The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-07-29
INCANDESCENT LAMPS.
New Tungsten Lamp the Wonder of
the Lighting World.

primeval man sat in the glow Of the
swapping campfire. every age has
sought to improve on the methods OF
dispelling the darkness between sun.
down and sunrise.
AS a rule, writer's Of history confine
themselves to the most important de-
tails ard events, and readers are toe
prone to associate the people Of the
| past with the convenience Of the pres.
ent.
Few realize that previous to the in.
vention OF the tallowdip, by King AL.
fred, the interior of the Saxon castles
and banquet halls in England were
lighted with torches held in iron sock.
cts on the walls. OF course they smok.
ed and fiickered, and it is written tha,
the wind blew the sparks all over the
room. In ancient Rome and Greece
the torch was the standard method OF
illuminating buildings and streets, al
though lamps, burning fat from a
rush wick, were extensively used.
The advent Of gas lights was quick
ly overshadowed by the discovery O:
petroleum. And then, after thousands
OF years of cropping about in almost
absolute darkness. the electric light,
discovered only about a score of years
ago. gave the nearest substitute to
actual sunlight known to man.
Since then great strides have been
made in artificial lighting until only a
few days ago the scientists announced
the new tungsten electric light, which
is predestined to Fvolutionize electric
lighting.
The light from the new tungsten in
candescent lamps Is pure white and
Is very closely allied to natural sun.
shine<I 1t is the first artificial illumi-
hant by which all colors can be dis
tinguished. Color is an ocular con-
ception. Without light there is no
color. Red Is red only because It has
the quality Of absorbing all other COL
ors, o. the spectrum and rejecting the
red rays. Artificial lights in which
the yellow. violet, or red rays pre-
dominate cannot be used to match
colors. Under the clear white light
of the tungsten lamps violet is not
blue; mink is not red; and blue is not
black as when looked at under any
other kind Of artificial light The
most delicate tints show clear and
true.
= Tungsten, or Wolfram, is a metal
discovered in 1871 and named from
the Swedish ''tung" (heavy) and
"sten" (stonep. 1t is not found native
but occurs as tungstate of iron and
manganese In the mineral wolfram
ite," and as the calcium tunstate. The
pure metal, which was produced only
few months ago in the electric fur
mace. is az bright steel gray. a hard
and brittle crystalline substance. It
Is also used 90 increase the temper
and tenacity Of steel for hard tools.
The fusing point Of tungsten is higher
than any other metal, which enables
1t to operate at the very high eff
cheney obtained in the tungsten lamp.
Tungsten lamps are made on the
same principle as the common incan-
descent lamps. They look about the
same but the filament is longer, loop
ed several times in the glass bulb and
anchored at both ends.
II Is not alone because the tung-
stem lamps give a better quality of
light than any other artificial illumi.
nant that 1t takes first place in the
lighting world. But this new lamp
Is the perfection of economy and will
give three times as much light as
the ordinary electric light for the
same amount Of money.
The ordinary incandescent light
consumes 3.S watts Of electricity per
candle-power. The new tungsten
lamp consumes only IL watts or less
than third. This means that with
the same amount Of illumination the
electric light bills are reduced two
thirds. The life Of these lamps is
about 1000 hours. and they work
equally as we'll on direct or alternat-
ms current.
Every effort In the laboratories Of
the electrical industry Is bent towards
economy for both producer and con-
sumer. The latest devel'pn ent In
electric light. which vii! save two
thirds Of all the electric rrht bN :. *
but another long st6r - the right c..
rection.