Evening star., 1939-12-16
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

BY Thomas r. Henry.
Mans ultimate conquest Of the dark,
which started with burning brand in
the hands Of the cave man $4,000 years
ago. is predicted in the electrical age Of
the not distant future.
Two developments now are underway
which may bring about miraculous
transformations in daily life, Rural Elec-
triflcation Administration employees and
their friends, meeting at the Department
Of Agriculture auditorium last week, were
told by Samuel j. Hibben, eminent
lighting engineer and inventor.
One, Of course, is television This prom
ises, Mr.. Hibben said, to be much more
far-reaching than a new means of en-
tertainment or news circulation. 1t can
place upon the walls Of the home con-
tinuously changing panorama of real
scenery in place of the static, rather
monotonous wallpaper designs of the
present. Literally it may be possible to
make the scenery of the living room that
of almost any spot on earth-a valley in
the Alps, South Seas paradise, Nor
way in summer, the Riviera in winter.
The other is fluorescence, in which all
sorts of weird and colorful lighting ef-
fects are obtained by Illuminating vari-
GUS mineral substances with invisible ul-
traviolet light. When this light falls
upon such a thing as lump of coal it
causes 1t to glow with sufficient intensity
for ordinary Illuminating purposes, be-
cause Of the disturbance of atoms which
it sets up.
Both these developments are far ad-
vanced in the laboratory 1t may be
some years yet before they become COM
mercial possibilities. Artificial light, Mr..
Hibben declared, has passed the age in
which its use was purely utilitarian and
Is entering an era in which, like great
music. it will appeal to mans senses,
create or change his moods, give him
greater health and leisure, and longer,
happier life.
The electrical home lighting of the
present. he insisted, may be considered
only crude beginning of the glories of
the age of light which is just around the
corner.
Said Mr.. Hibben: Lighting is enter
ing period of orchestration in which,
like the instruments in symphony Or
chestra, all the new sources and colors
will play parts. We are headed toward
civilization in which electric lamps for
lighting and numerous other purposes
will add vastly to our leisure, our pleas
ure, our health and our life span AL
ready many of the sources we will use
are passed the laboratory stage. while
others are yet in the process of creation.
Lamps of the future will mood-con-
dition our homes, paint pleasing and
ever-changing pictures or designs on our
walls, kill bacteria to guard us against
disease, and provide us with healthful
radiation while we sleep. Plant growth
will be aided by artificial light, simplify
ing our food problems and providing us
with the so-called seasonal fruits and
vegetables all the year around. Heat
ing lamps will help solve many indus
trial heating and drying problems, and
may warm our homes in cold weather.
All those things are possible today, al
though some Of them actually are being
done only on small scale or in research
laboratories. Tomorrow they will be
available to the entire world
Among the new light sources described
by Mr. Hibben was tiny mercury vapor
tube producing the most intense light
per watt of power known to man. AL
though no larger than a cigarette, the
f,1b in, {e bo< ~
continuously be cooled by stream Of
water. Another lamp shown was one
producing black light" invisible ultra
violet radiation which may be used to
bring out otherwise invisible designs on
floor coverings, walls, ceilings or fabrics
by the phenomenon known as fuo-
rescence.
Long, slender, tubular luorescent
lamps, now coming into wide use, are
available in five sizes and seven colors,
to be used in creating desired effects.
This lamp produces light by first creating
invisible ultraviolet radiations between
electrodes in opposite ends of the tubes,
and then converting these radiations into
visible light by means of f1uorescent ma
OCI WIl4CIl COdG Vic lIlIleT surface OF
the tube.
Mr. Hibben, lighting engineer of the
Westinghouse Co., also described ultra
violet lamps to be used in homes to keep
the atmosphere free of germs. These
already have had considerable use in
hospital operating rooms, where they
have resulted in a notable decrease in
hospital infections.
He also told of special mercury lamps
and projection lamps which bathed the
huge periscope at the New York Worlds
Fair with blue light and artificial clouds.
Mr.. Hibben serves as a member of the
Lighting Committee at the fair.
Mr. Hibben likened the progress of
artificial light to that of sound, in which
the earliest uses were entirely utilitarian
and traced the development of musical
instruments and their later incorporation