The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-22
FIRST ELECTRIC LAMP.
Inventor Edison's Story of His Elk
periment.
a Spool of Thread Furnished tho Nratcrl-
nj for tho First Carbon Wonder
full Growth nnd Spread OF tho
Industry,

won't you tell mo about the first
carbon lamp you ever madc?" asked u
New York Morning Journal man of Mr..
Edison.
'Ah, that is n story. Tho carbon of
the first lamp was made of spool of
Clarl1's thread. All night Batchcllor,
my assistant-thc greatest and best of
my assistants, the man of infinite pa
ticncc and interchangeable persistence
worked beside me. The next day VIC
worked all day and then all night
again, and at the end of that time we
had produced one carbon out of spool
of Clarll's thread
Having made it, it was necessary to
take it to the glass-blower's house.
With the utmost prccaution Batchcllor
took up the precious carbon, and l
marched after him, as if guarding u
mighty treasure to the glass blowers
cubby-holc. To our CONSERVATION. Just
as we reached the glass blowers bench
the wretchcd carbon broke.
''Batchcllor turned around and looked
at me, and said: Edison, we won't 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 Batchcllor's per
petual phrases, which he had said to
me hundred times before, and which
l had said to him. We turned back
to the main laboratory and, set to work
again.
ut was late in the afternoon before
we had produced another perfect car
bon. The same procession as in the
morning passed to the glass-blower's
den. 1t was safely deposited on Il bench
where Batchcllor laid it down, when a
jewelers. screw drivcr-a very little
utensil cs you know-rollcd down and
broke the carbon again.
'Batchellor looked at the broken
carbon with staring, widc-opcn eyes,
and did too. Fully u minute elapsed
before either spoke. Batchellor turned
around-hc is n very mild-manncrcd
man, but if Uncle Toby could be for
given for swearing, and tho recording
angel blottcd out the old soldiers oath
with tear, surely he did the same for
Batch.
"'Well, I'm curscdr said Batch; and
then he added with n grim look on his
face: Job got too cursed much rcputa-
ton for patience on small capital
80 disappointed, but not dishcart-
cncd, we turned back again, and before
night Il carbon was completed and in
serted in the lamp. The lamp was OK
hausted of air and scaled, 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 it's beauty"
Can you tell me how many children
of that first lamp there arc in the world
to-day?'
II cannot" he answered. "Do You
know, Tate?" he said, turning around
to the secretary. The secretary shook
his head.
II suppose it is past finding out" con-
tined Edison, ''but the output of the
United States is $4,000 day. OF these
the Edison company manufacture one
half-say $4,000 day. And" he added,
with a certain grimness, twill manu-
facturc the entire $4,000, or as many
more as the country needs. The output
of lamps for the whole world is SO, 900 Il
day, or 24,00O,0OO year. This gives
you an idea of the growth and spread of
the electric light. Twice rs many
lamps arc made in day as sufficcd for
whole year ten years ago. If you cal
culate the lamps ut 40 cents each you
will see that the world is paying little
short of 100000 q year for the chill
drcn of the lamp that made Bachelor
consider Job something of an impostor."