The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-02-27
From the HunterdOn County Republican ]
ELECTRIC LIGHT.

In our issue OF week before last under
the above caption we endeavored to make
plain to the readers of the Republican a
few facts relating to dynamo-electr ma
chimes. In the present issue we desire to
extend our remarks upon the subject of
electric lighting, dwelling more particu-
larly upon the electrical energy generated
and how il is made to illuminate towns
and cities, etc.
AT the very outset let US say something
as to the nature of electricity itself. Just
what it is no one has been able TO tell,
but that 1t is a force in nature subservient
to the uses of man, and that 1t can be
measured both as to quantity and the
force with which it moves, is known to
many people. Electricity may be divided
into two classes-currents of little guam
tity that move violently along conductor
and currents Of great quantity that are
more sluggish 10 their movements. There
are instruments designed to record these
qualities. The unit used in determining
the quantity of a current is called an am
pere that for determining the force with
which it moves is called volt. A cur
rent of electricity always moves from the
high potential to the low potential, and it
is not so much the quantity as the force
(voltage) with which 1t moves that makes
it dangerous to life. Mr.. Edison was at
one time witness in q lawsuit, and he
was asked to explain the terms volt and
ampere-how currents of high voltage
were dangerous to handle and others not.
He aptly did 30 something after this
fashion Suppose we imagine one gall
lon of water to represent one ampere and
elevate 1t at distance of one foot above
mans head. Now, let us drop the
water upon the mans head and calculate
the force with which it strikes the man
to be one volt. One ampere of water
falling one foot, with force of one volt,
would not be dangerous at ALL We will
take one gallon of water Gone ampere) and
elevate it to height of 1000 feet. We
now have only one ampere, but have in-
creased the voltage to 1000. A gallon OF
water falling from such height well illus.
trates a current of few amperes and many
volts, and why it is dangerous to life.
Currents of high voltage are capable of
jumping across openings and seeking other
ways of returning to the apparatus gener-
ating them, aud can be made to traverse
paths that currents of low voltage could
not. Hence it is that currents Of many
volts are required to operate arc lights,
the light itself being produced by the pass
age of current between two carbon
points, separated by an air space OF
fractional part of an inch. The light
burns in the shape of an arc, and the heat
produced is the most intense known to
scientists. Gold placed in the arc is con-
verted into vapor, and even the diamond,
the hardest known substance, is destroyed.
MIR. Karr informed US the other evening
that he intended using current OF seven
amperes and about 2,100 volts. When
we read that at Slug Sing and Auburn a
current of 1,700 or 1880 volts is used in
electrocutpg criminals, we can readily
understand the deadly nature of the cur
rent to be used here and how necessary
it is for people not to touch the wires.
Many inventions for holding the carbon
sticks have been produced. These are
called lamps. In the frame of the lamp
is arranged an automatic mechanism, con-
trolled by the current, which keeps the
carbon points such distance apart all
the Time The carbons burn away at the
points, bit just as soon as the current has
| to encounter too great a resistance by rea-
son Of too wide separation OF the points
it is made to go through magnet In the
frame of the lamp, which puts in motion
mechanism that reduces the space. The
upper carbon, where direct currents are
used, is the positive one, and it is from
this that the current jumps to the lower
(negative) one. The passage of the cur
rent from carbon TO carbon heats the
points to n white heat and fills the break
between the points with carbon vapor. 1t
is the carbon vapor that burns in the
shape Of an arc, and, more correctly
speaking, is called the voltaic arc. The
| upper or positive carbon burns away about
twice as fast as the negative one, and this
accounts for the greater length of the up
per one. The current, peculiar enough,
tends to sharpen the lower carbon and
hollow out the upper one. The points
are converted into graphite by the cur
rent, making excellent pencils. Where
the alternating current is used both car
bone burn equally, as the current is con-
stantly changing, first flowing in one d.
rection and then in the other. The cur
rent alternates many thousand times q
minute. Lamps using this kind Of cur
| rent we are informed are more noisy than
others and have not been generally adopt
ed. The two-carbon lamps will burn
about seven hours. Where lights are re-
ouired TO burn all night duplex lamps are
used. These consist Of two sets OF car
bons, arranged in such manner that just
| as soon as one set is consumed the current
is automatically switched 10 the other.
1t Is the intention to introduce mean
descent lighting here, and few words
concerning the operation OF the lamps
will no doubt be interesting. II has long
been known TO electricians that current
passing along wire produces heat. The
smaller the wire, or the more resistance
we make the current pass through, the
more heat we get All conductors more
or less resist the flow of electricity, and
the unit used in determining the resist
ance OF wire is called an ohm.
1t is upon this theory that incandescent
lamps are constructed. A current OF great
quantity and few volts traverses the wire
without encountering much resistance, but
when it goes through the lamp its passage
| is resisted TO such an extent that the con-
ductor therein is heated red hot, emitting
a brilliant light. Various materials have
been used for the conductor within the
lamp, but experiment has proved that a
delicate fllament of carbonized bamboo
made from the ordinary bamboo fishing
pole such as used by many Pennington
fishermen-is the best. A small fibre OF
the bamboo is cut off, carefully put in q
proper shape and carbonized. The fila
ment of carbon is arranged in the glass
bulb, after which the air is pumped oul
and vacuum formed. II ii we're not fol
the vacuum the intense heating qualities
of the current would cause immediate
| combustion of the carbon fiament. 1t Il
impossible to form a perfect vacuum, ant
as a consequence these lamps become use
less after being burned about 1000 hours
Mr. Karr intends to introduce the alternat
ing system for ineandescent lighting, HI
deeming it better than the direct cnrren
system. This will necessitate an add
tional dynamo, an additional circuit ant
more motive power than at present. Ii