Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-11
FULL OF ELECTRICITY.
The Remarkable Inventions That Are In
Daily Use In a New York House.

| the scepter from the hand of Solomon,
| had been one of the invited guests at
] the house of Z. ii. johnson, in Thirty
sixth street, the other evening, he
might have been as astounded as
| Macauleys New Zealander in the
streets of modern London. The spec
| as the slaves of Aladdin's lamp"
turning wheels and obeying human
wishes in various ways might have
overcome the imperturbability even of
| one who was accustomed to stand be-
| lore kings. But we have reversed the
spirit of his age, when all that was I'M
known passed for the magnificent. For
modern invention has accustomed us
| to sup on wonders and rise unsated
| from the feast.
Mr.. Johnston is practical enthusi-
asst. Zeal and knowledge go not tan
| dem with him but as team. Others
have lighted their houses with elec-
tricity, but he has turned his into
Pandora's box, "a paradise of daintie
| devices"
A Christmas tree stood on his second
| floor. Its tops nearly touched the
ceiling and its roots were set in hol-
low pedestal. The tree was hung with
tinsel, toys, and candies. If the can
dies on it had been lighted and it
would have remained still it would
have been like other Christmas trees
But instead it kept turning on its base,
and six times with every revolution two
score tiny electric lights of red and
purple and white twinkled out of the
evergreen branches. All the evening
the six score lamps went through their
polychromatic permutations except
when the kaleidoscope was stopped to
explain its mechanism. 1t was then
seen that the tree was simply an enter
tanning part of Mr.. Johnson's practical
plan of lighting his house by dynamo
machine in the cellar. The same cur
rent that supplied sixteen-candle
lamp ran the motor causing the tree to
revolve, and also by an automatic de-
vice brought into circuit the little lamps,
which were enveloped in French tissue
paper. What an attraction for
show-window," someone said. ''Why
not?" replied Mr.. johnson. add to
the colors and then surround the whole
pageant with mirrors and multiply
them indefinitely"
Your fire looks comfortable to-
night" remarked guest glancing at
an open CRATE that radiated mellow
light. Il call that my Sellers fire, y"
said Mr.. johnson. ''You see l have
concealed few electric lamps there
in pine shavings. intend toput them
inside of camel coal covered with ISM
ha
We don't need fire, as we use the ex-
haust steam that runs my machine to
heat the house"
ut is the spectacle of the burning
bush over again." remarked we'll
read observer. But more easily ex-
tinguished," and the host pressed
concealed button, and the light disap-
peared.
On the parlor floor he showed vari-
Gus contrivances. as useful as they
were ingenious, for lowering the lights
at will singly or in groups. '.All the
wires on this floor run back to these
safety catches in the window seat"
added Mr.. johnson. Il have thus pro-
vided against the possibility of being
left in darkness by making each series
of lamps on the chandeliers independ-
ent of each other.
Il want to show my Landsee by the
electric light" he continued. The
nearest lamp was unscrewed from its
socket and suspended by wire inside
of tall porcelain vase. The current
being applied, picture of an Alpine
shepherd surrounded by his dogs was
disnl ared in gro ,>hin ralic3 f:i-- -"->>--
Nothing could surpass the fidelity with
which the light revealed the minutest
shadow of the artists brush.
That is the only true way to show a
painting" said the host. No ar
rangement of lights upon a canvas can
produce so purely natural an effect.
Every artist who sees this is enraptur-
ed by it. Billiard-players are equally
pleased with the lighting of my table,"
he continued. leading the way to the
billiard room in the basement. "These
'wo lights are adjusted and the light is
o reflected from the ceiling that defy
you to find 4 shadow on the table either
under the cushions or the balls. You
would suppose that with thirty horse
power engine nearly under this room
some noise or trembling might be per-
ceived. A few of the more curious
went below. Even after entering the
cellar the throbbing was so slight as to
be almost imperceptible. The floors
are well cemented, and | have muf1led
the walls as you see, but the engine
runs 50 smoothly that it might almost
be set up anywhere. l run that pump
by an electric motor, and keep the up
per stories amply supplied with water.
As for heat, have enough steam left |
over after making my light to heat the
house thoroughly. Several of my |
neighbors' houses are wired for the |
light, and l intend to supply them with |
it shortly"
At the lunch table later in the even
ing, Mr.. johnson was asked to proph- |
esy on the future of the electric rail- |
way. Il don't like to prophesy unless |
| KNOW" he said. ''Still my opinion |
is that within two years one division of |
the elevated railroad will be operated
by electricity. The problem has been
worked out, except in its detail. To
furnish the power in sufficient quanti-
ties is matter of course with the dem
onstrations that have already been
made in electric lighting. But, Just as
in that business, there are manifold
devices for the regulation and use of
the current, the outcome of hard eXper-
ience, and not to be dispensed with in
the commercial sense. Once get the
force under control and
absolute safety is secured. Each Sec
ton of the track can be so isolated that
a collision would be impossible. To
light the cars from the same source
that supplies their motion is easy. Oh,
we are only in the infancy of this sci
ence," said the electrician, as he lit his
cigar by an electric ighter.-M y