180 



KNOWLEDGE 



[July 21, 1882., 



further and very jrrcat improvement in tho ilircction already ind.- 

 ..ated bv Siemens nrgeuerativo pas burner, winch increases tlio 

 inwusitv of combu«tiou. This shortening of tho radiant wave- 

 lonifth8,"or conversion of heat into light, is a eciontihe effort that 

 really is in its infancy. The 6rst step towards the practical solu- 

 tion of the problem is aln.-ady made, vii;., its clear theoretical 

 statement. . , 



The iKMwibiUties of gas-lighting must not bo judgeil by tlio 

 eiisting supplv of London, which is disgraceful to M concerned 

 both as regards iinftlity and cost. This is amply proved by tho 

 exwricnce" of all those northern and midland towns that are now 

 supplying themselves with gas. If the prevailing elcctromania 

 could" rmiao any approach to practical competition, it would bo a 

 great benefactor, but 1 fear that this is impossible, and know well 

 enough that our best gas engineers thoroughly understand the iin- 

 iwtcucc of their supposed rivals. 



That a brilliant light far excelling that of ordinary gas-buniers is 

 easily obtainable, either bv electric arc or incandescence, is indis- 

 putable. All who have worked practically and studied theoretically 

 the subject have arrived at the same conclusion as that of Starr, 

 King, Uorr, and myself in 184G, that tho incandescent light in 

 vacuo is the best, and that it is available for a variety of sensational 

 and exceptional purposes— theatres, light-houses, Ac; bnt for ordi- 

 narv- purposes of domestic and street-lighting, its cost puts it 

 altclgether aside, as too many will practically discover when all the 

 .Li.s upon their shares have been paid up, and the joint-stock 

 pcrators" have retired from tho lield. 



Ill further (ienumstration of tho real age of this supposed infant I 

 .. i'.l quote a few more historical facts. 



llore than thirty years ago three of tho largest streets of St. 

 Petersburg— the Newfki Prospect, the Erbson Strasse, and tho 

 Wosnesenski Prospect— were lighted by one lamp placed on the 

 tower of the Admiralty Buildings. In 185t the works for the con- 

 •truction of the Kai>oleon Docks at Koucn were illuminated with the 

 electric light, and SUO men worked there during the night as in day- 

 light. Wainier estimated tho cost at three farthings per nian for 

 three or four hours. -or abont ITs. per hour altogether. During tho 

 last nuarterof a century cicilric lights have been used in light- 

 hou:e< on our own and the French coast, and continue in ufc, the 

 old arrangements still existing in spite of the prospectuses of the 

 comimnies that are now angling so successfully for investing victims. 

 Tho sober, unvarnished fact is, that electric lighting has made 

 far less progress during tho lasl thirty or forty years than any other 

 mode of lighting now in practical existence. Gas-lighting, ns already 

 stated, has far outstripjied it in the iirimary matter of economy of 

 jiroduction. Un.«h lights and tallow dips have been superseded 

 by paraffin caudles, and snuffers and snuffei-traya are becoming 

 objects of interest to antiquarian collectors. The modern paraffin 

 candle's now sold retail at Cd. per ponnd are superior to the wax 

 and spermactti candles that' were used thirty years ago, and cost 

 :Jb. *>d. to :(s. Cd. per pound. 



Midaie-agod men rememlier the mshlights. the tallow dips, the 

 mould candles, and the spcnn oil lamps, then' tho "solnr" lamps, 

 then the colxa oil lamps, then tho "camphino" lamps, the Carrel 

 lamps and' the Modf-rator I.imps, all of which are now practically 

 suiierseded by tl.c single, the duplex, and the triplex mineral oil 

 lamps. 



The electric lamp has alone stood still since 184<j. Starr tried, 



and I witnessed his trials of tho arc principle, with a score of 



ileviccs for remedying the flickering, and he did remedy it more 



effectually than it 'in now remedied on tho Thames Embankment ; 



but he wisely abandoned the arc principle altogether. lie did this 



l)ecau"c, as he explained, tho arc light is simply ii result of 



the iiicande8c<-nco of particles of carbnn transfeiTcd from one 



pencil to the other, and therefore it would be better to have a solid 



incan'hiicent stick or filament heated in vacuo, or in carbonic acid 



.ir •••r'.-cn. The specification was sealed Kov. 24, lKl-5. A drawing 



. ' !' . .ii.;;iratU8 and a description may be found in the if'-rhanir'A 



'.!'■■ '■ fnr April 'J.', 1H4<!, and a letter from myself diseussing 



|,r < '.in . for tho idea of an incandescent electric light in the 



'fay 9, ISIC. 



irr's progress was cnrionsly like that of Edison, 



r.oard the arc light, nia<le his first step with incan- 



jng a platinum wire and a strip of platinum foil, 



itinom and iridium. This nnrplfy/ was loudly cried 



• r« three or four years ago, but it eolL-ipned. Then 



'ilio.inl, whir:h was but a repetirion "f another 



.-Starr's imigress. This effort of " The Wi/.ard 



.: " i I'ai . ' wa« so well puffeil, that tho shares of the 



' ,11. , I'.y ran o|> fmni 30 d'illar< to 3,5<J0 dollars each, and of course 



. . 1 .• '. 1 in the n»nal manner. 



