The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-05-01
the EDISON LAMP.
The M enl0 Park Inventor Getting Ac-
lively TO Work.
n. Post.

Ne L. Eubts -
AT the offices of the Edison Electric Light
Company there was great exultation this
morning over the granting of the franchise
permitting the company to lay its wires in
the streets. The franchise cannot, according
to precedent, be revoked and is perpetual.
Circulars were sent out last night calling in
money from subscribers to the stock Of the
city company in order TO begin operations
on an immense scale, and orders were given
this morning for the purchase of the down
town building which has been selected for
the first generating station.
Major Eaton, the vice president Of
the company, said: 1--WE have
have had fifty men al
work 10 the down own district-bounded by
Spruce and Wall streets, Nassau street and
the East river for the last month, and have
already finished the wiring Of forty large and
forty small buildings. The work is simple
and rapid. When once house is wired it
will not take an hour to put In the lamps
and make the connections with the street
main. The most serious cause Of delay is
the machinery; we'csnuot get engines Of the
right make fast enough.
"You see there are seven important fea-
lures in electric lighting: l, the boilers; 2,
the engines; 8, the dynamos which convert
power into electricity; 4, the cables and
wires; s, the meters; 6, the motors tor email
machinery up to five horse COVER !;
7, the lamps. We are having engines
and boilers made in Philadelphia, in
Ohio and in Lawrence, Massachu-
sets, and yet we have no hope of getting
out twelve engines needed for the first station
before the end of July. MachinisIs are 80
overworked this year that orders for machine
cry are going to Europe every day, and l
know Of two large machine shops that have
ent over to Eu ope recently for the tools
needed to make more machinery. The
boilers give us no trouble, but our engines
need to be powerful and yet compact, so
that we can get at least fifteen hundred
horse power out of our one building. The
dynamos are ready for the first station now,
Mr.. Edison having been working at them
out at Menlo Park for the last two years.
The meters are simple in construction and
can be manufactured as fast as
they are needed, and the same can be
esid Of the motors. which can be made in
any machine shop. The lamps give us the
least trouble Of anything. For nearly a
month We have been turning them out at the
rate of five hundred day, and since Monday
at the rate of a thousand a day. If necessary
we can increase this production to two thous-
and lamps day. AT present they cost us
about thirty cents, but US the manufacture
increases, AID new labor-saving machinery
is devised for them the price will fall, and
there is nothing to make them cost mole
than fifteen cents lamp when we get under
way. We have had sixty of these lamps ia
this building lighted every evening for the
last ten nights, and have yet to discover the
first defect in any of them. Our engine Ii
only of six horse power
"The insurance companies have shown SC
much interest in our work that we are pre-
pairing cottage with our lamps in II which
we shall invite the insurance people 10 set fire
to by any arrangement of our wires or lamps
that could possibly happen. II one Of our
lamps should be broken to pieces by blow
the light would 60 out instantly.-so fact that
we do not believe that If n harar1l o. py del
and stones was thrown IL ,.a., one Of oul
lamps demolishing 1t the powder would
ignite. As no matches will be used except
for kindling fires we expect TO reduce the
cost of insurance on buildings lighted by oul
system to at least half of what it at present
In theatres the danger from fire will be almos
nothing, although light will be used will
greater freedom and 10 all parts Of the hous,
and stage. If piece Of scenery falls agains
some Of our lamps II will destroy The lamps
and the light will 70 out, but that is all N,
fire can result"