The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-10
DUPLICATES SUNS LIGHT.
Logansport Man Says He Can Make
a Lamp to Burn Forever

LOGANSPORT, Ind, Jan. "a Lo-
gansport inventor has constructed a
lamp that he claims will supercede cleo
tricity, gas and all other forms of ar
tificial illumination, because of it's
cheapness and utility.
The light is sealed up like bottle
of perfume and the inventor claims
that it will last forever. 1t may be
compared to a bright electric fame
or gas jet, bottled in a glass sphere,
and forever remaining the same.
The inventor is S. B. Nickum, who
for the past three or four years has
kept himself locked up in his rooms
at the corner CT Market and Third
streets. 1t has been known by many
that he was working on some kind of
an invention, but the nature of the
same has been secret up to the pres
ent time. The device is now so perfect,
IN the mind of the inventor, that the
facts have been given to the press.
The process by which this new light
is produced. the inventor will not at
present make public. He claims that
the new lights can be made of almost
any brilliancy, from the size of a pea
TO that of the most powerful arc lamp.
The light is beautiful, never chang
ing, never-fiicllering white light.
There are no wires and no electric
current used. When not in use the
light can be placed in a bureau drawer
or any convenient receptacle till need
ed.
The light is kept constant by the sur
rounding moving matter-air-NiCk,;n
says. but the globe is cold. there being
no loss of heat, or movement from the
interior to the exterior There is no
possibility of fire resulting from the
use of the light, for the very instant
there is crack in the globe the light
VIII go out. 1t could be broken in a
keg of gunpowder without the slightest
danger of an explosion.
The cost will probably not greatly
exceed the first cost Of the incandescent
Hght in present use
1t is now over three years since the
inventor claims he first discovered that
a ilght could be produced by the ever
present and perpetual Vibrat on Of mat
ter. but the secret has been kept in
order that the light might be brought
to a higher state of perfection. and that
proper patent protection might be OBJ
tanned.
About five years ago Mr.. Nickum was
engaged to construct a number of solar
systems, and while closely noting their
operation he was led to conclusions
Whlch caused him to question and final
ly abandon Sir Isaac Newton's theory
of gravitation and attraction. After
that, other things came rapidly, the
light being one OF them.
Nickum discovered, so he claims that
heat and electricity could be inter-
changed, and wrote to the Pullman
falace Car company. A representative
came to see him and a fattering pro-
pC s1tion was made to him. provided he
could turn heat into electricity with
out or but little loss.
This stimulated him to search deem
er, with a view of producing light with
out heat, and from the air.
Mr.. Nickum says that after the
theory OF gravitation and attraction
" as thrown aside he soon got back to
the source of all power-the sun-which
is the center of the system of perpet-
ual moving matter, and the key was
s; on discovered that unlocked to him
natures workshop
He saw that the suns light could
be duplicated and a brilliant light be
made that would be perpetual, kept
so by force of the surrounding NOV
ing matter in it's high state of vibra-
tlon upon properly constructed APP
paratus He saw the relation between
heat and electricity and between mag
netism and the so-called electric cur
rent and light, and that in oxygen, or
the air, was to be found the source of
all power.
From these discoveries came the con-
struction Of the perpetual lamp, as
above mentioned, which has been seen
In successful operation by several re-
spOnsible citizens of Logansport.
That the great invention comes from
the brain Of modest and retiring resi-
dent of this city, instead of from an
Edison or Tesla. reflects the more
brightly on the perseverance and gen
ius of Nickum. He is about forty years
of age ard a widower, with no children
Some years ago he and his brothers
operated machine and repair shop In
this city.
During the time he has been working
on the invention he has written a book
on philosophy. in which he explains the
basis of his discoveries. In it. science
is to be revolutionized, Sir Isaac New
tons theory of gravitation Is proved
false, no such thing as attraction ex-
lists, growth Of all plant life comes
from the air; that the suns heat is not
due to contraction.