Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-06-15
Edison's New Light.

IhOmdS "A. Edison has at last gwen
the public the details of his new light,
which he is confident will supersede the
ordinary incandescent light. and which,
it goes without saying, is not calculated
to arouse feelings of hilarity i'll the
breasts of the gas trusts. He announces
that he has solved the scientific part of
the problem, and all that now remains
is purely mechanical. This, it may
readily be believed, he will speedily ac-
cOmplish-
The new lamp resembles the incandes-
cent one in common use with the excep-
ton that it does not require a perfect
vacuum and that the interior surface of
the glass globe is coated with crystals
of tungstate fused into it. AS to the
manner in which the light is produced
Edison says:
Two wires enter the globe at one end, but
do not meet. By means of an induction
current generated in Faradic battery the
motion, and the impulse thus given travels
along the wires until it reaches the ends
inserted into the globe. This molecule i'm
pulse is communicated to the molecules of
air within the globe These air molecules
are driven with almost inconceivable rapid
ity against the crystal of tungstate, weld
ed into the inner wall of the glass. The
impact causes the crystals to glow. The
glow caused by a single blow of these air
molecules is, OF course, but slight, but
hoWgp d ana endr
mously rapid rate, they produce the new
white light.
The new light has great advantages
over the incandescent A two-candle
as a siXteen-candle incandescent. He
says it is pure white light, the whitest
light known. The tungstate crystals
make the whole globe like ground glass.
1t fairly CLOVIS. It's Illuminating power
is not alone remarkable. It is a soft,
pleasing light to the eye, notwithstand-
ing its intensity. The most aston shing
feature Of the new discovery, however,
is that while the incandescent light
transforms 95 per cent. of the electrical
force into heat, thus leaving but 5 per
cent. to be turned into light, the tung-
state lamp produces absolutely no heat
at all that he can detect with the most
delicate instruments. He says: "Not
satisfied with this test. and concluding
my instruments were at fault, / Used
other instruments, but with the same re-
suits. This test was repeated time and
again, until | am compelled to believe
that nearly the whole force used in the
new lamp employed in producing the
light. [ do not attempt to explain it: /
only accept it as fact.'
It is well known that Mr.. Edison has
been studying similar problem in the
matter of cOal-namely: The preserva-
ton of waste energy. He has discov
cred its solution in the case of electrical
illumination, and this solution is the
most important Of all his achievements
in this direction, since by avoiding the
sacrifice of force, or the loss of electri-
cal energy, which is turned into heat,
he can make the lamps very cheap, and
thus bring them into general use While
the lamp will last as long as the globe
and there are no expensive films to con-
sider it produces a better light 1T is
not likely that Mr.. Edison would have
made such a confident and detailed pub
lie statement were he not satisfied that
he had produced cheaper and in every
way better light than the incandescent,
and that it will speedily come into com
mercial use. Meanwhile, what has be-
come of the Tesla light, which it was
stated is produced without wires at all
The public will eagerly wait now to
hear from the other wizard.-Chicago
Tribune.