Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-11-09
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT PROBLEM.
How Edison wrestled with It's Difficulties
A KnOtty Point

How Edison wrestled with It's Difficulties.
A Knotty Point.
! remember going to see Edison soon
after 1t was announced that he had
boasted of having solved the electric light
problem. All electriciansslkn know that this
same problem Is one of the oldest In the
field Of electricity. Fifty years ago sci
entists in England and Professor Joseph
Henry In this country had made mean
descent lamps, which were to all appear
ance very similar to what we have today.
There was little glass globe from which
the air had been exhausted; inside was
strip of carbon or platinum, which, when
heated by a strong current of electricity,
glowed with white heat.
In Professor Henry's day the electric
current was an expensive affair, how
ever, the dynamos being unknown, and
the zinc battery alone being in use.
When the dynamo offered an unlimited
current at moderate price inventors be-
gan to work at the glow lamp again.
Its defects had never been sufficiently
overcome to make it more than labora-
tory toy; 1t would give light for few mo-
ments and would then go out, the oxygen
remaining in the bulb burning up the
carbon loop. In order to make the lamp
of practical use it was necessary to de-
wise means for making the bulb really
empty of air and for making the carbon
loop last reasonable time. Edison went
at this work with his customary ardor.
For months he tested air pumps, until he
found better form than any yet known;
then he worked at carbons until his
friends feared he would break down
under the strain. The preparation Of a
new form of carbon loop might require
weeks of steady labor, the results of
which would be decided in perhaps five
minutes.
In his search for better material than
platinum for the loop which gives out the
light in glow lamp, Edison tried $500
different materials, arriving finally at
kind Of South American bamboo of re-
markedly close FIBER This wood, when
carbonized, gives loop Of great tenacity
and durability. For two years the in
ventor worked at the glow lamp before
he dared to say that it was commercial
success. In the winter of 1S70-S0 he an
nounced that his lamp would last long
enough to make competition with gas pos
announcement caused storm of ridicule.
One so called expert, connected with a
well known college, declared that Edi-
sons lamp could never enter into COM
petition with gas, but would remain a
curiosity and possibly luxury for rich
men. This was at time when Edison
was inviting people from all over the
country to see the lamp work at his
NIenlo Park laboratory, and SO angered
him that he declared he would some day
erect statue to his critic, light it up
with Edison lamps and make the inscrip-
ton read: This is the man who said the
Edison lamp was failure"
There were many dark days that win
ter. After making one batch Of lamps
that burned splendidly and lasted for
weeks, burning night and day, Edison
found to his dismay that the second
batch, made in exactly the same way, so
far as he could find out, and of the same
materials, failed completely. Instead Of
burning for weeks, the lamps went out
in less than an hour. For three days
Edison worked night and day trying in
vain to find the trouble. Then he took
to his bed, seriously i'll, while his ex-
hausted assistant took q rest.
Edison has had the good fortune to at
tract and retain a number of devoted
men, who for the last ten years have
shared in his trials and successes. When
the inventor believes that he is on the
track of something important he COM
pletely forgets his meals and his sleep.
He has been known to work for forty eight
hours at stretch, without leaving his
laboratory, and with no food except
crackers and cheese which he ate as he
pondered over knotty point. He can
not understand that other men need rest,
and is indignant that any one should
think Of meals or sleep while the result
Of some interesting experiment is in
doubt. The Edison lamp was not per-
fected without many such Incidents