The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-18
Electric Lamps.

Ii we examine one OF the electric
lamps in the streets we shall find it
consists of two rods, one pointing up.
ward from the bottom of the lamp the
other hanging downward, The rods
seem to touch, and the brilliant flame
is exactly where they seem to meet.
Once day man comes around with
bag of the rods. He takes out the old
rods that were burned the night before
and places a new set in each lamp.
After he has gone about, as If he were
putting new wicks into the lamps, and
each is ready for its nights work, all
the lamps are lighted in broad day,
to see that every one is in
proper trim, They are allowed to burn
until the men have walked about in the
streets and looked at each lamp. If all
are burning we'll, they are put out till
it begins to grow dark. If one fails to
burn properly a man goes to that lamp
to see what is the matter. The rods are
made of curious black substance, like
charcoal, that is called carbon. When
the lamp is out the two rods touch
each other. In order to light the lamp
they are pulled apart, and if you look at
the flame through a smoked glass
you will see that the rods do not
quite touch. There is small space
between their points, and this space is
filled with fire. 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
wires are cold, dark and silent. If we
wereto push the two rods in the lamp
close together the light and heat would
disappear, and the curious kissing
sound would stop. Why is this2 Let
us go into the woods near some brook,
and it may be that we can understand
this matter.
Here is the brook, flowing quietly
along, smooth, deep and without rip
pie. We walk beside the stream and
come to 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. It boils
and foams between the rocks. There
are eddies and whirlpools, and at last 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
leaping and rushing water and clouds
OF spray. What is the matter? Why
is the smooth, dark water so 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 a
grand display of flashing white foam
and roaring waterfalls, as the waters
struggle together to get past the mar
row place.
1t is the same with the electricity |
lowing through the large copper wires. |
It passes down one wire into the other.
through the lamp in silence and dark |
ness, 30 long as the rods touch and the |
path is clear. When the rods in the |
amp are pulled apart there is space
% be got over, an obstruction, like |
'ocks in the bed of the brook. The |
electricity, like the water, struggles to
get over the hindrance in its path, and |
t grows white-hot with anger, and |
lanes and Kisses as it leaps across the
harrow space between the rods.
There is another kind of electric |
amp used in houses; it has smaller
md softer light, steady, white and very
= ---t:r-l.
IL u1osS IdLnpbi dlsO, We nave some |
hing like the narrow place in the brook. |
They are made with slender loops of |
'arbon, inclosed in glass globes. The |
Electricity. flowing gently through a
lark wire, enters tho lamp, and finds |
'nly narrow thread on which it can
ravel to reach the home.going wire,
md, in its struggle to get past. it heats
he tiny thread of carbon to whiteness.
ike live coal, this slender thread |
'ives us mild, soft light, as long as the
urrent flows. 1t seems calm and still,
,ut it is enduring TIE same fury of the |
lectricity that is shown in the larger
amps.
This is the main idea on which these
amps are made: A stream of elec.
ricity is set flowing from dynamo
electric machine through a wire until
meets narrow place or break in
he wire. Then it seeks to get past
he obstruction, and there is a grand
,uttinR forth of, energy. and in. this
Vay the electric force, although itself
Invisible, is made known to our eyes
y beautiful light.-S. Nicholas.