The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-06-11
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LIGHT INVENTORS.

LIGHT INVENTORS.
scientists Endeavorfng to Produce
Commercial Phosphorescent
Light. - -
BY Ear the most engrossing subject
IN the minds Of American electricians
at this moment is the rivalry that has
developed withia tho last few days in
tue attempt to produce commercial
phosphorescent light. The two great
Contestants are the giants Edison and
Tesla; but there is third and by no
means negligible element in the per-
son or q young man named Moore,
whose recent work in lighting has at
tracted much attention. Mr.. Moore,
IN tact, has at present the decided adj
vartage Of having demonstrated what
can De done in phoSphorescent light
Ing, and how much current it can be
done with, while both Edison and Tes-
Ia nave yet to show the results of
their latest Investigations. Phosphor-
escent lighting has hitherto been too
expensive to be commercial, but Mr.,
Moore ills large room with diffused
light from air-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 vet to be concluseiyely
demonstrated that it is so. Mean
while, there is not the slightest doubt
we are Oh the homestretch in the
struggle for the attainment of the
fascinating and much-coveted prize,
which Tesla suggested five years ago
IN his historical lecture, commercial
lighting by air-exhausted bulbs or
ubes, the light being produced by
the agitation of the molecules within
the bulb under the influence of an
electric current vibrating, say, millions
OF times a second. One curious fea-
ture OF this rapidly approaching Gull
mlnatlon 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
lamp that gives from - to Is per
cent of light for energy consumed
The value of such lamp will be seen
from the fact that in gas lighting less
than l per cent of energy consumed
produces light, md in incandescent
electric lighting about 3 per cent is
available. Edison says: '1t is a bril-
liant white light, but what it is I will
not yet state 1t can be made quickly
and cheaply, and one 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 I will
show mine. What counts in this
world is the man who produces, not
the who talks" Moore is quoted as
saying: ''Tesla claims he can make
his light $50 candle-power. This is a
vague statement, and needs confrma-
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 it can
never be handled in a practical man
ner; his apparatus is large and compli-
Gated, and costs many thousands Of
dollars, while mine is very small and
inexpensive. AS to Edison, he, like
Tesla, is trying to make units of light
The light he will show will consist of
small bulb containing the same ma
terial he has used on his Horoscope.
It will be excited by an old process,
and will be mentally inadequate
piece of apparatus. 1t will last but a
short time, while my tubes. being
empty, have unlimited life.'' Tesla,
meanwhile, is doing more thinking
than talking. He is tireless worker,
and shrewd and secretive man, of
great force and pertinacity. His init
mate friends know that if he says he
will do 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 says ,that
he hopes to reduce the loss of energy
to 60 per cent and thus raise 25O-can-
die power lamp to 1,O0O-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.
Injurious Effects of Tobacco Upon
the Young.
There are signs that a war is to be
WdScu ~. Tue higher euuCdIlOud1 III
situations upon the use Of tobacco in
colleges. The Boston University has
made a rule that those students who
are unwilling to give up the use of
tobacco while in the university build
ing may withdraw, and their tuition
fees will be returned. The North
western University has in a scarcely
less decisive manned Indicated that
the use of tobacco will be discounten-
anced in that institution. 1t appears
that the data upon which these reso-
buttons were based have been in course
Of collection for some time, and the
medical testimony Oh the subject left
no question that most serious injury
is being done to young people in
schools and colleges by the use Of to-
bacco. In a Yale class of LAT students
the resident physician found that in
four years the seventy-seven who
never used tobacco surpassed the
seventy who did use it 1O.4 per cent
in gain in weight, q per cent in in
crease Of height, and 267 per cent in
growth of o;,, u -, ~,<,,x