The Red Cloud chief., 1882-06-08
Electric Laraps

If we examine one Of the Electric
lamps in the streets. we shsll ind 4,
consists oil two rol.. one ~psa,in, up-
ward IRON the bottom 81 the lafnp. the
other hanging downwa7d. TIE rois
seem u touch, AMI the brilliant firm.
Is exactly where they seem q meet.
onee a day a man eonc around with a
bag OF he rods. lie take. out the old
o that we're burned the night before,
y pisces n new set in each lamp.
After be has gons about. a. IL he were
putting new wicks into the lamps. and
each Is ready for it, nights work. nj!
the lamps are lighted in brold daY. 10
see that every one is IN proper trim.
They are allowed 10 burn until The ruca
have walked about in the streets and
looked at each lamp. II ali are burning
wei. they are put out till il bcgins 10
grow dark. IL one fails 10 burn rop
~. a man goes To tina, lamp io see
what il the matter. The rods are mad.
OF a curious black substance ike char
coal, that is called carbon. When the
lamp is out the two rods toueh each
other. In or'ler Ia light the lamp. they
are pulled apart; and il YOU look At the
flame through a smoked glass, you viii
scc that the rolls do not quite touch.
There is n small space between their
points. and this space j. filled with lire.
LOOK at the other parts of the rods. or
the copper wires that extend along the
streets. They have no light. no heat.
no sound. The wire. are cold. dark
and silent. IL we were 10 push the two
rods in the lamp close together. the
light and heat would disappear. and the
curious Kissing sound would stop. Why
is this? Let us 20 into the woods near
some brook, and il may lie that We can
understand this matter.
Here is the brook. flowing quietly
along. smooth. deep and without q rip
pie. We walk beside the stream. and
come to n place where there are high
rocks. and steep. stony banks. Here
the channel is very narrow. and the
water is no longer smooth and silent.
II boils and foams between the rocks.
There are eddies and whirlpoois. and at
Inst we come to the narrowest part of
all. Here, the once dark and silent
water roars and foams in white. stormy
rapids. There are sounds and furious
lcaping and rushing water and clouds
of spray. What Is the NATTER Why
is the smooth. dark water 80 white with
rage. so impetuous, so full of sounds
and turmoil? The rocks are the cause.
The way is narrow and steep The
waters are hemmed in. and there is q
grand display Of flashing white foam
and roaring waterfalls. rs the waters
struggle together TO get past the narrow
place.
L. the same with The electricity
Howihg thigh the large copper w,r~-
IL passes do@n otsD .~;re into the other,
through the lamp. in silence and dark
ncSs, so long As the rods touch and the
path is clear. When the rods in the
lamp are pulled apart. there is a space
To be got over. m obstruction, like rocks
in the bed of the brook. The electric
ity. like the water. struggles to get over
the hinirancc in its path. aud it grows
whitc-hot with anger, and flames and
Kisses rs il leaps across the narrow space
between the rods.
There is another kind Of electric
lamp. used in houses; it has a smaller
and softer light, steady, white and very
beautiful.
In these lamps, also, we have m
thing like the narrow place in the
brook. They are made with slender
loops of carbon. inclosed in glass
globes. The electricity. flowing silent
" through n dark wire. enters tho
lamp. and finds only a narrow thread on
which il can travel TO reach the home
going wire. and. in its struggle 10 get
past, il heats the tiny thread Of carbon
10 whitcncss. Like n live coal this
slender thread gives us a mild, soft
light. rs long as the current flows. Ii
seems calm and still, but il Is enduring
the same fury of tho electricity that is
show in the larger lamps.
This is the main idea on which these
lamps are made: A stream of electricity
is set flowing from q dynamo-electric
machine through n wire until it meets n
narrow place or a break in the wire.
Then il seeks to get past the obstruc-
ton, ard there is a grand putting forth
of energy. and in this way the electric
force. although itself Invisible. is made
known to u eyes by a beautiful light.
Charles barnard, m 81. Nicholas.