The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-08-13
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LIGHT INVENTORS.

By far the most engrossing subject
In the minds of American electricians
at this moment is the rivalry that has
developed within The last few days in
the attempt to produce a commercial
nhosplOrescent light. The two great
contestarls are the giants Edison and
Tesla; but there is a third and by no
meal negligible element in the per-
son of a young man named Moore,
whose recent work in lighting has at
tracted much attention. Mr.. Moore,
In fact, has at present the decided ad-
vnLtage of having demonstrated what
can be done in phosphorescent light
Ing. and how much current it can be
lone with, while both Edison and les
la have yet to show the results of
their latest Investigations. Phosphor-
escent lighting has hitherto been too
expensive to be commercial, but Mr..
Moore fills a large room with diffused
light from a~ir-eXhausted tubes glow
ing like Illuminated smoke, presum-
ably for the same cost as would be
involved in lighting the room by the
ordinary incandescent light. While
this system may prove to be CONNER
cial, it has yet to be concluseively
demonstrated that it is so. Mean
While, there is not the slightest doubt
we are on the homestreteh in the
struggle for the attainment of the
fascinating and m~uch-coveted prize,
which Tesla suggested five years ago
in his historical lecture. commercial
lighting by air-eXhausted bulbs or
tubes, the light being produced by
the agitation Of the molecules within
tho h11Ih rrrJnr Aha tpaprpa- ~ m
electric current vibrating. say. millions
of times a second. One curious fea-
ture of this rapidly approaching cul-
mination' is the attitude and comments
with respect to each other of the in
ventors whose individual or combined
efforts it seems destined to be brought
about. Edison claims to have invented
a lamp that gives from II to 10 per
cent of light for energy consumed.
The value of such a lamp will be seen
from the fact that in gas lighting less
than 1 per cent of energy consumed
produces light, and in incandescent
electric lighting about 3 per cent is
available. Edison says: 1T Is a bril-
liant white light, but what it is ! will
not yet state. 1t can be made quickly
and cheaply, and n of my new lamps
will give as much light as all the
Moore tubes scattered about the New
York Electrical Exposition. If Tesla
has a light. why don't he show it?
Moore is showing his light and | will
show mine. What counts in this
world is the man who produces, not
saving: Tesla claims he can make
his light $50 candle-power. This is Il
vague statement, and needs contirma-
ton. He claims 10 per cent efficiency
therefore the rest of the energy must
b heat, and his small bulb must get
impracticably hot. There are vital
shortcomings. Again. TeSla's current
is of such a high voltage that 1t can
never be handled in a practical man
ner; his apparatus is large and compll-
Gated. and costs many thousands OF
dollars, while mine is very small and
inexpensive. AS to Edison. he, ike
Tesla, is trying to make units of light.
The light he will show will consist of
q small bulb containing the same ma
terial he has used on his microscope.
1t will be excited by an old process,
and will be a mentally inadequate
piece of apparatus. 1t will last but a
short time, while my tubes. nelng
empty. have unlimited life" Tesla.
meanwhile, is doing more thinking
lIldl tdlhllS. IIC . "a Ht
and a shrewd and secretiye man. OF
| great force and pertinacity. His init
mate friends know that if he says he
| will do a certain thing, that result will
| surely come to pass, and if he claims.
as he does now. that with the same
| voltage as the street current he can
make a lamp the size of the ordinary
16-candle power incandescent give a
light of 250-candle power, they have
no misgivings about the early demon
stration of the. fact to the world.
Moreover, when Mr.. Tesla saws that
he hopes to reduce the loss of energy
to 60 per cent and thus raise 250-can-
| die power lamp to 1,O00-candle power
with the same quality of current. the
public can rest assured that the ac-
complishment of such an evolution is
not far distant.