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


ence now. let the lawyer have them.
got vacuum with an ordinary air pump.
MY first filament was fine copper wire
This did not do OF all, SO tried filaments of
platinum wire. l got little glow, which
was encouraging. but that was eli. The
wire melted. The vacuum was very bad
Indeed. | saw it wouldn't do at all. So
set 20 work to invent au air pump which
would work
THE result was the invention Of the mer,
curry air pump. got this patented after
ward. but not in the improved shape they
use 1t now. But my pump worked all right.
l fastened a long, slender glass tube to my
cologne bottle and filled the whole thing,
bottle aud tube, with mercury. Then I
turned it upside down, and the mercury set
tied down IN the tube. leaving beautiful
vacuum in the bottle. Then l sealed the
neck up with Bunsen burner.
That was all right, but my filament was
all wrong. Every sort of metal filament
melted as soon as it got hot enough to give
any satisfying light. l set t. thinking, and
remembered that Prof Monighausen and l.
while we were experimenting in arc lamps
in Hanover. found that CARBON was ausex-
cellent conductor of electricity. Mevbe
carbon would do. It wouldn't melt, and it
couldn't burn up in vacuum.
AFTER some unsuccessful experiments |
tried cane. had burned a ferrule off of
cane one day, and l had noticed that the
part OF the cane which was slowed inside Of
the ferrule and away from the air was
turned by the heat into pure carbon.
ut seemed pretty tough, too. So l car
BOMBED some strips sliced off the outside of
my pipe stem by inclosing than from the
air and heating white hot. / made my
filament out of that and succeeded in get
ting beautiful light.
Then l was happy, but not satisfied.
- ~ 70 Oh sod Nhae
cut at certain times of the year made bet
ter filamonts, and the course of time l was
able to make filaments to suit me. Mean
time was having trouble with the meat
saw
'The fi!aments were stretched tight, and
In the expansions aud contractions due TO
heating and cooling they broke off. So l
made little coils at each end of the fila
ments. This worked much better, and
afterward patented that device, bnt not I'M
til long after everybody was making mean
descent lamps.
THAT form wasn't satisfactory either, so
finally l hit on the plan of making my fla
ments in the shape Of hairpins or horseshoes.
That solved the problem. You know that
all electric lamps are that form nowadays,
but l used it when | was the only maker
of the incandescent lamps in the world.
well, had my lamp at last and l took
l never patented it or tried to make money
out of it.. It would never be of any use for
lighting purposes, thought, for it cost so
much to run it. Those batteries, you know.
were so very expansive.
but | entertained my friends and had
lots of fun out Of the lamp. l rugged one of
the lamps to u clock, so that every time the
clock struck the lamp would burn. Then l
put wire to nay bed, so l could strike a
light at night without getting up and see
the time. But there wasn't money in it
then, and there isn't money in it now, for
you see there are so many stockholders"
"But how about the telescopep asked the
reporter.
40, the telescope" said the old man.
laughing. "Well, told you was an OPP
tlclan. | found time from my watch ro-
pairing and my experimenting to make a
big telescope. This was before the war
It was 20 feet long and had an object glass
Is inches in diameter.
at was a great instrument. / made the
lenses with special care out of the finest
glass could get. l took this out on the
streets nights and charged price for look
ing through 1t. L made money for my ex-
periments that way. had horse and a
wagon, and on the wagon l had big bat
terry of a good many cells.
"The battery was connected with electric
lamps on the wagon. and when business
was slack turned on the lights. That was
sure to gather a crowd. for the lights were
great curiosity, aud then l would talk
about the heavens and get business for the
telescope"
IBID you not sell any Of these incandes-
cent lampsF'
20, yes. sold good many of them, but
it cost so much to run them, and the bat
teries were SO cumbersome and 30 much
trouble to keep in order, that there was no
| = l..
lamps, though. Some | made no bigger
than your little finger. with cocoa threads
for filRments. l made batteries for these
that could be carried in the pocket. l even
made lamps no bigger than a pea. But
there was no money in it."
when the big companies began to
| manufacture incandescent lamps dozen
years or 80 ago, were you not sorry you had
not patented your lampM
mo, indeed, " said the old man laughing
merrily. my lamps were my fun. They
were playChing to me then, and they are
yet. Besides, l knew very well that there
was no money In them. When these COM
panies started up they came round to me
and gave me work. | made flaments and
lamps for them for several years. l did
well enough.
"They paid me $50 week, and got my
son work for 500 week. have got as
ilIAu as o1OO Oub VA 1Oub W bco buGs6
companies have so much capital in them and
SO many stockholders to get 1T that there
was nothing in the business really.
II have nothing against Mr.. Edison, you
know. l wouldn't fight him. respect Mr..
Edison for the improvements he has made in
the lamp, for he has made great many.
He did not invent it, though, for did that
myself before he ever thought of electric
lights Why, l made arc lights before he
was born"
"Were you never approached by capital
lists when you first exhibited your lampsP'
"A good many came to me with PROPOSE
tions, but | saw through them. They were
swiDdlers, they we're. They had schemes,
but knew they were swindlers, for l knew
there was no money in the business. So
had nothing to do with thsm.n
'And have you been working on cleo
tricity since you retiredN
mot on electricity; but l am always
working on something. I've got something
in my head now. I'm living at the home in
Tappan, and | work there. Did not Mr.
Firnges tell you of the egg hatchery | made
hims
"Why, have just made him an egg
hatchery with an electrical device attached
to a thermometer, so that when the tenn
perature rises beyond certain point a win
dow opens, and closes again when the tenn
perature falls. But don't think, young man,
that am fighting Mr.. Edison. | have
nothing against him. l only came down
here to oblige the lawyers, and l am going
! han to Tanpan ~