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l'EDEB.AL REPORTER, vol.
40.
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to a metallic base. - The connection between the leading wires and the carbon hasbeenobtailled by clamping the carb()D to the metat The leading wires have always been large, so that their re.sistance shall be many times less than the burnei'; and, ,ibgt:llleral" the attempfs of previous persons have been to reduce the resistance of the cal'bon rod. 'fbe disadvantages of following this practice are that a lamp having but one ·tofonr ohms resistance cannot be worked in greatllumbersin; multiple arc without the employment of mail), conductors pf enorJPous dimensions.; That, owing to the low resistance of the lamp, the leading wires must be oflarge dimensions and good conductors, and a glass globe canpot be kept tight at the place were the wires pass in and are cemented; hence the carbon is consumed, because there must be almost a perfect vacuum to render the carbonistable, especially when such carbon is small in mass, and high in electrical resistance. The use ofa gas in the receiver at the atmospheric pressure, although not attacking the carbon,serves to destroy it in time by air-washing, or the attrition produced by the rapid passage of the air over the slightly coherent, highly heated surface of the carbon. I have re\'ersed this practice. 1 bave discovered that even a cotton thread, properly carbonized, and placed ina sealed glass bUlb, exhausted to onemi.llionthof an atmosphere, offers from 100 to 500' ohms resistance to the passage oithe cnrrent, and that- it is absolutely stable at very high temperatures; that if the thread be coiled as a spiral, and cal'bonized, or if anyfibrous vegetable substance which will leave a carbon residue after !.leating in a dos,ed chamber be so coiled,.it offers as much as 2,000 ohms resistance, without presenting a radiating surface greater than thre&osixteenths of an inch; that, if such fibrous material be with a plastic composed of lamp-black and tar, its resistance 'may be made high or low, according to the amount of lamp,black placed upon it; that carbon filaments may be made by a combination of tar and lamp-black, the latter being previously ignited in a closed crucible for several hours, and afterwards moistened and kneaded until it assumes the consistency of thick putty. Small pieces of this material may be rolled out in the form of wire as small as seven one-thousandths of an inch in diameter, i and over ,a foot in length, and the same may be coated with a non-conducting, non-carbonizirig substance, and wound on a bobbin, or as a spiral, and the tar carbonized in a closed chamber by subjecting it to high heat. the spiral after carbonization retaining its form. All these forms lue fragile, and cannot be clamped to the leading wires with:sufficient force to insure good contact and prevent heating. I have that if platinum wires are used, and the plastic lamp-black and tar material be moulded around it, in the act of carbonization. there is an intimate union by combination and by pressure between . the carbon and platina, and nearly perfect contact is obtained without the necessity of clamps; lience the burner and the leading wires are connected to the carbon, ready to be plaeed inthe vacuum bulb. When fibrous material is ul;led, the plastic lilmp-black and, tar, are used to secure it to a platina before carbonizing. By using the carbon of such high resistance, I amenabled to use fine platinum wires for leading wires, as they will have a small resistance compared with the burners; and hence will not beat and crack the sealed bUlb. Platina can ottlybe used, as its expansion is nearly the same as that of glass. III Ill, III I have carbonized and used cotton and linen thread. Wood splints, papers coiled in variQus ways; also lamp-black, plumbago, jlnd in variolls mixed withtar, and kneaded so that the same may be rolled out into wires of various lengths and diameters. Each wire, however, is to be uniform in size throughout." ' The first claimofthis electric lamp for giving light by incandescence, consisting of.a·. filament of carbon of high resistance, madeaa ,described, and secured to metallic wires, as set forth. . The
:OLIREB f1. THE NEBOo·
Second claim is the combination of such filaments with the receiver, made entirely ofglass. Qfc()urBe, the form of 'the filament in the or globe maybe varied at· pleasure. It may be in theshape of acoil,or of a horSeshoe, or it may be wound on a bobbin. All thel?e forms are old. The principal and great thing described is the attenuated filament, aDd its inclosure in a perfect vacuum. There may be a preference of materials 'from which the filament is made. Practice will evolve all these collateral advantages. We think weare not mistaken in saying that, but for this discovery, electric lighting would Iiever have become a fact. We have supposed it to be the discovery of Edison, because he has a patent for it. This may not be the case; It may be the discovery .ofsome other person; but, whoever discovered it, it is undoubtedly the great discov{'lryin the art' of practical lighting by electricity. We have given a more detailed account ofitj in order to illustrate what we mean, when we raise the question whether the claimedliI1ventions of Sawyer and Man were ever successful. They may have made a lamp that wo(tld burn; but. was ita success, or was it a failure? Did it ever go into use? What waS the object of all the experiments made by them and others? Was it not to make an electric lamp tbat c()uld be l?uccessfully lisedby the public, and have a commercial value? Did they succeed in making su{)h a' lamP, or in finding out the principle on which it could be tt1ade? 'Ye.do '!iot so read the evidence. The bill must be dismissed.
KELIHER tI. THE NEBO. (Dl.8tmJt Ocrwrt, S. D. New York. July IS, 1889.)
8mPPlNa-LlAllILITY 011'
A, ctollS-beam belonging to tbesbip N., and supporlinga platform, made under OJ,'dllfB of thll mate,.at ,otthe to aId in discharging the brokll from being'overweIghted, seriously InJunng one ot the men. The captain, knowing the beam to be weak, or without sufficient support, claimed to have cautioned the men not to. put too much weight on it··. .H/ilt;Z, that the ship liable; that ,her omcera h,Ji,(l no right to thus authorize the use of the detective beam, but should havsstopped , .further loading ot cargo on it.· Damages assessed .by the oourt at 11,250. witbcosta. (SytlabuB by the Oourt.)
VESSEL II'OBTORT.
In Admiralty. Libel for personal injuries. Ja'fIU')J H''I11house, for libelant. E. B. C'onver8, for claimant. BROWN, J. I have carefully considered the evidence in the above case. I cannot regard the defense interposed by the master, or his testimony in support of it, as characterized by either good faith or credibility to but a very limited extent. The proof puts it beyond question that the cross-beam was'shipped under the orders of the mate, by the ship's carpenter and seamen, and by them only; and that the mate's order was given, on the request