Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-12

with only moderate success. More recently
he was in the West Australian gold boom
and is regarded as a very shrewd and
highly experienced prospector He is
radical in politics but politics now engage
but little of his attention.
New Electric Lamp.
Prof. Walther Nernst of Goettengen uni
verslty, the leading authority on physical
chemistry. has invented a new electric lamp
which he claims reduces the cost of
electricity by onehalf 1t needs no glass
bulb and has flament much less fragile
than the carbon ones used in Edison lamps.
James Swinburne, Nernst's representative,
explaining the advantages of the lamp, said:
'First-This lamp needs no enclosing; 1t
burns in the open air. The fliament is
essentially a thin rod OF highly refractory
oxides, which, as it will not convey the
electric current at ordinary temperatures,
has to be heated to dull red heat before
the electric current will flow. This heat
can be produced by match or spirit lamp
or other device. Once the rod reaches the
desired temperature it becomes white. The
light given by it is as near sunlight in quail
ity as possible. Lamps can be made in all
sizes and utilized for street purposes, giving
a light less dazzling and more steady than
the arc lamp. 1t is vastly superior to the
gas lamp. The invention is of very recent
date, but already lamps are made to last
500 hours. as against 900 OF the usual cleo
tric glow lamp. 1t requires less than one
half the quantity of electrical energy, and,
compared light for light with the glow
lamps, the consumer will benefit very largely
by its Introduction
Electric experts admit the excellence of
the Illuminating power of Nernst's lamp
and the meter used to operate 1t showed
that the inventors claim as to its economic
properties were scarcely exaggerated. But
the general opinion prevails that the neces-
sity for using other artificial light to start
the lamp is a serious defect which Nernst
is now engaged in experiments to remove.
pathetic story of American inventive
genius that had developed into craze for
patents was told at the inquest on William
Wallace Dunn, 70 years Of age, of American
birth, who was found insensible on the side
walk on Archway road, Highgate. He was
removed to Islington inirmary and died the
same evening, post mortem showing
apoplexy as the cause of death. Dunn came
from New York and settled in London about
1879. few years ago he invented an in
genius apparatus for drilling rock, which
was great success, but frittered away
the proceeds by endeavorlng to get numer-
ous other inventions patented and was re-
duced to extreme poverty. Latterly he had
been living alone in a little bungalow on
Muswell Hill, lent by friend, who, with
others, Joined in providing the poor engineer
with food and money sufficient for his needs.
But he persisted in spending even the funds
of charity upon this craze and to the last
wrote letters to nobility appealing for their
aid and influence.
American OIL Company Wins.
The agitation to compel by legislative en-
actment the raising of the petroleum flash
light from 73 to 100 degrees has apparently
failed, though the burden of the evidence
given before the House of Commons select
committee showed that lamp accidents have
been mainly due to the flash oil. The gov
ernment intends to introduce a bill, how
ever, to prevent the sale of dangerous lamps
and to regulate the storage of petroleum,
leaving the flash point untouched. This Is
victory for the Standard oil trust, which
supplies this country with low fash oil and
a corresponding disappointment to the
Scotch Oil company and to the Russian
Petroleum company whose fash Is now
manufactured in the 100 flash point, but at
a higher price. The bill is likely to meet
with fierce opposition and a compromise on
the fash point may be forced on the govern
ment.