the visitors had witnessed the
effect of the illumination from the lamps
and from the outside of the houses, they
/ were permitted to enter several of the
private residences and judge of the utili-
ty of the new light for household pur-
poses. One gentleman had an electric
light in use in one of the sleeping rooms
| of his house. He said that the only
fault he found with the light was that it
was too bright. Said he: 81 must either
allow it to remain on full head or turn it
off entirely. There is no intermediate
point; but l presume Mr.. Edison will
make some small lamps that will give
weak lights for sleeping rooms.
There was marked difference between
Il IL .-lL e Al. l,,.. al