Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-09
The FIELD Of ELECTRICITY
Development Of Electric I rht ana III
Industries it Promoted
EVOLUTION STARTED BY tpIsoNs SKILL
Origin of Wireless ~TeleErnphy is
Traced Back of Observation-Disclosures
in Electric LfEht ard It,
Cur--ive Power.

bout q wear after Thomas q. Edison tTst
announced 90 the world that be- mas solved
the problem o. how 60 economically dis
tribute the electric current tar lighting
purposes by means of fine hllmsuts made %
csrnouized threads OF bamboo finer lual1sr5
IL little glass aulns from which the air hHd
been exhausted. and was giving uualic
demonstration OF ms system al Mrnlu
PARK n D. q well known scientist pub
lished q paper filled with for
mulae intended TO prove mat The conner
xiBI success Of this novel method q AluUi-
nation was d physical impOEsi5Iuty il was
shown that under the most favorable cir
cumstHuueg conceivable The cost OF AEhtng
by the iuuaudesceut electric system was.
and would continue 10 be, prohihidve Mean
while Edison went ahead ID The perfection
O. his system by improving every detail.
When he had accomplished tins. says the
Philadelphia Record he found that he had
uuiutentunBlly and uncuusciouslv done far
more FOR his system Of lighting soon de-
yeloped the fact that the hest stationary
steam engines Of that day l1kTg were tur
from satisfactory. and as d result the high
speed engines which are nov SO generally
used for running aynamos were invented
il is probable that The output OF lucun-
descent electric lamps from two factories
alone IN this country now exceeds u. .O0U
bulbs uer auuuu. N The early DAYS q in
cHndescent electric lighting, when the bulbs
cost over 81 apiece their life was unceI-
tain. Sometimes they would stHuS 200 OF
800 hours constant use, but more often they
would die in much less time. Now. when
the lamps cost less than 20 cents each they
are expected to last more than 600 hours,
and. IN fact. often do burn more than 1000
hours before their !fe is exhausted. At
first ii required one horsepower o. Inc
steam engine TO supply four little lights
nov the same amount OF power suflces for
twice that number Of lamps. ana each lamp
gives far more than twice as much light.
Many millions Of dollars have beer invested
in the business Of mixing these lamps. Jana
large dividends have been paid, IN spite o.
the mathematical demonstrations o. Jhs
scientist who predicted that Mr.. FatsonF
invention would never be 3 commercial sue
sess.
Recent Improvement
In the volume Of United States Consular
Reports for January. 1900. there may be
found d report by our consul general
Mason at Berlin. entitled "A New Step IN
Electric Lighting. which gives a lucid de-
s]rriptiuu Of d new form Of Incandescent
electric lamp. This lamp needs no vacuum
II has no delicate carbon flsmeut; il gives q
light SO closely resembling sunlight that the
most delicate shades Of Colored ribbons may
he matched in its glow as well as IN day
light: il gives out little or no heat, and II
requires but one-half the power needed TO
supply the present form Of carbon flament
lamp. The source OF light is a little rod
cheated to fncandescence by the electric
CURRENT made Of refractory eRrths sucn as
are used in the manufacture Of the familiar
welsbach mantle.
This lamp is the invention CT Nallhef
Ncrnst. More or less vague accounts o. ls
CONSTRUCTION have appeared in technical
papers in this country and the critics have
generally condemned The invention IN ad-
vance as impraCticable and totally lncap-
able Of commercial success. In view OF the
former experience with the Edison lamp.
however. and in the light Of me admirable
report Of Consul General Mason, who ex-
plains the present deficiencies Of the Nerrst
lamp quite clearly. it seems 10 Us that the
invention Is one which is likely TO prove Of
value Ii may he accepted as an axiom that
whenever a new discovery contains within
itself the germs o. valuable practical utili Y
WAYS and means viii he found, sooner or
later. 10 overcome the onEtacies which may
prevent it's immediate advance 10 commer-
cial SUCCESS.
wireless Telegraph Before NHrcont.
Like most great inventions or improve
uttLLN III L4t RITE ELl HL4tEltt7f haNS q Nl4Hfi
in the Engineering Magazine. wireless telcE-
raphy is the outcome Of The labo-, NOT Of one
man. but Of several. Let rs see 10 what ex-
tent the way had been marked out for
karcuni. He studied Hertz and Hertz studied
Maxwell, who mad Michael FHraday's expert
mems before him showing some sort OF
Relationship between electromagnetic waves
and light Hertz could moi have overlooked
Prof. Hsnry's discovery fc-ty wears before.
o. the effect Of an electric spark upon a dis
tEnt needle
James Clerk Maxwell, IN 1873. after nearly
ten years Investigation. published fis
famous mathematica equations establishing
The lsw Of Identity Of light and ele"tro-nRE-
netic propagation through the eth =, Prof
Fitzgerald o, Dublin has Elready affirmed his
belief in the theory. Hertz proved This by
actual measurement of The waves.
Prof. Lodge and Others had experimental
with wave trEnsmissi~n before MHrC1ui
came on The scene. The waves had been
sent through walls ana Other obstacles. bur
the idea o. using them for long-distEnrR
felaCrHphy, t. thought Of IL aIl was not Eeri-
ously considered Prot. Lodge says tina;
nothing but stupidity" prevented H.
Prof Hughes, the inventor r. the micro
phone. had discovered that Q hirh-tenslon
spark affected certain forms Of his instru-
ment at a distance. and claims 70 have bser
quietly planning q wireless telegraph 10,
yeHrs before MRrcnui was heard O. Onesti
an Italian professor had experimental with
copper filings Rs { variable conductor but Il
remained for Prof. Brandy OF the Catholic
university Of Paris 10 produce The "caher-r
Q working receiver for electro mt gnet5
waves transmitted through the ether. i
this simple little device, nor larger than
two inches OF lend pencil. coupled with n.
Hertz nscillutor. MHrsnni saw his wireless
telegraph, and proved the truth Of Pr :
Lodges rueful remark thar NOTHING bu
stupidity" had DELAYED The woaaerfu
achievement
.hrhin- in Electric Light.
II has been found that there are man
painful ailments which when aCted upon p!
electric heat ana light rave, are aomplste!'
hauished from the sufferers body reports
PeRrson's Magazine strong electric liE1
IS thrown On 10 ne seat OF suffering ID.
patient bRsks In q bath q light Hnd heat
experiencing nothing but pleasant SEM
lions. and, IN moEt cases. an immediate a.
comforting sense o. re4ef from pain
The apparatus which enables patients 4