The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-15

- h I'm in thry-two organized and spe-
INN ciaIlzed trades are employed in tho
X ! modern, large electrical supply
' W.c.ns. On the eve Of the expiration
o., many Of the patente ed electricalln-
,ss:,tiprs tnai3led up tothe development Of
@5t-,e eieotscal business, the manufacture or
Geese supply. goods Is confined to fewer and
fewer establishments Patents have been
iplastered upon patents. however, until 1T is
hard to distinguish just where an old patent
ends and the new one begins. In one COM
pany's establishment, for instance, some Of
the more recent important discoveries In the
institution carefully and studiedly are not.
patented q all, the company prcferring TO
take the risk Of exposure of the process
rather4than subject the innovation TO Il life,
of only seventeen years.
AS an example of an unpatentcd innovation
in this company's laboratory is the fllament,
or loop. which Is put into the inca ndescent
electric bulb. Today this loop is carbon,
covered by q chemical coating The trouble
with the old incandesccnt light was that the
1lnment would be uneven in diameterat GER
tain points, and at these thinnest portions
sof the wire the loop would break. This new
coating not only serves TO protect the. carbon
of the loop, but in'thoso spots where he fila
mcnt Is weak. the action of the coating Is to-
strengthen the loop to uniformity, greatly
prolonging It's life and making that life rem
der the better service.
Lnmproom Holy Of Holes.
In view of the sta temcnt that visiting In
the lamproom Of an electric supply company
virtually never Is permitted, n company Of
the kind manifestly runs slight risk of ex-
posure OF its unpatented speciality, How It
q ha pf sl1rh n In a
how 1t maintains this special secret process,
which most probably Is the result Of one
mans thought and ngenuityf-how 1t holds
him safe from talkatvencss--wcll, you can't
get into the lamproom to find out.
= AS q matter Of material fact the lamproom
Is the holy OF HOLES In a company plant.
There has been more stir IN the last three
years over the lamp business and its compe-
tltions than IN any other department In the
manufacturing company's concern. This has
been true especially Of the arc lamp, which
has been so menaced BY the new " gas arc "
light which has been replacing 1t IN so many
place. With the electric arc light In tho
mandatory In tho last two years It has
been an effort to bring out the best In the arc
possibilities.
Here the arc lamp experts have worked
and worried The carbon substance out OF
which the dazzling white light burns has been
made as arlyperfect as present conditions
and knowledge make possible. Efficiency In
producing the greatest degree of light has
been combined with the necessity Of dura-
bllty and lasting quality in the substance
itself. Some ono with a new and practical
idea oyerturnlng the present possibilities Of
The arc light ought TO have fortune in
embryo.
Edison's Old Lamp Aba ndoned.
The incandcscent light OF the Edison pat
tern was IN use twenty-five years ago, and
was one Of the wonders OF illumination In
It's time. But todaythe platinum Wire neces-
sary to carry the current through solid glass
into the carbon Of the old loop, will easily
buy new incandescent bulb, complete. This
old Edison burner has not been departed from
In general shape, but in the evolution Of the
incandescent flament q current has been
adapted TO the modern light bulb which the
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