River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-01-15
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
4 Correspondent Tells OF a scotchman
Who Discovered 1t Years go.
Inter Ocean.

Curiosity has done il. Not because /
can shed much light on the subject my
self, but rather because | wished to
know if this great hare-up of Edison's
and others had not been discovered be-
fore. History is said to repeat itself
so | would leave that idea 10 take care
of itself, and proceed TO state what
find in a book entitled "Dundee Cele-
brates the Nineteenth Century," which
ne cans that they were mostly Scotch
men; and the world by this time knows
that if there is anything in creation
worth finding out, it Is sure TO be done
by a son of the heather. Although
egotism is no virtue, still it IS not con-
sidered out of place in Chicago to sound
the praises OF those who are good and
smart. With these few remarks would
introduce to your readers
JAMES BOWMAN LINDSAY,
who was las his biographer says) per-
haps the most remarkable man that
ever lived in Dundee, and that is saying
a good deal. He was born in 1899, and
in early life he followed the occupation
of weaver. Self-taught, he struggled
on until 1922. when he entered, as
student, the University of st. Andrews.
In 1888 he completed his university
studies, and returned to Dundee to pros
ecute his literary and scientific pursuits,
declining to appear as preacher. The
writer came across him in 1909 in an
old book store, where he often went IN
search of volumes to add to his stock of
knowledge. 1t was then said of him
that there was scarcely any branch of
I,ox f~E1 hn lin nf
teaching. Mr.. Lindsay was one of the
first (if not the very frst) to make the
important modern discovery of the
electric light, and also the electric tele-
graph, and to suggest the various eco
nomic uses to which they might be APP.
pied. He turned his attention to the
subject so early as the year 1881, and
on Saturday, July 20, 1885, he succeed
ed ain obtaining a constant electric
light" which he publicly exhibited in
1886, and again in 1887. Ia 1916 he
suggested the possibility of extending
the electric telegraph to America. This
was at least dozen years before such a
project was seriously entertained in tue
scientific world; and at the time when
Mr.. Lindsay first proposed 1t the idea
was regarded as utterly utopian.
The honor of having been the first to
propose an Atlantic telegraph was
claimed by an American: but Mr.. L..
was undoubtedly the originator of the
idea. In 1859 he teleeraphed without
wires) successfully across the Tay at
Glencarse, where the river is about half
Il mile in breadth.
His dwelling consisted of three apart
ments. The kitchen was filled with
galvanic apparatus, which he had con-
otructed with his own hands, and from
this he drew an electric light, which kept
steadily burning A friend once asked
him how much this light cost him, as it
must be greatly cheaper than gas.
"Well," replied Mr.. l. las near as
can calculate, it costs me about half q
farthing ia mills) per week for light"
To no department of knowledge did
Mr.. Lindsay devote himself with great
er assidulty than to the study of Ian
guages; and, to show his extraordinary
perseverance, he had been for over
twenty-five years before his death 1892
preparing dictionary in fifty differed
anguages-reflecting light upon the
origin, history, and relations of the va
rious tribes of people who inhabit the
earth. Such was his anxiety to do
everything in his power to make this
work complete in every respect, that on
one occasion ne travelled on foot to
Edinburgh and back (about ninety
mlles) for the sole purpose of correctly
ascertainins the sound and meaning OF
single Chinese character Had he
lived year longer, this monument of
knowledge would have been finished,
and the world enriched thereby. His
house acquired a celebrity as one of
the curioslties of the town. and men of
learning from distant parts of the world
often went out of their way to pay him
visit. In his habits he was extremely
abstemious; still, he had penchant for
snuff, and we all know what like a
bachelor would become whose ICON
slant com Danion was his favorite snuff
box. L. BARNET.