The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-16

Euclid avenue which is. you know, one
OF the finest streets in the world, and
IL Is surrounded by seven acres OF mag
nifcent lawn where the land is so val
liable you have TO carpet 1t with green
backs to buy IT, Looking into the
grounds from the street makes you think
OF one OF the old English estates. I'm
mense forest trees shade the velvety
green and winding walk leads through
these up 10 the house. This is massive
structure of Berea sandstone, the whole
front OF which is covered with carvings
save where here and there magnificent
windows OF stained glass show out. II
is an immense building of three stories,
with many turrets and towers. Heavy
stone columns uphold the wide porticO
in the front. and easy stone steps lead
you TO the wide front door. The p0rtico
IS lighted by an opalescent globe which
hangs over you you pass in, and the
mahogany walled vestibule contains an
other diamond globe, whose rays bring
out the contrast between the polished
wood of San Domingo and the mosaic
floor OF a Roman pattern, which might
have been transplanted from the famed
baths of Caracalla at Rome. AS you
look into the rooms beyond you note
that. though IL is night, everything is
as bright as day. Mr.. Brush has not
Invented the electric light to live in
darkness. and his house is perhaps the
best lighted palace in the world. and
there is certainly no other which is
lighted in such a curious way. 1t is
provided with nearly four hundred in
candescent and a number of arc lights.
and the electricity for these is fur
nished by storage batteries.
There are. so he told me, ten tons Of
storage batteries in the house, and the
power which charges these with cleo
sricity Is an enormous windmill which
he has erected in the rear. Every breeze
that blows produces light for this house,
and the batteries are so large that if
there should be dead calm for a whole
week they would still contain enough
electricity to run all the lights. The
windmill itself is in large part the in
vention OF Mr.. Brush. 1t is the biggest
windmill I'm the world. and it is operated
by wheel which has a sail surface of
about 1880 square feet. The tower Of
this windmill is as high as a six-story
house. 1t is set in heavy masonry, and
so made that 1T can turn with every
wind that blows. Within il there is an
enormous dynamo connected with the
tower by a system of belts and pulleys.
and the whole machine is so automatic
in Its makeup that il needs only lit
tie oil now and then to keep it perpetual
ly at motion with the wind. 1t has been
in operation now for more than seven
years, but IL is so made that ii works
as well as when 1t was built. Ii pro-
duces enough electricity to charge the
hundreds OF cells of these ten tons of
storage batteries. and IL furnishes the
light for the house and gives power to
run the machinery Of Mr.. Brush's labo-
ratory, which is located in the basement
1t costs him. Mr.. Brush told me, much
more than If he used the electric light
furnished by the city. but he prefers
to be independent, ana the machinery
Is pet invention Of his own.
NEW FEATURES IN LIGHTING.
The arrangement of the electric lights
IN the house is after the plan of Mr.
Brush and his wife. Some of the rooms
are lighted from the ceilings. Others
have lights SO shaded by opalescent
globes and refiectors that only the soft
est rays surround you, and of the mag
nificent paintings which cover the walls
each has an electric fame in front or
1t so covered by a green reflector that
you do not see IL, and you know of it's
existence only through the rays which
are thrown back by the work of art
behind. In the top of the building there
Is great hall in which MIR. Brush has
one OF the finest magic lanterns in ex-
fsterce, and this he operates through an
electric light of three thousand candle
power The average calcium light or
that Produced by oxygen-hydrogen gas
Tor magic lantern use, is, he tells me,
five hundred candle power. His electric
light for this purpose is six times as
strong. and he has a dissolving ap-
paratus Of his own invention i'm which
all mis- slides are registered. During my
talk with him he referred to the wonder
full work which the japanese have been
doing In coloring lantern Slides having
seen some which used in lecture re-
Gently delivered in Cleveland on Japan.
and told him could give him an ad-
dress where he could get his slides col
ored. He replied. II do not want any
one else TO color my slides. L would
prefer To color them myself, and / hope
TO have time to experiment in this way
later on. / think there might be as
much art shown in cOloring slides as in
painting pictures, and the artistic effects
CT the best lantern work are yet TO
come"
But before give you our conversation
let me tell you how Mr.. Brush looks. /
met him In one or the large parlors on
tie ground floor of his house. He is a
physical giant, but SO we'll proportional
that his form commands your admira-
ton. when Gambetta saw him at the
Paris exposition Of 1881 he said: 81 don't
know which to admire most in Mr.
Brush. his mental attachments or his
magnificent physique" Mr. Brush Is
about six feet two in his stockings. He
Is broad-shouldered and big-bOned. His
head Is large. and IL is fastened to his
frame by a strong, well-shaped neck.
He stands straight, with his shoulders
well thrown back, and his chest is deep
and full. He has a dark complexion and
dark eyes, which show out from under
heavy brows. His forehead is high and
full, his mouth strong and characteristic
and his under jaw firm and indicative
OF strength. He is now forty-six years
or age. and is in his intellectual and
physical prime. He retired from active
business several years ago. and at that
time expected to devote five days out
OF every week to his laboratory work
and one TO his business. The demands
of his large property, however. are SO
great that he has almost reversed the
order and is now devoting about FIVE
days TO business and one TO his labora-
tory He is working to get away from
business, and he hopes in the future 10
devote more of his time to scientific in
vestigation and experiment. The day of
his laboring hard for the dollar has
long since gone by. and while i'm the
future his good business brains will lead
him TO get all the money possible out
OF his future inventions, still his work
will be more that of scientific experiment
than money grubbing for new patents
BOY INVENTOR
During my talk with him L asked him
q number Of questions about himself
and his first experiments in the field
OF invention. He has been an experi-
menter all his life. His father was a
farmer who lived near Cleveland. and
he gave his boy good education He