The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-19
MEANS OF LIGHT AND POWER
Why Ii Is Difficult in Getting Electric
Light Bids on the Time Schedules.
Inventors Are Figuring on Plans by Which Two
or More Cartons Can BE Carried in One
Lamp-Elsctrie Railways.

Charles p. Jacobs is q close student of
matters electrical and keeps well posted on
the subjects of light and power. Speaking
of the difficulty of getting bids on the
lighting of this city by electricity he re-
marked that il lay in the fact that the
lamps must burn all night. "A single set
of carbOns" he said in explanation, will
burn out by midnight To avoid this Brush
invented lamp with two sticks of
carbon or electrodes, made of finely
comminuted coke and plated to avoid
waste. When one of these burns out In q
lamp the other - released automatically
and burns the remainder of the night.
Brush has succeeded in q series of suits
notably in Chicago, San Francisco aud To-
$ ledo-in defeating his competitors and es-
tablishing the prior right TO this lamp.
These decisions practically give the Brush
Electric Company a monopoly of what is
called the double-arc. or aIl-night. lamp,
and prevents competition"
us that to GO on foreverf" asked the re-
porter.
ut is scarcely likely that it will. In
ventors are now at work endeavoring to
solve this carbon problem and construct
lamp by which two or more carbons can be
carried in a lamp. one TO come into opera
ton as the others burn out. OF course this
must be done in such q way as not TO inter
fere with the Brush patent 1t Is believed
that the problem IL now in process Of solu-
tion by which an entirely new plan u con-
structing lamps with a series of cartoons
Will be brought into successful public USE.
'Anythi new in Incandescent lightlngW
A =
what is called the incandescent lamp,
brought upon patent granted TO Thomas
A. Edison few years ago, IN which that
inventor broadly claims the use of the
filament in the exhausted globe or re-
ceiver. This case has recently been argued
before Judge Wallace in the United States
Circuit Court of New York. and u decision
is expected shortly. If this decision estab-
fishes the right of the Edison company it
will constitute an immense monopoly, and
all the incandescent lamp companies in the
United states will De forced 10 pay tribute
TO IL. Whichever way the case is decided
by Judge Wallace 1t will doubtless be ap-
pealed to the United States Supreme
Court. and the final decision in that court
cannot be had for two or three years to
come"
How much litigation is there In regard
to the double arc lampl"
Not much outside the cases mentioned.
Just now the companies opposing Brush
prefer To acquiesce In the decisions given
and pool with their successful rival. The
Thompson Huston company, of Lynn.
Mass. is probably the largest of these, as
IL now practically owns, not only the
paDy, but the Brush Electric Company,
and also the Jenney Electric Company of
Fort Wayne. e Is. perhaps, the strongest
concern now in the field with regard to
electric-iightiDg. In the line of electric
motors. the great problem to be settled is to
perfect the alternating current"
Then, of course. TO harness up Niagara
and distribute that power over great part
The perfecting of the alternating cur
rent might involve such scheme. The
power generated by Niagara cOnld be trans
mitted by wire to towns and cities even
hundreds of miles away and applied to all
some day surely be solved. The moving of
machinery by secondary Or storage batter
les has not yet been perfected. At present
the cars constructed for that sy stem are
too heavy, the wear and tear on the track
roo great, the cost of running the mechan-
ism too expensive. The storage system
cannot compete with the trolley or over
head system. We have enough of this last
named system in this city to show that it
can DO operated as successfully here as
elsewhere, and 10 indicate that at no far
distant day, perhaps within ten years.
light freights and passengers will be
carried over electric railways to all
the hourishing towns within twenty
or thirty miles of this city.
Power will be generated Mt stations at suit
able distances apart on these lines and
steam Will be supplanted for all this light
traffic. Electricity does away with dead
weight. No tenders are required to carry
coal and water; no boilers. no fire-boxes;
there's a saving in wear and tear and an
enormous cutting down in expense. This,
of course. would mean lower rate than
the present for passengers and the freights
carried Within ten years snch lines will
run to Danville. Plainfield, Brooklyn.
Martinsyille, Franklin. Shelbyvil!e. Green
field. Pendleton, Noblesville, Westfield,
Lebanon. and perhaps even as far as Craw-
louisville. 1t may be that the steam rail-
road corporations will themselves find it
necessary TO establish such linesn
How long will Indianapolis have to
wait for electricity on all her city and sub
urban finest"
The present system of mules. requiring
stables. grooms. feed. harness and the like.
Is wasteful and extravagant The Citizens
company will change from mules to the
electric sy stem as rapidly as possible. The
days of the propulsive mule are numbered.
This is the electric age. and the day of the
ascendency OF mule and steam power is
about OVER