Th. < ir.Uioarl incantation of the Wi^^rd being exhausted, another 

 foIlowc<l — vi/.., the bamboo — which, ns above explained, had also been 

 tried thirty-fire years before by Starr; bnt, in these days of im- 



proved commercial enterprise, it has " tloatcd " its companies on 

 both sides of the Atlantic. When it has dono its work, wo shall 

 probably hoar of a further improvement, another great inspiration, 

 —viz. the re-invention of Starr's final gas-coko carbon stick, which 

 is incomparably superior to any of tho incandescent devices at 

 present flaunted in tho joint-stock market. , 



Edison %vill not be able to patent this in America, seeing that he 

 was refused a jiatent for tho platino-iridum idea on tho ground of 

 Starr's previous inventions patented by King; but in this country 

 anybody may repatent any invention, however old, and, therefoi-e. 

 wlien the now popular bits of thread are burnt out, more coinpanioB 

 may bo built upon tho harder, and far nioro durable gas carbon. . 

 I'havo already heard of patents for a slight modification, of this,, 

 which is formed not by burning away tho hydrogen compounds 

 from solid vegetable matter, such as wood, coal, <-ard. bamboo, Ac, 

 butbvjwcipifad'ii-; carbon from a gaseous coinin^nd of hydrogen 

 and carbon. In the gas retorts this is effected by the hydro;carbon 

 gas coming in contact with the red-hot walls. of tho retort. , In the 

 forthcoming improveuiciits on .the incandescent, oleetrio li^ht it 

 will be done by filling the electric lamp glass with hydro-carbon 

 vapour, and then preoii.itnting its carbon on tho thread of carbon 

 rendered incandesc(*nt by the current. • 



Our old experience of 1845-0' proved that this will bo a real stoji , 

 in advance, as, the carbon thus precipatod is so much. more durable , 

 than any of the forms at present in use. 



Tho above was written about three months ago, and I have held 

 it back hoping that tho electromania would have dted a natural 

 death ere this, but it has now attained such a magnitude, and some 

 of the prospectuses of new compai ies and extensions are so atrocious, 

 that to remain silent when ono has anything to say, and an oppor- 

 tunity of saying it, is almost equivalent to passive co-operation in 

 the conspiracies. 



One more njipcal to the common sense of intending investors in 

 these con. I an..-. (;.,...iiiig, as we all fairly may, that the electric 

 light is luin.iialiK m.h. .1 li.r lighthouses, for theatres, for ffites, for 

 such work- .1 ill. . . 1 111.' Napoleon Docks, for tunnel-excavators, 

 for the Ih.ilO. Mi.-n.n lle.nding-room, and other special purposes 

 where cost is not an ol.ji'ct, do we require companies with hundreds 

 of thousands of capital to light those places ^ Do wo require any . 

 companies at all i' . , . •,.'»."^ ' 



The nature of the practical requirements tor electric liRjitypg^ 

 prove that we do not. All that is needed is a. steam-engine, n 

 "dvnaino" machine, tho lamps, and connectiiig wires. These c_aji 

 be "supplied l.v privn"' firms, and can be worked oh tho preinis(>s far 

 more ecu. r. ::,,;' , tl.ir. from a distance by any great control. 

 machine.! |...\ver to various places. Such distribution , 



demands. ,, ..Liments of conducting wires, and is ac-. 



compani.il ...'I, m. ..ii.in.l of loss proportionate to the distance of 

 transfer and the nninber of subdivisions. • • - • ; 



At the Polvteehnic wo had an engine thot pumped the water,, 

 worked the fountains and models, and, whenever we required the , 

 electric light or worked the electric railway, we simjily connected , 

 with it the dynamo fa little machine by the side of the' engine) and . 

 tho wires for the light, Ac, by means of their proper binding' 

 screws. 'The like may be .done on board 'of steam-pack(ft*,' in' 

 factories, mines, Ac, or wherever steam-engines. aro^in urc. Tliosoi 

 who beliov.o thet electricity is to make sucli progress, that, it shall • 

 supply the light and power of tlii> Inlun- f-lnnild be Biinieieiitly 

 logical to perceive that this jirogres.s ll.u^t sii|ierpede all ex.Hling 

 inventions, and therefore (hat the f.jiir millions thiit have' been 

 recently paid for tho shares' and the patent rights, and 'for. the 

 promotion of existing companies has been all .. thrown awiiy- 

 Xinety-nine per cent, of the patents that have recently bpen speci- 

 fied at tho rate of ten to twenty per' week arc worthless rbpctitionK 

 of old inventions or delusions altogether. 



Luxurious people who choose to pay for lighting their drawing- 

 rooms by electricity may easily do so. by meauH of a little gas- 

 engine and dynamo, worked in the back kitchen or butlers 

 iiantry. They have no more need to apply to a company with a 

 capital of .i;8'00,000 for such a purpose tltiin has a hairdresser t<. 

 do so for Bupidying tho motive power to his r.jtatory hair-brushinpr 

 machine. 



FRENCH EXCAVATIONS IN ASSYRIA. 



SOME most interesting jiarticuIarB of the exploration of M. ib- 

 Sarzec in Mesopotamia, which were recently mentioned in 

 KNOwr.nr.oE, are to be found in a letter from the discoverer himself, 

 read before the Paris Academy by M. Heuzy, and a commenoomcnt 

 at deciphering (he very ancient texts which nro engraved on'many 

 of tho antiquities has been made by Dr. Julius Oppert. 



Tho Bite which has proved so exceptionally rich in arcbaologica 

 remains is situoted on the left bank of the Shattel Ilai, a latv<- 



