The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-11-11
REVOLUTION IN ELECTRICITY.

A dispatch from Pittsburgh, Pa, under
dlte of Nov. 9th, says:-The discoveries
that have been made here in the manu-
facture of incandescent lamps are of such
a nature that it may be said a complete
revolution is one of the great and impOr-
tant industries will be affected before the
end of the year.
There are in use in the Unired States
upward of 5000, 900 incandescent lamps,
and there are required each year for re-
newals fully double that number, or
about 10000 each day. There are en-
gagged in the supplying of these lamps
about twenty manufacturers, scattered
about the country, besides several large
glass concerns engaged in the manufac-
ture of the glass,
The incandescent lamp as usually
made is wholly of glass fused at all
points, and the entire structure when
once the burner is broken, becomes use
less and valuless and an incumbrance.
There are also required in each lamp two
pieces of platinum wire, costing from
three cents to five cents each, which are
scarcely worth the cost of retaining, so
that the increasing demand for platinum
due to the extension of electric lighting
has frequently caused an advance in
price. In fact, it may be said that the
greatest use of platinum at present is in
the manufacture of lamps.
The present cost of sixteen-candle
power incandescent lamps averges about
forty cents each as the result of keen
competition, and it has been believed a
further considerable reduction could not
be effected. Soon, however, all the
former methods will be changed for the
Westinghouse Electric Company has
begun at it's works in this city the extern
sive manufacture by machinery Of an
ideal lamp.
Instead of using a globe fused at all
points, it uses one in two parts, which
are separable for the replacement of the
burner, so that the globe can be used re-
peatedly instead Of being thrown away,
as with the Edison form.
The manufacture by machinery of the
globes for these new lamps has been
worked out in one of the Pittsburg glass
houses, so that in the very small space
from 10000 to 10000 complete globes can
be made daily.
After the two parts of the globes are
formed at the glassworks, they are re-
quired to be accurately joined together,
and the machinery to automatically do
this work has been completed and is now
III operation. luCanueScenJ lamps can
now be turned out with an accuracy and
with speed that will enable the manu-
facture of lamps for the entire country
to be carried ON in small and inexpen-
sive factory.
The newt form of lamp admits of the use
of iron wire in place of platinum, with a
further reduction in cost. The machin-
cry now made and erected should, ac-
cording to the capacity already attain ed,
make from 5000 to 600 new lamps every
ten hours, and if operated double time
fully 200 new lamps each day can be
produced. After, while, however, the
globes will begin to return for new
burners, and thus in time there will be
fewer new ones required for even a much
larger output THAI 10000 lamps each
day. The Westinghouse Company has,
through its circulars and advertisements,
announced to the trade its policy of a re-
duction of from 30 to 80 per cent in Il .
the cost of globes. 1t is furthermore
stated that what the company has so far
said on the subject is on the side of con-
servatism, and that it will fix its prices,
after the full capacity of its new ma
chinery is determined, at such low
figures that there will 10 longer be an
inducement for small concerns to con-