The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-04

able to construct lamp which would burn
for about two hours. The trouble was that
be could not get small enough furnace.
One day it struck him that a carbon fila
ment would do the trick. He took a piece
Of common cotton thread and carbon
lied il.
When this filament was fixed in the glass
bulb all the men in Mr.. Edison's lab ratory
gathered around to watch the experiment
with the new lamp. A pool was made up
among tue men on the length Of time the
| new lamp would burn. The man who took
/ the outside figure chose three hours aud a
/ half.
! The current was turned on and the lamp
I gave a stronger and more brilliant light than
any which Mr.. Edison or his workmen had
/ ever seen. 1t was almost as satisfactory as
I the lamps in common use to-day. 1t burned
/ steadily and with no diminution Of brill
/ lance or power for an hour and half. The
men watched it with increasing interest. AS
| 1t burned by the time marks on the differ
ent men in the pool they extended their
limits and made new pool
| It burned for three hours and half, and
the winner Of the first pool gained conf
/ dence and went in for the outside figure in
the new pool. The men began to get ex-
| cited. The little lamp stuck to its work no
| apparent let up and burned out the new
! pools.
Meal time came and the absorbed work
men lei it go by unnoticed. They made
| new pools and let out the time limit. Some
! of them began TO believe that the new lamp
would burn a whole day. Edison himself
believed that be bad made the successful
lamp and was already scheming for the in
| PRODUCTION of his invention into large light
| ing systems.
| Midnight found the men still gathered
| about the little lamp, which WAS burning Us
| brightly as ever. At morning there was no
change In the group. Messengers were sent
for food, and with one voice the witnesses
of Mr.. Edison's first successful attempt at
electric lighting voted to stay where they
were, at least until another pool was won
and lost.
All that day they sat around the labora-
tory watching the lamp as it burned on. and
| discussing the possibilities of its success, and
of its practical use. At night not "a man
went to bed. They watched the lamp with
the keenest interest until daylight, and it
showed no signs OF waning or going out
Still they stayed, unwilling to leave while
| there seemed a DOUBT that success was ass
sured. When the lamp had been burning
for forty-eight hours, and was apparently
as good as new, and hope became assur-
ance, Dir. Edison turned off the current and
he and the men went home to rest, satisfied.
s. B. Eaton. lawyer for the Edison CON-
pauy, said yesterday: This invention of
Henry Goebel and his claim to anticipate
Mr.. Edison were brought to our attention in
May, 1882. Goebel wanted the Edison COM
pany to buy what he had. The board OF
directors of the Edison company decided
not to buy.
"What Goebel had was absolutely worth
less. All this appears in the minute book OF
the Edison company and my own personal
diary, in and about the month Of May, 1882.
My understanding is that the prominent
| patent lawyer who then acted for Goebel
took the same view Of the subject that we
did and dropped it. This is only an old
matter which is now revived for the pur-
pose of delay, and TO prevent the court
from immediately shutting up the lamp
factory of the Beacon company"