Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1910-05-20
TRIBUTE TO |. !.
.ED|So j |. GENIUS N
National Electric Light Ass0cia.
tion's Plan to Honor Inventor.

a1UI . TOLL " fuViaUs u18GlllUls
ONE DAY SET APART FOR HIM.
industry TO ,Be Represented at Conven-
ton In St. Louis Involves an Invest
ment Of More Than; $4,000, 600 600.
Most Costly Essr;bit 70, Bs Shown +:
To the master genius OF the eleo-
trtcal world the electrical interests OF
the United States will pay homage
during the week Of MAY q, when Ed
ison day will be celebrated in St.
Louis. LIS
Representatives Of a business which
represents over $4,000, 100000 invest
ment will be gathered IN st. Louis
from all over the United States 70 at
tend the twenty-hfsh annual conven-
ton Of the National Electric Light as
ISOLATION, and one day viii be set aside
an honor Of Thomas A. Edison. s., g..
In connection with the convention
in St. Louis there viii be a costly e2-
hibit at the Coliseum hall designed to
show the advance of the last thirty
years along lines opened by the in
ventors, and this exhibition will prove
that the greatest proportion, of the
work of progress In the electrical field
is directly traceable to the intellect of
Edison. ,.,
Some Figures on tho Industry.
According to Frank w. Frueauff of
New York, who is president Of the as
ISOLATION. there are now about 5000
central electric lighting stations In the
United States. OF this number over
5000 Of the companies engaged in
central station work are. also in the
electrical supply business, business
that twenty-five or thirty years ago
could have been enumerated In two
figures l.:
The central station companies Of the
United States have an investment of
$780, 100000. according to Frueauff;
They have gross income Of upward
Of s250,O00.000 year, and they de-
velop somewhere between 100000
horse power and 800 900 horse power.
There Is track mileage Of electric
and interurban railways of ,e4O.247
miles, using s2.218 cars and represent
ing capital liabilities Of $4.557.000 600.
: = Credit 80 Central 4Nfast. : = y
l"The central west must be given
credit for the first commercial in can-
descent lighting distribution system, -
declares President Frueautf. apple
ton. Wis, Is the place. In 1882 cen.
trail station for incandescent lighting
was put in operation in New York, but
about the same time there was small
plant started at Appleton. 1t was
small and could be- easily operated,
and for that reason It IS likely that the
Appleton plant started before the New
York plant, which was located On
Pearl street just south of Fulton street.
Soon after these plants opened for
business there were plants established
in London for exhibition purposes and
IN Santiago, Chile. and Milan, Italy.
Frank .Sprague made the first, seri-
Gus eforts.at electric railway work in
the United States in 1888, when he
started bis electric road at Richmond,
Va. That same year the first central
station was established in Chicago
Edison had built and experimental
with little electric road at Menlo
Park, but Sprague's line was the first
for commercial purposes. Stephen D.
Field had also done some work in con:
nection with electric railways prior to
the Richmond road. '.>@ "'
r. :, Enter the lncandeseent. 49,
"Elihu Thompson. Mr.. Brush 81
Cleveland, Professor Houston and a
few others were engaged in the series
arc lighting business back in 1879, but
that was the only electric light service
! that the United States knew anything
about, although in 1873 Edison's ex.
| periments with an incandescent light.
! ing problem were first discussed in the
newspapers. That talk brought about
an extraordinary fall In the price OF
gas shares. y H.. ! +.
edison made his first demonstra
ton at Menlo Park Of his paper carbon
lamp a year, later, but not until the
summer Of 1880 did these experiments,
lamps find their way outside Of his
laboratory. In 1881! the newspaper
were arguing the question as to wheth
er the, great inventor had succeeded in
subdividing the electric light or wheth
er he was simply talking =.
1.-THE alternating system came into
general use about 1886. and prior. te
that time ;Edison's three wire system
| was introduced. and the amount Of
copper necessary for the direct: cur
rent system was cut down about &C
per cent, lending "a great impetus tc
| the electric lighting business Then