Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-12

TWO electricians agree on common con-
clusion, but express as many different
ideas as there are men with minds enough
to form such stubborn things. The carbon
manufacturer knows this better than any
one else. He has his best illustration of it
in the diversity Of opinion as to the value
of surface and weight. 1t would seem to
be an easy matter to determine the relative
value of either by actual use, but it evil
IDENTIFY is not, as one electrician will ex-
pertinent and say the bulk of the carbon
gave the value, while another will make
Just as careful study of the point and re-
turn the opinion that carbon which may
be light as a feather, but presents large sur
face,will be the most valuable. And what's
more, he will stick to it, too. However,
there is more harmony of opinion now
than there was four years ago.
Though Sir Humphrey Davy made the
discovery of arc lights away back in the
beginning of the present century, it has
only been within the last three to four
years that it has been mastered to the
point of attaining any considerable degree
of perfection. Then all of the arc lamps
were single burners, and the carbons were
only three-eighths to seven-sixteenths in
diameter and six to ten inches long. Now
the carbon in ordinary use is half-inch, a
sixteenth larger than the largest in use
then. Now, also, the current of electricity
is so strong that it is made to jump from
one set of carbons to another, whereas, in
the early stages of its use it could not be
made to jump any distance scarcely.
1t may be imagined that carbon, being
made from the direct products of coal and
petroleum, is dirty material, offensive to
the smell and more so to the taste. 1t is
dirty, in the course of its preparation, be-
dirty and greasy-faced as if they were
working in a coal mine Completed, it is
quite another matter, and the largest
piece of it may be handled with kid gloves
without soiling them. Neither is it of
fensive to the smell. The ordinarily
curious citizen can tell all that
To secure testimony as to taste, however,
it is necessary to go into the factory, by
proxy, of course, because you can't &c
yourself. There you are ready for the ex.
PLANTATION that the carbon is submitted tc
such heat that the taste is all gone, and
you are still reader to believe that this is
true. The hour is one in which work is
slack, and the men and boys are taking il
easy. There's one who is smoking a pecu-
liar pipe, presenting an entirely novel APP
pearance. What it is you can see by the
occupation of the man next to him. He
is whiting a piece of carbon into the
shape of pipe bowl, and now he has il
done to his satisfaction and is following
out the bowl. There's another man who
seems to be forcing hole through a piece
of stick carbon, and looking a second time
you see that's exactly what he is doing, and
a second later you see him put it into 9
| carbon pipe bowl as a stem, fill the bow
with tobacco, light it up and commence tc
smoke Novel, isn't it? You don't think
you'd like it? OF course not, but the mer
who work in carbon and who smoke out of
carbon pipes, say it makes one of the most
delightfully."- cool smokes imaginable, and
the material being SO porous, absOrbs all Of
the nicotine before it can possibly reach
the mouth and system.
There is very little done with electricity
without carbon, though it may only be
used in pieces the size of pea, and run
ming from that up to the new hat-shaped
piece or the large slabs for other uses
Y.
and it is remarked by carbon men who are
in position to know, as they not only in
vent but are called on by inventors, that
there is hardly city in this country that
hasn't got something new in the way of an
electric or carbon invention. The idea OF
taking a storage battery or accumulator
weighing, for the purpose OF illustration,
say 200 pounds, and combining in it a Won
derful force of ten-horse power, and that
without adding an ounce to the 200 pounds
weight, is Just such an one as to invite
anyone with any inventive genius to try
his hand at utilizing this wonderful agent
The picture they all have before them is
"What grand thing it would be to re-
lieve a locomotive of its tons of weight OF
coal, water and wood and supply it with a
power of 10000 or 100000 horses without
increasing its weight ?" Even the unin-
ventive would be stirred to activity by
such dream if once he got on the right
track with a starting point.
The smallest amount Of carbon in any
thing in general use is probably in the in
candescent-light globes. These were for
merly supplied with carbonized platinum
wire, but made in that way were too ex-
pensive and a change became necessary.
Carbonized silk fiber was then brought into
use, and is now generally employed The
incandescent light hardly attracts the
same amount of attention as the arc, but
may be said to be nearer perfection, though
much the youngest invention. The car
BOMBED silk fiber is calculated to run ,00O
hours. In electrical force one-horse power
will supply twelve incandescent lights OF
/ sixteen-candle power each, while the same
power will produce 2,000-candle power
light with the arc lamp. In the mean
descent the force is expended in producing
and maintaining white heat, which is
really the illuminant. There is really not
great deal of what would properly be
very slowly, and is indestructible unless il
comes in contact with oxygen. In the case
of the incandescent light, the air is all ex-
tracted from the globe by means of mer-
curial column. In the arc light the car
bon necessarily comes in contact with OK
ygen, but only that little part at the tip is
heated sufficiently TO unite the oxygen
In producing light by electricity a great
many substances have been tried but
without success, except in the case of car
bon.
Light can be produced with a copper OF
steel wire, but it would be nothing but a
cascade of fire, very beautiful, but of little
service as an illumination. There was a
good deal of talk recently about the en-
ployment of zircon, also, and electricians
were considerably interested in it, but it,
too, has proven a failure in the average
attempt. Zirconus, a very pretty stone,
was formerly among the precious stones,
and is found in all colors in some parts OF
this country and Europe. Some of it was
tried here as substitute for carbon, but
was found to be of no more value in the
arc light than piece of iron. Conse-
quently the use of and experiments in car
bon go ahead, with the hope almost real
lied of obtaining a compound that will be
absolutely fawless, and that will burn to
within few minutes of calculated time.
As the experiments progress the material
becomes purer and purer, just as the purest
carbon is used in the slabs for batteries
/ The little slabs in the shocking batteries u
used at home, for instance, are as pure as
they can be made, about an eighth
of an inch thick, three-guarters of an inch
wide and two to three inches longs
Louis Globe Democrat
.ss.n--s-zsz-<zEzzz1@-
The Cerebrum In the Dog.
In his last contribution to the physiology
Of the hraiD tho eminent ,,bvciolnuicf a.