The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-05-24
Edison Day will be Feature Of
the National Electric Light
Convention
Big GATHERING AT ST. LOUIS
Since 1880, When Electric Lights Came
Into Practical Use, the Electric
Lighting Business Has
Grown Rapidly.


thousand delegates. representing cleo
trio light companies. In all parts of the
United States, Canada and Mexico,
are i'm attendance at the twenty NTH
annual convention of the National
Electric Light association. which OPEN
ed its session formally today. The con-
yention will continue through the week
and one of the principal features Will
be the celebration of Edison day, In
honor of Thomas A. Edison, whose ge-
MUS alone is responsible for more than
two-thirds of the wonderful progress
of electric lighting during the last thir-
ty years. In connection with the con-
vention there is great and costly ex-
position at the Coliseum hall, which
shows in chronological form the prog
ress made in electric lighting and in
the utilization OF electrical power since
the first electric light plant was
established i'm Appleton, Wis, in 1882.
During the seventies Edison began to
experiment with the problem of light
ing by incandescent lamps and his
work was first discussed in the news
papers in 1878. The enthusiastic re-
ports of the newspapers, which pre-
dicted a great future for Edison's sys-
TEN, caused an extraordinary decline
in the price of gas shares. Edison
made the first demonstration of his
paper carbon lamp a year later at
MEMO Park, but not until the sum-
mer of 1880 did those experimental
lamps come into practical use outside
of his laboratory.
Now, according to the statement OF
Frank w. Frueauf of New York, pres
ident of the National Electric Light as
ISOLATION, there are about 5000 central
electric lighting stations in the United
States alone. More than one-haf OF
these companies are also engaged In
the electrical supply business. The
central station companies of the coun-
try have an investment of $l,25o'ooo'
They have a gross income of more than
$3.50, 900, 900 year and develop nearly
$500, 900 horsepower.
In 1879 the first miniature electric
railway carrying passengers was put
in operation by Siement and Halske az
the Berlin exposition. 1t was merely
an exhibition plant and not until TWO
years later was n commercial road pu'
in operation in Europe, a miie-and-a-
half affair lust outside Berlin.
At present there is track mileage
of electric city and interurban railways
of 4O.247 miles, in the United States
using S2.216 cars, and representing
capital liabilities of $4,557, 100000.
Equally marvellous was the develop
ment OF the telephone industry
was at the Centennial exposition o.
1876 when Alexander Graham Bel eN'
hibited his first telephone. Today ther'
are more than 100000 telephones II
use in the United States and th'
amount invested in exchanges ana iihe
amounts to more than s550,Ooo'ooo. rn'
investment is steadily growing at
rapid rate.
The first storage battery, frehc'
invention was built i'm 1881, ana wa
exhibited at the Paris expositioh'
was many years after that time wne'
the invention was put to practical use
In 1883 Tesla contributed materially U
the development of the electric powe
industry by his valuable inveh'ioh
and discoveries in relation to aiterh"'
ing currents. Not until then was
made possible to make pracucal use
the transmission of electrical powei'
The first electrical power transins
sion plant was established In 1890 In
small town in the Colorado mountain
where the plant furnished power TOT
mine. Since then the most marVe'oU
progress has been made ana pow
transmission is one of the most u"
portant features of electrical indusu
The discovery of the X-rays by k'
entgen in 1896 was at first only sc
entihc interest, but has developed III
great measure and has made the A-ra
valuable assistant in modern SUI
gerry. The invention of wireless tei'
graphy was the last step In the deVe
opment of electrical science and In u
few years since its discovery the mo
wonderful progress has been MADE al
the most remarkable results have pe'
achieved.
Many inventors of note have col
trbuted to the development of eie
trical science and to its practical a
plication. first of all Thomas A. Ediso
whose achievements can not be owe
estimated. Tesla, Elihu Thomrs'
Brush. Houton, Alexander Graha
Bell. Lord Melvin. Siemens. Haisl
Frank sprague, Marconi. DeForest a
others also deserve honorable menti'
Rubber production in the Malay ?