The herald., 1896-05-27
EXPERTS ON ELECTRICITY
Are Still Developing the X Ray
Mysteries
LIGHTING WITHOUT WIRES
Claimed to Be Accomplished by Nicola
Tesla
EDISON has Transformed the Visible Rat
Into White Light, and Promises q
Vastly Improved System
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, May 26-The Electrical
review In it's issue last week announced
by authority that Nicola Tesla had per-
fected his vacuum tube system of cleo.
trlcal lightning without wires the possi.
nliltles of which he first brought to pub.
nc notice five years ago in lecture be.
lore the American Institute of Electrical
Engineers. This light is whittier, more
Dr1illant and more intense than the aru
hght and is produced with much smaller
amount OF electrical energy. A labora-
tory photograph has been made by
means of this light with an exposure
OF only Two seconds. The detail in tho
photograph is remarkably fine. Tesla
!urther states that his apparatus has
Deen greatly simplified and he Will soon
nave 1t ready for practical use.
Working on different lines Thomas A.
Edison has, according to the Electrical
review, to be published tomorrow. sue
ceeoed In developing a new kind of cleo
tric lamp or vacuum tube by means of
Wnlch the Roentgen rays are turned
INTO pure, white light. Edison's new
lamp is an ordinary Crooke's tube coat
ed on the interior surface with crystals
OF new fiuorescent substance which he
mas discovered, similar to tungstate OF
calcium. The rays in passing through
their coating of crystal are changed to
light Very little heat is generated and
nearly the whole of the electrical en-
erSy expended Is transformed into light
The new lamp is used in place of the
Crookes tube with the ordinary X raya
apparatus.
Mr.. Edison believes that there are
great possibilities in his discovery and ia
now enthusiastically at work perfectins
his apparatus In commercial form. He
expects that before long he will so de-
Velop 1t that it may be used with high
economy on an ordinary incandescent
circuit.
Mr. Edison speaks of this new discov-
cry in these words:
What 1 have succeeded in doing IA
this: Instead of generating the X-rays
ana throwing them off into space have
turned them into pure white light of
high refrangibility. 1t seems as If prac-
tfcally all the electrical energy is trans
formed into light. To the eye the light
IS pure white, resembling the sunshine.
1t has none Of the moonlight effect. The
spectroscope shows, however, that there
is plenty of red in it, and it is, therefore.
normal light.
Il can make these new lamps of any
size, and the efficiency of the X-ray ap-
paratus with them can be made yerv
high. can also rim a number of these
new lamps in multiple arc. am now q
work on endurance tests of the bulbs
ana am working to get the system into
simple commercial form.
electrical ana scientific people are ca
gerry watching the outcome Of the work
of these two great inventors on this i'm
portant subject. The Journal above
named says, editorially: ~
We cannot hesitate to express our
positive conviction that the introduc-
tion of more perfect illuminant is near
at hand"
The electrical review states that Mr..
Nicola Tesla has been suffering from a
severe attack of la grippe for two weeks
past. during which time he was only
able to be at his laboratory few hours.
He is now improving in health. He was
seen at his hotel on Monday and asked
as the originator of the vacuum tube
lighting, if he had anything to say about
Mr.. Edison's new vacuum tube lighting.
and replied characteristically that he
had the utmost faith in the genius of
Mr.. Edison and heartily congratulated
him on his success as announced