A NEW ELECTRIC LIGHT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 559, 16 April 1913, Page 3

A NEW ELECTRIC LIGHT.

M. DUSSAUD'S DISCOVERY. So much interest has been excited by the demonstration given recently in Paris of Prof. Dussaud's invention for increasing the illuminating power and decreasing the co3t of electric lighting, that a correspondent of the London Standard was able to be present at a demonstration given before a dozen experts. As things seen are mightier than thitigs heard, writes the correspondent, I may briefly describe what I myself witnessed, with additional explanations. As already stated, the governing principle of the invention is "rest," and the first illus- ' tration was given with a glass lamp, about the size of a football, which gave such a refulgence that it was quite impossible to face it, even for a single second. It was lighted by contact established by two slips like glove-stretchers being brought together, and when used for taking flashlight photographs simultaneous exposure and lighting occurs without any abominable fumes of magnesium, which render it almost impossible to take more than two poses in the same room. With Prof. Dussaud's light there is nothing abnormal; it is merely an ordinary lamp. The same light was made to illustrate a revolving lighthouse at work, shining whilst facing the sea, and resting whilst it turned landwards, with a result giving a hundredfold of power. A Morse light signalling experiment showed the same advan tage. Prof. Dussaud next exhibited cinema and lantern adaptations One of these consisted of a small card board cylinder containing three tiny lamps of the size of large cherries, but too bright to be looked at. These were so arranged that one was always focussed, and after doing its turn rested while the other lamp came on in turn. It is claimed this contrivance gives nearly a hundred times the illumination obtained from ordinary lights with quite a small battery. Another cinema apparatus, sold by a well-known firm for covering a screen less than a yard square, was shown fitted with a single Dussaud "resting" lamp brilliantly covering quite twice that area. This test was most ingeniously arranged bya wheel, one-fourth of which was made of ebonite, thus giving the necessary invisible rest to the lamp. The non-conducting substance revolved.

Another very practical application was the possibility of using films instead of slides. It, will now be possible to use rolls of films whici besides weighing a trifle and packing easily are moßt brilliant and sharp. The fact of the invention making "coJd" light allows the use of films and a striking example was given by Professor Dussaud holding in his hand a small bulb of the size of a walnut, which otherwise nobody could venture to look at. Without "testing" this bulb would quickly become too hot to hold and would burst, but it remained quite cold and showed the operator's hand almost as a rose-red transparency. The intention is expected to revolutionise the naval and military searchligh system, and its commercial uses may be much more numerous even than those already enumerated. Amongst the few guests was Mr Roy Leclair, of London, who had come over especially for this demonstration.