The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-11

1 the lONUSpGODlC are beginning TO DeIeNc
| they have harbored 4 great genius un-
| awareS, and that immense is 10 be the out
/ come.
/ On making a trip to Logansport a re-
| porter for the Tribune found perfect be-
| lief in the new light existing among those
! who had actually seen it. The brother of
| the inventor not only declares ii is TO be
| the light of the future, but asserts the
/ theories on which IL IS founded are 10
| reVoIut!lonlze az seiehee; MI Barnes was
| off from the globe he haC seen, without
! the use OF wires combustion or outside aid
/ Of any kind. as lie was os the month of
| the year. Mr.. Ecnert was cut OF town.
| Mr.. Larry was certain of what ne had
| looked at. The latter said:
WHAT IT IS LIKE
Il have been acquainted with Inventor
Nickum for about five years now, and have
known him always to be a hard working
| quiet, trst-class citizen of the community
We none of us have had much of an idea
on what his efforts were being spent until
lately, when it was given out he was per-
| fecting new light.
| Il was given an opportunity to see the
invention a couple of weeks ago. There was
nothing planned in advance, and when I
was taken into the laboratory there were no
| globes burning But Mr.. Nickum said he
would give me rough demonstration Of the
| method he was working on: After explain
| Ing how his light was made he took some
| chemicals and put them into round globe
couple of inches i'm diameter and attached
| the glass to his air pump. The room was
darkened and the pump set agoing. AS the
| air began to go out of the globe 4 faint
| glow was perceptible. which gradually in
| creased until it was bright enough for me
| to see distinctly the faces of those standing
| around. This light staid as long as the
| pump worked, and when the air was let
! back into the glass bulb it disappeared. The
proceeding was repeated several times. The
Illumination was soft and white, and APP
parently, perfectly permanent while The air
| remained exhausted -
| Since the time Mr. Larry visited the work
| shop a number Of the bulbs, according to
| the testimony of others, have been sealed
| up and made to retain their light while
| being suspended placed on holders, or car
ried about. Hung up by silk threads to the
| ceiling, one of them was photographed by
| its own light. and shows a round globe of
white in a darkened room The difficulty
| in keeping the lights so far has been due
ventor has found trouble in accomplishing
| perfectly. 1t is merely question of clever
| glass blowing, he believes and will ulti-
| mately, with better facilities, be easy.
The question of SECURING high state OF
exhaustion in the bulbs is much more vital
| and embarrassing to the inventor. one OF
| Mr. Nickums first discoveries he claims
| was that the pressure of the earths atmos-
phere, ordinarily considered to be about tif
! teen pounds to the square inch, IS in re-
atty about ninety tons to the square inch.
| He believes it is merely the limited ability
monty accepted figure. Early N his work
| of producing a high vacuum he discarded
| an air pump as nttle better imam Il sieve,
| and mercury and water pumps as leaving
| the vacuum filled with vapor. He then de-
| vised an apparatus of his own which gave
| better results and afterwards a second and
| a third one. With this, an eyewitness
| states, he has seen a vacuum showing
| pressure of thirty-six pounds to the square
| inch produced. Later a fourth machine has
| been constructed which the inventor states
| has given him a pressure of fifty pounds
| to the square inch, and he thinks ne has
| only begun to obtain a vacuum.
| 1t is this piece of apparatus which is go
| ing to make the commercial production OF
| the new lights difficult. A new machine
| will have to be built first. as the capacity
| of the present one is small. Ii is work on
| this last pump which is believed to have
| delayed the public exhibition of the new
| lamps, and which is just now keeping In
ventor Nickum up night after night. Once
| this piece of apparatus is finished satiSfac-
torily the exhibitions will follow, and after
wards the commercial beginnings of the
new enterprise.
| Whether they will form a great stock
| company. will lease their rights to glass
| blowing companies, or will find some other
| practical method of putting the discovery
on the market the inventor and his brother
| have not decided The immediate necessi-
| ties for experimentation and development
are being provided by capital from Logans-
port and Marion, and no more is asked for
or desired. Ultimately, however, the man
ayers expect a worldwide business and an
| organization second to none.
| What the development of this discovery
] will be, if nothing turns up to prove 1t
| mistake are almost Impossible for the inn
| light is the only expense connected with its
possession and use, it will be enormously
| cheaper than any method of Illumination
now known except by the sun. Thus, even
| a great first cost would be no bar to the
| adoption of the lamps. But even this is to
| be spared, since it is estimated the new
| lamps in any size would cost but little more
| than incandescent electric bulbs of equal
sizes: Thus the new illumination is to be
| within reach of everybody
WILL THE LIGHTS LAST?
AS to the permanency of his lights there
| appears to be no doubt in the inventors
mind His only concern is regarding the
! lasting power of the glass globes, which he
| thinks may possibly deteriorate in time
| from the unusual pressure and the bonn
| bardment of air molecules on them. Still,
| he considers this contingency is equivalent
| to saying the lamps will have an extraor-
| dinarily long existence-long enough to
make hold true all statements as to their
| economy.
| Since these lamps are perfectly portable
| and constant in their illumination they will
| be able to take the places of all lights used
on vehicles or trains or carried by hand.
| When lantern is bought the iignt will be
J also purchased right inside of it. Lamp
| posts will have their lights installed once
| for all and need no lighting or putting out
| simply an inspection to detect the ravages
! of the festive small boy. With such d les
sened expense as this in lighting a city
| every alley and dark spot can be supplied
with illumination at all times. This will
mean greatly decreased crime.
In houses and buildings lights about the
| walls could be studded as thickly as fire.
| flies, since the expense of keeping them
would be almost nothing. Any color needed
! to match the decorations could be obtained
| and the effects of fairyland reproduced.
| Brilliant lights for bathrooms, theaters and
| public halls, and soft reading glows for
| living rooms would be perfectly feasible.
| Taken altogether if the new light proves
| what it is expected to be the present forms
| of illumination will be almost forgotten in
! a few years.
| But there is one drawback in the new
lamps. They will not allow of being turned
! UP and down, made bright or extinguished
| at will. They glow all the time, night or
! day. 1t would be necessary in their use,
| therefore, to take them away or put them
| under cover when darkness is desired A
| closet cupboard or bureau drawer is rec
| though he expects containing vessels and
| light proof hoods will be developed for this
| use. At pinch, he suggests, a man could
| put the smaller size lamps into his pocket
! The wonderful light Mr.. Nickum consid-
| ers of the least of the results coming
| from his new theories in physics. Scientific
| men, he thinks. have been cropping In the
| small amount of light. The progress of
! thought he states he has noticed with de-
| light, has been in the direction of unity of
! matter and unity of force. All matter he
| believes. is composed of one kind of atoms
! in various forms. and all energy or force is
! nal movement given TO matter by the Gre
| ator- On this subject he says, and it is the
| keynote of his philosophy:
! There are no different kinds of forces or
! power. The force of gravity. adhesion CO.
heson. etc, are not separate kinds of