The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-03-27
Electric Light Versus Gas.

it came to pass that a certain gas and oil
company of the city of Honolulu waxing
wroth, did speak in these words
''My experience has been that the
electric light is too white and glaring,
that it attracts millions of bugs and in
sects, and that it throws ghostly pallor
over everything, the carbon points are
apt to extinguish themselves at most in
opportune times and leave everything in
darkness, and the Pickering of the light
would in my opinion make it undesirable
for lighting dwellings.
Suppose man has his house filled
with gas pipes and the light is the same
price as the electric light, why should he
incur the additional expense of running
wires through his house to put in the
electric light? Good water gas, naptha
gas or $50 test coal oil is good enough
for any sensible white man, and it seems
to me you don't take into consideration
the fact that no man will put in a new
tangled light unless he can save money.
[ should be glad to have more light mot
on this point"
In the first place our friend of the com
bustible notoriety evidently does not
know the difference between an arc light
and an incandescent; the light he de-
scribes is the arc, which is formed by a
transclency current of electricy passing
through two pieces Of carbon whose
points are placed nearly together. This
light is suitable for street lighting.
The incandescent lamp in use at the
Hotel is about the size of turkey egg,
and consists of glass bulb in which is
enclosed-in vacuum-a platinum wire
or bamboo fiber. Through this current
Of electricity is passed and the platinum
or fiber becomes incandescent, giving a
soft light equal in brilliancy and softness
to sixteen wax candles, hence the term
sixteen candle-power lamps.
The incandescent lamp can be held in
the hand while burning, it does not at
tract insects as much as kerosene or gas
as the light is softer. 1t. does not throw
a ghostly pallor at all, in fact it is the
only light by which silks and other dress
goods retain at night the same color as
in the daytime. 1t is impossible for the
light to flicker as patent governor
causes the dynamo to run with perfect
evenness, and when the light goes out
through accident to the bulb it takes but
three seconds to set it right, the bulb be-
ing so perfectably adjustable that child
can put one in place in five seconds.
The principal question asked is as to
the cost of putting in the light. In re-
ply, can say it is customary for cleo
trio light companies to do all wiring at
it's own expense, SO that the house
owner, especially if he is building and
wants to save plumbers bill, finds it
decidedly advantageous to use electricity
in preference to gas.
Good water gas, naptha gas or $50
coal oil is good enough for any sensible
white man, is ito" This is question
that certainly has two sides. From an
official report condense the following
figures relative to fires in New York
City during twelve months
Fires caused by kerosene oil, 259;
loss Observation-Disclosures. 1874 ,657
Fires caused by matches, IS; loss. 22,57O
Fires caused by candles, So; loss -. 30,667
Fires caused by gas, ITO; loss. ,174
And yet gas is good enough for any
sensible white man, is it? During the
twelve months alluded to there was one
small fire damage about $6O) in one of
A. & Il
cent establishment-the only fire during
the year caused by incandescent appa-
ratus. It should be borne in mind that
it is impossible for an incandescent
lamp to set fire to anything, as when the
bulb breaks the lamp on admission of
air goes out. And still another point:
Gas throws off ulphur, ammonia, car
bonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen;
it consumes the air vitiates the atmos-
phere, consumes the oxygen, makes all
colors unnatural; the light is unsteady
and there is always danger from asphyx-
iation and the use of matches, there is
expense from leaks in the pipes and
from water and air in the burners, there
is always danger of explosion and of fire
from some leak in the pipes, the ceilings
and decorated walls get smoked and
metals in the rooms where gas is used
tarnlsh quickly; while each year scores
of fatal accidents are reported, due to
carlessness in the use of gas. The re-
cent horror at the Olympic Theater in
Paris is an illustration in point too; and |
yet ''gas is good enough for any sensible
white man." is it? Another illustration
and l am done. Two six-foot gas burners
~ feet per hour consumes in an ordi- /
nary room in one hour 1925 cubic feet
of air and 5 AZ cnhic feet of nxyoen dur-