492 MAGNETO-ELECTRICITY. 



MAINE. 



mediately over the electro-magnet a piece of 

 soft iron is fixed in the lever. On the carbons 

 being allowed to touch as before, not only are 

 they separated by the means described, but 

 this second lever, acted on by its electro-magnet 

 at the same instant, is drawn down toward it, 

 and thus brings the catch between the teeth of 

 a wheel placed under it for the purpose, and 

 effectually locks the regulator. The strength 

 of the spring is now adjusted till its tendency 

 to lift the catch out exactly balances the cur- 

 rent which draws it down. Should the dis- 

 tance now increase but the ^^ of an inch, the 

 spring will be stronger than the current, will 

 lift the catch, and the carbons will approach ; 

 by doing so, more current passes, the electro- 

 magnet is strengthened, and is again enabled 

 to overcome the spring and draw down the 

 catch, and thus by their mutual action the dis- 

 tance between the carbon points is all but in- 

 variable. 



When these regulators are employed in a 

 lighthouse there are a pair for each lens and 

 two small lenses, so that although it may take 

 ten minutes to replace the consumed carbons, 

 still the light is never extinguished; for, sup- 

 pose the carbons consumed in the lens No. 1, 

 the regulator is ready in lens No. 2 ; and Lil 

 the light-keeper has to do is to bolt the No. 1 

 regulator and draw the bolt of the regulator in 

 No. 2 lens ; the current is thus diverted, No. 2 

 is instantly lighted, and the lighting of this 

 extinguishes No. 1. 



Thus, then, we have a most intense light, 

 which may be maintained for any length of 

 time, which does not require to be trimmed or 

 extinguished for a second, and which has all 

 the steadiness and uniformity required for light- 

 house purposes. Its advantages over the oil 

 lamp are : first, its power can be increased 

 ad libitum without increasing the size of the 

 lens, for, if required, a machine may be made 

 to give light enough to read by say at 10 or 20 

 miles ; in fact the light is in direct proportion 

 to the power of the machine that produces it ; 

 secondly, its great intensity gives it a power 

 of penetrating haze only equalled by the sun ; 

 thirdly, its whiteness distinguishes it most per- 

 fectly from all other lights on shore, which is 

 ono of its most important properties, for many 

 a vessel has been lost for want of this property 

 in lighthouses lighted with oil ; fourthly, where 

 colored lights are required for the purpose of 

 distinguishing one lighthouse from another, 

 this light gives all the coiors in a perfect man- 

 ner, while the oil lamp always gives its own 

 tinge to the color employed ; fifthly, from the 

 facility with which this light can be extinguish- 

 ed in an instant, and as instantly lighted to its 

 full power, it offers other means of distinguish- 

 ing lighthouse from lighthouse Avhich cannot 

 be obtained with any other light. 



An objection has been made to this light, 

 that, being so small, it would be altogether in- 

 visible at a considerable distance ; and when it 

 is merely considered that the apparent size of 



distant objects depends on the visual anglo 

 there seems to be some ground for the objec- 

 tion, but the law of visual angles does not apply 

 in the case of self-luminous bodies ; a piece of 

 fine wire, almost invisible even with a strong 

 light thrown on it, if by passing a current of 

 electricity through it it is made self-luminous, 

 it appears gradually to increase in diameter as 

 it becomes brighter; and as a curious fact, 

 illustrating the difference between the theorist 

 in his study and the practical observer, a sailor 

 who had seen the magneto-light from a great 

 distance supposed it must be at least ten feet in 

 diameter. Another objection to the light is, 

 that it is too bright ; this may be an inconven- 

 ience in clear weather, but a light to be useful 

 when most needed must be inconveniently 

 bright in clear weather. 



A point to be considered is the cost of the 

 magneto-electric light as compared with oil. 

 The French director-general of lighthouses has 

 made a report to his Government, both as to 

 first cost and as to cost of maintenance ; both 

 are greatly in favor of the magneto-electric 

 light ; of course in making their calculations of 

 cost, they take the cost of an equal quantity of 

 light in each case, that is by oil and electricity. 



At Dungeness, where the light had been in 

 constant use since the 6th of June, 1862, there 

 were in the lantern two small lenses, fixed one 

 over the other, and two regulators to each. 

 Only one light was shown at a time ; but there 

 were two regulators for each lens, so that an 

 instantaneous change from one to the other 

 could be made without extinguishing the light 

 when fresh carbons were required. In the 

 machine-room there were two magneto-ma- 

 chines, each capable of giving a powerful light, 

 though both were in constant use. There was 

 a distinct direct-acting steam- engine attached 

 to each machine, and there were two Cornish 

 boilers, each capable of generating steam 

 enough for the two engines. The material con- 

 sumed at Dungeness was about 30 to 35 Ibs. of 

 coke per hour, and 5J inches of graphite in the 

 regulator per hour, the price of this last being 

 under three farthings per inch. 



MAINE. The Legislature of Maine convened 

 at Augusta on Jan. 6th, 1864, and was organ- 

 ized by the choice of George B. Barrows as 

 President of the Senate, and of N. Dingley, Jr., 

 as Speaker of the House of Kepresentatives, 

 both being members of the Kepublican party, 

 which had a large majority. On the succeeding 

 day Samuel Cony was inaugurated Governor of 

 the State, and delivered the annual message to 

 the Legislature. Among the measures recom- 

 mended by him were an increased State tax ; 

 an effectual militia law ; the appointment of a 

 commissioner to classify public lands; a law 

 making it imperative upon the Executive to 

 issue death warrants upon the expiration of 

 the year of grace allowed prisoners sentenced 

 to be hung ; the extension of the right of 

 suffrage to soldiers in the field ; a railroad to 

 the northeastern frontier as a means of de- 



