Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-20
WILL The ELEcrnrC MeHr PA,


There is still sufficient uncertainty to what
practical use can be got out Of electricity as
Il street and house-Eghter to make the sub
ject one of much interest. Electricity, as a
source OF artificial light, is a new thing; We
are only at the initial point; we are where
what we do not know greatly exceeds what
we do know. There are difficulties and OBJ
structions still to be dealt with; time will
tell whether successfully or not. Some of
the keenest and most practical minds of the
age are investigating and experimenting, and
the result Of their efforts will give us a
basis for judgment. That great powers lie
in electricity, to be evoked by the spell Of
that kind of genius that lies in patient and
intelligent research, We know, and the
great problem to be resolved is, can
these powers be employed to prac-
deal advantage? As source OF power
can electricity I've made, partially at
least, to supplant steam? As source Of
light can it advantageously, in the long run,
be put in the place of gas? The latter point
is the one towsrd which public attention has
been most directed, and there much has been
!. accomplished. The lights are now made
fairly steady, and for streets, large halls,
manufactures and so on their utility is veiy
great. The next thing the public is await
ing is to know what Edison's incandescent
lighting will amount 10 as substitute for
gas in stores aud dwellings? That great in
ventor is laying down wires to light up the
part of New York lying in the neighborhOod
OF Trinity church with his incandescsnt,
. air-exhausted lamps. The incandescent light
is soft and pleasing, and there is much pre-
possession in its favor. But the great ques-
tion. about both the carbon and the
i1eandescent lights il, will they come
rs cheap to the consumer as gas?
This question ia not yet answered. OF
course the various systems on trial are mo-
nopolies, covered by patents, ard present
charges are unreliable, because they may be
kept higher than open competition would
admit, or they may be lower than fair
profits would justify, owing to desire to
drive competing gas out of the market. Ii
is certain, however, that, SO far, the electric
light has not been supplied at that low rate
as compared with gas that it was claimed
two years ago it would be. New York has
been forward in giving encouragement To the
new enterprises, yet the companies striving
there, each to get its own system introduced,
we're not able few days ago to offer to light
the city on terms as favorable as the bids OF
the gas companies, and the city lighting
commission accepted the bid OF the latter OF
ST so year for each lamp. Baltimore has
made contract to light the business streets
on the Brush light system, but the cost is al
the rate of s20,O 600 year more than the gas
companies would have accepted. Edison
puts in his incandescent lights on an obli-
cation that they will not cost more than
gas, but experience only can demonstrate
whether he will make money at that rate, or
whether he can ultimately supply his lamps
at a rate lower than gas costs. That what Is
done now in the way of electric lighting can
and will be improved upon, and higher per-
lection obtained nobody doubts, but the
question of comparative cost remains to be
answered. There are good reasons, however,
10 hope that the electric system will come of