The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-03
ARE ON THE EVE OF
BIG DEVELOPMENTS
Wonderful Achievements Are Forecasted
in Vacuum Tube Lighting.
TRYING TO INITIATE DAYLIGHT
The Achievements Of Edison. Tesla
and MooYc and the Relative Value
OF Their Lignt.. Effects Likely to
Follow Anlong the Common People.
From the Philadelphia Record.

CHARACTERISTIC OF true genius 10
found la the originality in methods
adopted of accomplishing the same
result. An illustration of this is found
in the work of Edison, Tesla and d.
MacfGrlane Moore. q young electrician,
in the direction of producing a light
which will be more efficient than the
present incandescent lamp, invented
by Mr.. Edison. Each has succeeded In
q manner. how far remains to be seen,
and each has attained this result
through widely different means. While
the incandescent lamp Is a satisfactory
illuminant. 1. Is well known that the
greater part Of the energy OF the elec-
tric current producing the light is ex-
pended in useless heat. and 1t IL the
present object Of several inventors to
obtain a more efficient and hence less
expensive method of Transforming the
energy Of the electric current into light
energy.
The last decade of this century Is
apparently to be an epoch-making one
In electrical science No discovery since
the invention Of the telephone has ere.
ated SO much public expectation and
enthusiasm about electric science as
has the discovery ofg the X-rays.
! Mr. Edison now comes to the front
and announces that he has discovered
means whereby he Is able to employ
these invisible rays foa' the production
Of light. and this with an expenditure
Of energy very much less than that at.
tained by the present incandescent
lighting system. 1t Is well known that
Mr.. Edison Is the inventor of the COM
merc!al system of incandescent light
ing generally employed. and. cOnse-
| q q OF n 70
new system Is capable. In his opinion.
Of commercial development must COM
mand wide attention. Mr.. Ed.son's
new lamp consists of an ordinary glass
bulb, highly exhausted, and supplied
with two small metal discs. such as
he employed for the production Of the
X-rays. The inside Of this bulb. how
ever. Is coated with a crystalline sub
stance, something like calcium tungs-
tate, the exact nature of which
Mr.. Edison Is not yet ready tn disclose.
but which tluoresceS strongly when
subjected to the action of the X-rays.
The apparatus which supplies the elec-
tric current Is also the same as he em-
ployed for the production of X-rays. In
fact. the system Is a method of con-
verting the X-rays into light. The new
lamp. Mr.. Edison states. takes cur
rent Of two amperes at three-tenths Of
a volt, or an activity or six-tenths of a
watt when giving light Of one candle
power. An ordinary sixteen candle-
power incardescent lamp requires
about IS or so watts. Mr.. Edison states
that the spectrum of the new light has
q. lower rofrang!bil.ty than the arc
light or the Weishach gas mantle, and,
therefore, approaches more nearly tn
ordinary daylight. The lamps he has
so far constructed are are only of
about four-candle power, but the cam
uie-power Is merely matter of con-
structiQn, almost any degree of illu-
minatioI being obtainahla by larger
bulbs and more powerful currents.
The inventor states that these lamps
in the present state dof development
are three and a half times as efficient rs
the best commercial lamps. The cur
rent employed is obtained from the
secondary Of an induction coil. the
primary current Of which ia disrupted
about go times second. Mr.. Edison
is now devoting his entire attention to
perfact.ng the construction of the lamp
and til manner of aprlying the tluor-
escing crystals, as well as simylitica-
ton, II plssihle, in the current-rro o.
ducing apparatus. The substance en-
ployed as the iluors scing crystals Is
stated by Mr.. Edison to be cheap.
abundant and well-known mineral.
Experiments MADE to determine the
| feasibility CT operating these lamps in
cuit;ple circuit connection, as employ
I'd for incandescent lights, have been
successful,
Mr.. T'ESLA'S EFFORTS.
Mr. Tesla several years age anncunc-
ed that II was his belief a more efficient
system Of electric lighting would be
found, and ne the,, showed some very
beautiful and wcaderful experiments In
W uuN '1i1" lighting. using high fire.
quency. high-cotential currents TIE
frequency employed by Tc,sa in
these experiments was many hundred
thousands yer second. BY means OF
these currents and ordinary highly ex-
haustcd vacuum tubes he was able to
set In vibration the molecules CT the res
idual atmosphere Of the bulbs produc-
Ing a light without anpreciable heat
Lately Mr.. Telsa has announced that
he has made progress far beyond what
he even dared to hope, and that he has
system now which aporca ches COM
mercial requirements. AS proof of his
advancement Mr. Tesla recently per.
mitted the reproduction of photograph
Of himself taken with a two seconds
exposure. This photograph certainly
shows un all the details In the sun.
shine photograph. and moreover, he
states that this picture was taken with
the light given by a bulb Of very small
dimensions. Unfortunately, however
Ny Tesla has as yet published no de-
tails as to the amount Of energy requir.
ed. or the exact method by which he
attainS his result. Suffice to say, he
claims very high efficiency for his ap.
paratus.
WHAT MOORE HAS DONE.
Still another inventor In the direction
Of the production Of cold light Is young
electrical engineer. Mr.. d. McFarlar
Moore. whose exhibition Of the new sys.
TEN Of lighting attracted so much at.
tention al the New York Electrical ex.
position. and 1t Is said that the results
secured by him and demonstrated a,
the exposition were the means of spur.
ring on the older investigat tors, Edisor
and Tesla His public experiment.
proved even more popular than the y
ray exhibit.
Mr.. Moore recently appeared before
the American institute of Electrical En-.
gineers, and for the first time In the his.
tory Of electrical science lighted thu
hall Of the institute with his vacuum
tubes. There were in all twenty sever
tubes. each seven feet, six inches lone
by one and three-fourths inches in dia
meter, each taking one-eighth ampere
at $50 volts, fraction over &c watts fol
each or total Of two se-power TO,
the entire number. This approaches
very nearly the efficiency Of the presen
incandescent lighting. as the hall OF
this occasion was almost as we'll lighted
as when Illuminated by the usual twen
ty-seven incandescent lamps. Thi!
system, which attracted considerabl,
In the scientific world generally, wa!
considered great advance in the sci
ence of vacuum tube lighting. but sine,
then both Mr.. Edison and Mr. Tesla hav,
announced still greater improvements
This system employs rapidly disrupted
currents Of any voltage. The novelt!
Of the system consists in the means
adopted for obtaining rapid dis.