Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-08-19
Republican National Ticket
HOW succEss IS sEcuREp.

0SOSESC ~ SGSChGGs
1t Is an observation often dnned in.
To the minds OF young people that sue
cess is only attained through most
persistent effort. A story recently pub.
lished, OF the details which brought
forth the incandescent electric light
furnishes additional evidence Of the
rewards that come to him VINO Is not
easily discouraged.
Cassier's Magazine Gays that on
October 10. 1879, Thomas A. Edison
decided that a carbon thread might
be made into a lamp, and narrates
the several experiments which he and
bis assistants tried until success final
" crowned their efforts.
For nearly forty years there had
been such a thing as lncandescent
haaDpa but they were largely expert.
mental contrvances and attempts TO
make them of some commercial use
were unsuccessful. Carbon was known
10 give out light under the influence
of the electuic current and the prob.
lem was 10 produce a carbon fila.
ment" that might be enclosed in
glass case
Accordingly Edison prepared a
haifpin- shaped groove in niclkle
pate-placed therein a cotton thread
and put all In a nicke mold and GOV.
cred Il with charcoal. Tnen he cooked
AZ for Ave hours under moderate heat.
by this process the thread became
completely carbonlzed but, unfortu.
nately, when the attempt was male
60 take the thread of carbon from the |
mold II won't to pieces.
Edison felt that he was on the right |
track, but his successive efforts TO |
produce a carbon thread met with re
peated failures. For two days Edison |
and his assistant worked without |
sleep. Then they succeeded In rescu.
Ing a thread from the mold intact,
but It broke while they were attach.
ing Il 10 the connecting wire.
On October 10 they succeeded IN
making several threads, but they all |
broke In the clamplng process The
next day they successfully clamped |
one and hope ran high that the lamp
would soon be done, but as they were
carrying It from the shop TO the glass.
blowing room whore Il was to be
sealej In a glass globe, breath OF
air caught the fragile product and
blew AZ to dust.
Both Edison aud his assistant were
somewhat discouraged. but neither
felt ike giving up. and they kept at
work until the morning OF the 2ist,
when they experienced the Joy OF see.
ing a lamp completed and ligated
Then they retired 10 enjoy the Ars,
good sleep they had had for ave days,
After several hours they awoke and
found the lamp still burning. Upon
Increasing the current. taey found
that the lamp burned more brightly
But In two days II was burned out,
II was at once concluded that some.
thing better than cotton thread
should be used In making the carbon
flhmont and a host OF employees was
set to work at carbonlEing every
available substance.
One day there occurred to MIR Edl-
aon the recollection OF having read
somethins about the fiber OF the BAN
hoo tree that grows In the tropics
Then he began a search for bamboo
A corps az investigators was sent TO
all parts ot the world and an species
of bamboo was eNpeimented with.
Il Is stated that hundred thousand
dollars were spont in this way be
fore William Moore found the proper
iher In Northern Japan. A large 9
tract of land was bought and placed Z
in charso Of two native farmers.
Then btisOn aud ais men began a