The morning call., 1891-08-10
EDISON'S FIRST LAMP.
The Carbon of 1t Was Made of
Thread-A Time of Suspense.
The Children Of That First Effort Now Amount
to Fifty Thousand Day-The Worlds
Light il the Future.

wont you tell me about the first carbon
lamp you ever made?"
All. that is a story The carbon Of the
hrst lamp was made of spool of Cark's
thread. ALI night Bachelor. my assistant
the greatest and best of my assistants, the
man of infinite patience and interchangeable
perslstence-worked beside me. The next
day we worked all day and then all night
again, and at the end of that time we had
produced one caribou out of spool OF
Ciark's thread.
Having made it, it was necessary to take
1t TO the blowers house. With the
utmost precaution Bachelor took up the
precious carbon, and l marched after him,
as II guarding mighty treasure, to the
glasS-olower'S cubby To our conSter-
nation, justas we reached the blowers
oeneh the wretched carbon broke.
Bachelor turned around and looked at
me and said, Edison, we wont sleep till we
get one"
At the recollection Edison lay back in his
chair and laughed heartily. When he had
recovered from the fit he said:
That was one of Bachelors perpetual
phrases which he had said to NE hundred
times before, and which l had said to him.
We turned back to the main laboratory and
set to work again.
" 1t was late in the afternoon before we
mad produced another perfect carbon. The
same profession as in the morning passed
TO the glass-blower's den. 1t was safely
deposited on the bench, where Bachelor
iald 1t down, when jewelers. screw-driver
"a very little utenSil as you know-Iolied
down and broke the carbon again.
Batchellor looked at the broken carbon
with staring, wide-open eyes. and did, too.
FULLY minute elapsed before either spoke.
Batchellor turned around-he is q very
mlld-manneTed man-but if Uncle Toby
could be forgiven for swearing, and the
recording angel blOtted out the old soldiers
oath with tear, surely he did the same for
Batch.
Well I am best said Batch, aue then
he added with grim look on his face, JOB
got too much reputation for patience on a
small capital
so, disappointed but not dsheartened,
we turned back again, and before night a
carbon was completed and Inserted In the
lamp. The lamp was exhausted of air aud
sealed, the current turned on, and the light
that IS to be the light of the world met our
eyes for the first time in all its BEATTY"
Can you tell me how many children of
that first lamp there are in the world to-
dav?"
Il cannot" he answered.
DO you know. Tate?" he said, turning
around to the Secretary. The Secretary
shook his head
81 suppose it is past finding out" cnntin-
ued Edison, "but the output of the United
States is $4,000 day. OF these the Edison
Company manufactures one-half-say $1,000
a day.
And" he continued with a certain grim
ness, will manufacture the entire 50, coo or
as many more as the country needs. The
output of lamps for the whole world is
$4,000 day, or q, 100000 year. This gives
you an idea of the growth and spread Of the
electric light. Twice as many lamps are
made in day as sufficed for whole year
ten years ago. Ii you calculate the lamps at
40 cents each you will see that the world is
paying little short of S10000,000 year for
the children of the lamp that made Bachelor
consider Job something of an impostor. -
n. Y. Morning Journal