Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1882-01-07
Electric Lighting-Interesting Expert.
ments In Boston.


The electric light is known in Boston
only as means of illuminating large
spaces and as street light. The form
in which it has become familiar here is
manifestly not adapted for Office and do
mestic use. Even were its cost in that
form much smaller than it is there would
be small prospect of its becoming a rival
of gas and other familiar artificial lights
in the province wherein the latter are
most commonly used. Experiments
have long been in progress looking to
the solution of the problem how TO Sc
cure an electric light which, at cost not
exceeding that of gas, would be adapted
to general use. Several times it has
been announced that the problem had
been solved and that the ligh was about
to be produced, but until within a few
days 10 evidence has appeared in
Boston that the solution had been found.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, how
ever, exhibitions were given in the May
or's room at the City Hall, which were
attended by large number of promi-
nent gentlemen, and which practically
illustrated system of electric lighting
that is expected by its owners to come
at once into general use. 1t is owned
by the American Electric Light Com
pany, of Massachusetts. The light is
produced by the incandescence of car
bon in vacuum, and the system in
cludes the subdividing of the electric
current so that number of lights can
be operated in one circuit. A descrip-
ton of the method by which the result
is attained would involve so many tech
nicalities as to be uninteresting to the
general reader. A description of the
result itself, as seen at the City Hall on
Friday and Saturday evenings, will be
more to the purpose. From the center
of the ceiling in the Mayors room de-
pended a large chandelier, in which
were arranged six lamps, while ten 9th
er similar lamps were placed singly in
brackets around the walls. All these
lamps were in one circuit; that is, all
were connected with one wire running
from and returning to dynamo-elec-
trio machine in the basement of the
building. Each lamp was of glass, and
in shape something like pear, with
the small end elongated. In the small
end appeared to be inserted a glass plug,
through which passed two fine wires,
connected with which was filament of
carbon bent like horseshoe and ex-
tending into the hollow of the larger
end Of the pear. When in place the
lamp stood with the large end upper
most. On the under side Of the socket
in which the lamp was placed was a
shut-off similar to that by which a gas
jet is turned on and off. The lamps be-
ing in position and the current of cleo
tricity being turned upon the circuit,
turn of the shut-off connects
each lamp with the circuit, and
the little carbon is at once mass
of pure white light that shines with a
perfect steadiness. The glass chamber
within which this incandescence goes on
is entirely void of air; part of the
process of making the lamp being to
exhaust every particle of air from the
chamber. Were this not done the car
bon filament would be consumed in a
moment. As it is, there is simply a
very slow disintegration, which does not
J destroy the carbon until it has served
, its purpose for period extending from
! six weeks to three or four months. The
light as seen at City Hall on Friday and
Saturday nights was remarkably beau
tiful, and it was demonstrated to those
| present that it is perfectly steady, is
, clear in quality, and can be graduated
) at will from very low TO an extremely
high degree of luminosity. A very
: pretty experiment was made by causing
} one of the lights to burn under water
l The company by which this light !:
/, owned claim that they can furnish fol
business and domestic use, at cost mo-
!. exceeding that of gas, light that II
t stronger, clearer and safer than gas
4 that is absolutely steady, owing to the
g fact that the atmosphere can not eftec
e it, and that it is healthier to use thai
j any other artificial light because it vii
s have no effect on the atmosphere.
s can be managed without danger by evel
d a child, as there is no possibility o
g ANYTHING more than very faint shoe
n being impaired to any person happen
# ing TO touch the metallic connections Q
Il the lamp, and there is no danger Of tn
l. current setting fire to woodwork nea
the wires. The lamps are very eco
e nomical, as the only portion of Their
l. that is necessarily destructible is th
If carbon, which can be renewed at Sigh
e expense, the lamp being constructed
1t such manner that it can be opened