Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-03-01
LIGHT IN MhO PARK.
JUST WHAT Mr.. DIN HAS ACCOM-
Pllshl'
The Lifetime Of tn 'ctric lamps-An
Approximate EsGre OF their Cost
= Mathenatt Mistakes
Made in tie ooratop'

maOe IN ne
New York Sun.
II Is now abOuta ohth ana q nan
since Mr.. Edison m ed up the streets
and dwellings ONO rark with hls
electric jets. Duripthis period sum
cient data have beeoo'ained 10 make
a fair estimate "A fub has thus far been
ACCOMPLISHED n .,ertain that during
this period eighty nus nave Deeh KEEP.
constantly agloV Vth'usn the agency y,
two dynamO-electr. hachihes' eacii VI
five-horse nova, hs cost Of running
n large steam sro 10 this city is one
cent per horseps per hour' NOW,
since eight elect sh's are oo'a'heu
per horse power ! Is aigued' eacii
light will cost onrlghIh oi u cent per
hour Carburettr hydrogen gas costs
large consumers his city 81 per 1000
cubic feet, and srh consumers - per
I 600 cubic feet ow, estimating the
averav. cos, of o., TO be $3.50 per ] 900
cubic feet a foprot gas burner would
cost three-tiiths a cent per hour'
AGAINST one. .eiybr)f a cent for an cleo
tric E0ht To strictly accurate, il
shouId be said at in some days only
from sixty.iye seyenty-hye lights
have bpeu sg, while at other
times th.re We been as many
a. ninetv.tso II. These occasions,
however have lcn.rare. The variance
was raused nv s sudden cracking OF
some globes a. ntrance OF the oxygen
through tic f,ures, and the cOnse-
.ouent combnst Of the carbon loops.
Sotwitbstandir. his, careful estimate,
made from H. mart upon which the
duration of ca amp is plotted, shows
thai the war, life of the lamps has
been 400 hous Estimating, as MI;
Edison does. II. average number OF
hours in which .tificial light is required
in nrivat,hou<s to be five hours per
dav tbess,larJs would thus average
EIGHTY davs sece. Mr.. Edison de-
cided as s1on A, his result was obtained,
IN ann.al NJ. globes. Whether this
will bring bri.r result, by preventing
the globes frOH cracking, is to be seen
II is regrettr that the intensity oi the
earbol h0rse... les within the lamps has
not thus far .een satisfactorily meas
ured. II n imrossible, therefore, TO say
q, ,,ba, ,a,,,.,,ture the highest light
giving capacily II the lights IL attained.
The question too, as 10 the amount Oi
molecular tension and disintegration
that particles Of carbon suffer while
glowing NAV safely be said to be yet un.
answered. Its said that the celebrated
Geissler tubes have been known III some
instances 10 maintain a vacuum Tor
twenty wears. Mr.. Edison claims that
by means Of an improv""'ht on these
Tubes he Jbta. 81. ore perfect
vacuum than tirissler did. lt Is
well known that perfect vacuum Is
not attainable With an atmospheric
pressure h the globes without of 10
pounds to the square inch, some oxygen
must gain almlttance, and this being
the case there must be certain amount
oi combuiOn going on within, and Il
IUss Of resistance IN the car
bon loop PhOtOmetric tests have been
made, am a..O tests with the shadow
and Oiled paper. A comparison has
been maj also between the electric
light and AS jet by neutralizing the
one with ,.- otheI. These tests have
not been exhaustive, however, and the
results otianed were far from satisiac-
tory. IL !, aid by some that the many
interesiiHg experiments AT the labor
atury seru To be made with con.
spicuous ,regard OF exact measure
ment H registration OF results,
optical, electrical, and economi-
cal. IT,, said to he especially the
case in ar mathmatical department,
Calculat 1r,, it is alleged, are made from
false prol SEES, So that the conclusions
result g., as natural consequence.
Mr.. Ed, himself is not mathema-
tician, aal I is alleged that he is some
times D. 1to error through his assist
ants.
The hc that an so horsepower en-
CINE Is a. slrk constantly IN the engine
room, aul lnly from eighty to ninety
lights aguv, puzzles many of the visi-
tors b the park. This, however, is thus
All the betting and shafhng
OF the arg- workshop are run by this en-
CINE. anu consume the whole power,
withth- exception OF the 10 horse
power thai goes to the two dynamo ma
chines, ,a,h of which uses one-halt.
Mr.. Ei,on says that he has been ex-
perineu,ng all along with his lamp, not
becausr ls was dissatisfied with 1t, but
becarse .e wished To find out the best
shsps ior the globes and the best size
tor u hearbOn loops.
itl nDOssible, at this time, to make
al ektuate OF the cost of the plan neces-
sary 10 .ht up this city by electricity.
IL Is oer,ain that Mr.. Edison's dynamo
maeiGr, cost in the neighborhood ot
500 81 -,e, and that the lamps cost %
cent sy zee. But it is claimed that 1t is
only nasOnable 10 believe that large
nun ltr of the dynamo machines and
Of ttr amps could be- produced at very
mucl IS cost than single machines ana
lami' The ordinary gas jet looks yell
iow 10 contrast with Mr.. Edison's lights;
almos, IS yellow as the latter appears IN
coIlss with the moon. The Edison
liglt Is also without the blush tinge that
re DIS the flame OF the ordinary carbon
ve Ial>src lamp disasreeable.
,'Ihs Iiison eenerstor. constructed on
IN Srldie principle, Is an unendng
some 4 interest 20 the scientific OBJ
server Al Menlo PBrk. Edison claims
TIA, be recoyers 50 per cent. OF the pow
20 spVed to the first machine; but,
wl.y is evident that he obtains much
70 n nan Is obtained in the best OF the
di-Aslioned generators, such as the
Semea's, which RECEIVERS about 40 per
gu, IA. statement, il is SAID, has not been
. si.sAotorily demonstrated. II any one
dCgols that Mr.. Edison has snb-diyided
d eectric current, his friends say,
tsy Ave only to visit Menlo Park at
0 gut There over a square mile Is iilu-
Amazed Oy means Of lamps connected
y III yhat might be called electric mains.
1lese mains have one-half inch
clan.ster as they start from the gen
tziur The diameter of the wires run
Lius .nto the houses is only one-tifth OF
AZ ln.h. By this means a sub-eurrent
! generated and connected with the
.anys by the tine wires that pierce the
Iear shaped globes. Ii is based upon