ELECTRIC LIGHT IN HOUSES.

Patea Mail, 14 August 1882, Page 3

ELECTRIC LIGHT IN HOUSES.

The use of the electric light in dwellinghouses has other advocates than the President of the Royal Society. Sir William Armstrong has tried it for nearly a year, and has lately published an interesting account of his success. Sir William obtains his power from a waterfall nearly a mile from his house, Craig Side, Northumberland, and his only outlay, except on machinery, is the pay of the laborer who attends his machine. His lamp is the Swan incandescent, which he finds by experience preferable to the arc system, therein agreeing with Mr Spottiswoode. Sir William has thirty pairs of lamps, the light of each single lamp being equal to about twenty-five candles, and he praises the systerii alike for its efficiency and its economy. On the latter point the testimony given by Mr George Lane-Fox in his lecture at the United Service Institution, was not a little remarkable. Speaking of the Incandescent lamp, used alike by the president of the Royal Society and by Sir William Armstrong, he expressed his conviction that a light equal to 150 candles could be produced by it at the same cost as a gaslight of twelve candles —namely a farthing an hour. This calculation, it may be observed, suggested one of the difficulties which occur to less sanguine people than Mr Lane-Fox. A light of 150 candles is not wanted in an ordinary dwelling-house. Such difficulties doubtless will be overcome, but so far the experiments tried within doors have been either in public buildings or in large establishments like Mr Spottiswoode’s or Sir William Armstrong’s.

The following appeared in a portion of last issue. Sheep Worrying. —The verdict in the R.M. Court case was given late this afternoon. Bench allowed £6 for damage caused by hunting 42 ewes in lamb, and costs. Actual worrying was not proved. Particulars will be given in next issue.