The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-08
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
Depredations of Visitors to Menlo Park 0on--
tinued-The Beautiful Incandescerca
Still Bright as Ever.
lBy Telegraph to the New York Herald

IBV I6l6RFdpu 10 Inc Now 10rk H6ralN.k
MENLo PARK, N. j., Jan. Notwitbstapd-
Ing The fact that Mr.. Edison has closed hae
laboratory to the general public, ainitssaag
visitors by special permit only, hundreds sai&
come nightly to MEMO Park to see the saess-
trie light. OF the number comparatively fssE
have special invitations, but the crowd, Esst
satisfied with the street lights, q dCzsa Of
which are kept constantly burning, assd &hG
lights In the dwellings,, which are la nearir
every part OF the village, lii, rally force thelr
way into the laboratory and almost taEa
possession OF 1t. The good nature Of sae
great inventor Is taxed to the utmost. Eas-
hiking to turn away scores who come FROM
distance he permits their admittance uaGp
they become SO numerous that it Is utterly
impossible for the assistants to do any wasa
For more than week now his entire eatats.
lishment, with its twenty or thirty ekttIssd
hands, has been practically at standsttIs,
owing TO the throngS OF yisi tors. They e0aae
from near and far, the towns for several
miles around sending them In vehicles og ALI
kipds-farmers. mechanics, laborers, boys
girls, men and WOmen-aiId the trains dapQSE-
itlng their loads uf bankers, brokers, capital
lists, sig ghtseefs, hungry agents looking fug
business, and otht r.. ALI boldly walk u fsg
laboratory, besIege the doors aud insist oQ
seeing Prof. Edison, ustl that gentleman 2G
times wishes he had never invented the elee-
trio lamp or anything else.
TRICKS THAT AIM AT DARKNESS.
Among these numbers are not few NAH.
cious persons, who, for some motives of tEsir
OVID, seek every opportunity to play triesls
with the wires. Twice to-. night the latter
were temporarily "short-cireuited," but E&i-
sons ingenuity prevents any serious ddmaga.
Forewafned by the attempt made the ostity
evening by some unknown person to tfrugu
the whole power OF the current on a part oss5T
OF the circuit, thus attempting to iDjure sSnss
OF the lamps, he rugged up an Ingenious at
tachment to the wire-a sort of safety valve
that throws eff all the electricity of the eses-
cult the instant the wires are tatnpered With
All his vigilance, however, Is not able to gfs-a
vent the little electric lamp t1om being ah-
Stracted by unconsciOnable people Siy Jgsyrs
lamps were found missing YESTERDAY, n1akitsg
fourteen In all that have now bet n taken.
Outside tue annoyance Of having his sane~
tutn thus invaded and his apparatus hodisst
stoltn, Edison has to submit to queenals
which must be torture to him, btcauss as
the ignorance they display. Said one well
dressed lady, apparently quite inteliigf 1T
after the system had been explained in detail
and much pains had been taken to mage fferr
understand: ..oh, yes; how, wonderful ga-
derstand 1t all now. You bottle up tha isgsas
In these little globes and then sell 1t fag ma
much a bottle Isn't 1t nicer" Another iaseEa
lectual visitor entertained q crowd OF aGaaaEa-
ing friends by, explaining at length how tise
little chalk telephones which abound In tha
laboratory furnished the electricity that aaya
out the electric light.
COOL REQUESTS.
The requests for lamps and horseshoe car.
boDs are numbered by the Thousand, and
many OF the visitors feel indignant when TIE
assistants politely decline to take their prxge-
fered pay for the same, explaining that they
are not for sale. The little globes of fire stsN
continue burning In all their beauty, not With
standing the predictions Of the skeuties..
The three hours test which rival eiee4Ft-.
clan loudly dared Mr.. Ellison to make. nps.
claiming that only that length OF time wsa
necessary to prove the utter failure OF his
invention, has now grown into t, st of 2fs
hours and still the lamps are burning TAs
lamp which | referred to three days ago az
having been placed under water and ma1s 10
give light In that position still remains sab
merged and no change has occurred In shw
light, thus suggesting an important aid asr
submarine divers In their work. Several
thousand people have now seen the Itghs.
and Mr.. Edison feels satisfied that he haf
practically answered the skeptics.
THE QUESTION OF COST.
The exact cost of the new light the invenhn
has not made public; but 1t ID charact4sis&-
cally summed up In an answer which hs VIAL
overheard to give an inquirer:
After the electric light goes into geSefzz
use" said ne, "none but the extravaganf Wiz
burn taIlOW candles"