THE ELECTIC LIGHT ON ITS TRIAL.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 1, 17 June 1882, Page 3

THE ELECTIC LIGHT ON I TS TRIAL.

The inauguration of the Edison system of electric lighting has been made in London. The entire length ofHolborn Viaduct, from >'ewgatesireet to Holborn Circus, has been lit with incandescent lamps. They represent one unit of an Eduon square wile system, and the current is Jurnished by one of bis large combined steam-engines and dynamo machines for working a thousand lights. The engine, which in ordinary running develops 125-horse power, can be worked up to 200-horse power; and the dynamo machines give off an electric current of 950 amperes in strength. Instead of a few powerful lights, Mr Edison bases his system on the distribution of light by a number of small lights, each equal in candlepower to the ordinary iras jet, namely, sixteen candles. This has been found by long experience to be the generally serviceable light. In practice his electrical lights are modified to "half lights," of eight candles and 4< double lights" of thirty-two candles. Each lamp is placed between the two cur-rent-conducting wires. Every lamp is thus independent of every other, and if any be broken or put out of service, the current is at once distri buted amongst the remainder, and the influence of the change is felt in -the engine and dynamo machine, and acts upon them correspondingly as to the degree of their production of the cur rent. The larger the number of lamps employed the greater will be the proportion which may be suddenly turned on or turned off without prejudical effect upon the rest. Some 200 may be added or taken off out of the 1000 lights driven by the present machine. In two months' time a report will be roa^e by Dr Hopkinson and Dr Fleming of fie actual cost in comparison with the cost of gas lighting, and the result will be published to the world.