The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-06-21
MORE LIGHT AT LESsl COST
Tantalum Was First Discovered at
Finland in 1903 and is Harder Than
the Hardest Steel--Makes an Elk.
cellent Filament

fcal light man has hungered for In,
natural sunhine, Every new illumin
ant from the iirebrand to the eectri,
arc has been heralded as approaching
nearer the white light Of "Old Sol
which is the goal for which the inven,
tors OF electric light are striving. The
light from an ordinary carbon fla,
ment incandescent electric lamp is
inclined to be yellow and this fact
debars it from such fine work as
matching colors or selecting cloths
Under its rays. II the carbon would
stand higher degree OF heat this
fault could be easily remedied BY
raising the temperature Of the fila
ment until it was white hot. But to
raise the temperature lowers the life
OF the lamp.
Experiments to improve the mean
descent light have been continuous
since Thomas A. Edison first produc-
ed the lamp twenty-five years ago,
but until few years ago nothing was
found to take the place OF the
carbon filament. The chief fault
the carbon flament is that it
consumes too much current and can
not be maintained at a sufficiently
high temperature. Experiments were
carried on for years to find a sub
stitute for the carbon filament which
would not only stand higher tempera-
lures but give more light with less
current and consequent cost per
hour.
All efforts to make suitable fla
ment out Of well-known metals result
ed in failures because they melted too
easily. 1t remained for DR. Werner
Won Bolton, OF Germany, to discover
a pure form of the rare metal tanta-
lum which could be made into lamp
flaments. These new filaments made
a far better incandescent lamp than
was ever known before. The new
lamp saved over third in the amount
of current used and gave beautiful
white light Of almost the same com
position as sunlight.
Tantalum is rare metal found by
the scientist Ekeberg, in 1903, in
material obtained from Finland. It is
black in color with a metallic luster
and is so hard that it is soluble only
in hydrofuoric acid The ores from
which this metal is extracted are
found only in a few places on this
earth Pure tantalum is harder than
the hardest steel and can barely be
scratched with diamond; it will not
rust; its fusing point is exceedingly
high; it may he rolled into the thin
nest sheets or drawn into the finest
wire At first the metal was very rare
and costly 1t existed previous to
Won Bottoms experiments in a very
impure form so brittle that nothing
could be done with it. New deposits
Of tantalum have recently been open
ed up in North Dakota and Australia
which have reduced the cost so it is
even planned to use the metal in
.ools and delicate instruments.
The new tantalum lamp is practic-
illy the same size as the ordinary in
,ondescent lamp. The length of the
ilament is about twenty inches and
owing to this fact it has to be stretch
ID on a spider-frame in the interior
If the bulb and anchored at both ends
This accounts for the peculiar con-
Of the interior wiring of the
amp. So fine is this wire that one
'ound Of the metal will supply 10000
amps The lamps can be buried in
ny position and while they give the
ongest life and best results on direct |
urrent they can be economically used
N alternating circuits.
The real argument in favor Of the |
antalum lamp is a saving Of IS per
ent in the illumination Of building !
ow lighted by the ordinary incande
cent lamps. This means that the
ew lamp will give IS per cent. more
ght at the same expense for cur
ent or a IS per cent reduction in the
ght bill for the same illumination.
here is an increase of few cents in
he first cost Of a tantalum lamp but
his difference is more than made up
! few weeks by the great saving in
urrent and the increased illumina-
on.
This saving is best understood byI
- fa11o.....x. ax,,.u., a. 1I 80 ~ |