The Indianapolis journal., 1896-06-14

How the Filament in Electric Lamps
Is Made.
New York Mail and Express.

New York Mail and Express.
No. my friend. that is not hot wire
wh.ch makes the light in the electric lamp.
put great many people believe il is. That
carbon, and until quite recently Ii was made
from bamboo fiber or silk Now cellulose is
Ssso dat almost exclusively. ana all the mean
position last night were fitted with II. In
its raw state celluloss can scarcely be dis
tingushed from New Orleans molasses on a
cold morning. In its next state II is a good
substitute for yermicelL. and just before ii
is carbonized it looks like white horse hair.
The trade calls IL the squirted hiament.
The lampmakers do not publish their re-
ceipts for ceilulose. but il can be made or
other solvent. 1t Is then In the syrup state,
and Is placed in a funnel-shaped vessel, with
a small die in the nozzle. The air is ex-
hausted from the vessel and the syrup 10
prevent the forming of bubbles. Pressure
is then placed on the mass. and the soft
thread. which comes from the die falls into
setting solution. From this il is wound
of onto a drum and dried. when it appears
like white horse hair. From the drum ii is
wound onto carbon blocks. in which wind
Ing the loop Is formed. 1t Is dipped in paraf-
fine and placed in the graphite box.
Powdered charcoal is filled In, excluding the
air. the lid Of the box is fastened on with
fire clay and IL goes into the furnace. 1t Is
treated first TO low. slow fire. which is IN
creased to an intense heat. leaving the fla
vidual flament is submitted to various tests
before Ii Is determined fit for use in lamp.
When the fament is fitted into the glass
bulb Its ends are fastened 10 platinum wires
which extend outside the lamp and are con-
nected with the electric wires. Platinum is
the only metal that can be used for these
'fn-leading" wires, because IL expands with
heat about the same as glass. The expan-
sion OF copper or iron wires would burst the
lamp. The life OF the fiament Is about 900
hours burning and the life of a lamp about
100 days. An exhausted lamp is worth
nearly cent the only thing OF value in IL
being the platinum attached to. the filament.
cd Wi NJ
thickness of the glass bulb and mere
bits OF metal. Exhausted lamps can be pur-
red The m ye amn ior costs fhe
from IL to % cents each, according TO the
quantity purchased. The output OF the
twenty lamp factories in the United States
lives an average of 100 days, this means
100000 incandescent lamps in daily use. A
facture of lamps here. as all the European
product is cheaper. The Vienna lamp. for
example. costs 10 cents.
Sir Humphrey Davy made an electric light
in 1902. His apparatus is not on exhibition
at the exposition in the Industrial building.
Neither is the I incandescent Mt lamp; on g, whIen 1s
The Columbia Incandescent Lamp Company,
Of St. Louis. shows in its booth several in
Henry Goebel, about fifteen years before
Edison asked for a patent on the same in
vention. These are the lamps which were
cases before the United States courts in the
past four years. Henry Goebel was a Ger
man He came to New York in 1S4S and
street. He was a skilled workman with
great inventive genius; He began his lamp
experiments early in the fifties. and is SAID
to have produced one about this time with a
bamboo filament. which he carbonized i'm a
Snall heating stove. The lamp was operated
with a chemical battery. the only method
About 1863 Goebel built telescope, which
he mounted on a wagon and exhibited in
peep at the stars. He had some incsn-
descent lamps on the telescope. operated by
battery under the Wagon ssa and he
ton. Strange enough, Goebel did not
apply for patents on his invent, Inventions, T ano 10
when Mr. Edison sent 1T his electric aS Tov 10
10 1872 In 1881 Goebel was employed with
the American Electric Light Company. OF
New York making carbons or bamboo fiber.
Companies for the manufacture. of incan-
descent lamps were organized all over the
country, and in 1892. began the series of law
suits in the United States courts, testing the
validity of the Ellison famert patents. the
suits being brought by the Ellison company.
The first big case was against the SAWYER
district OF New York sustained the Edison
patents. What was later known as the 'Goe-
bel defense" was then known. but was not
Man people being to establish their patents.
and TO prove the Goebel inventions meant
the destruction Of their own as well as the
The Edison company proceeded against var
ious other companies. and secured injunc-
tions against them, restraining them from
making lamps. Part of the Goebel defense
was presented when the Beacon Vacuum
Pump and Electrical Company. OF Boston.
was sued in 1893, and egain the Edison pat
ents were sustained and injunctions granted
The Columbia IncandesceDt Company used
the Goebel defense in its fullest in its case
against the Ed'ron company. tried in St
Louis in April. 1893 In the preliminary trial
the court held the Goebel lamps 10 be a prior
invention to the Edison, and refused 20 grant
iniunctions. The final hearing of the case
did not occur. as IT was dismissed by the
Edison company three months ago. The be-
levers in the Goebel lamp consider this a
decisive victory
The Columbia Company evidently regards
Goebel as It's patron saint and guardian an
gel. A big picture OF him, in a square halo
OF incandescent lamps has prominent place
in the companys BOOTH and his lamps aro
treasured In a cotton-linei case Goebel diei