Name/Title
Freeman Incandescent Lamp and 'Earth' Battery – Newspaper ClippingDescription
This is a newspaper clipping featuring two engraved illustrations: one of the Freeman Incandescent Lamp and another of an "Earth" Battery. The article discusses the efficiency of electric lighting compared to gas lighting, mentioning that an electric light running for four hours a day could replace gas at a cost of $1.25 per thousand feet. The text suggests that advancements in carbon filament technology and lamp efficiency have contributed to a reduction in costs over time. The Freeman Incandescent Lamp represents early developments in electric lighting, while the Earth Battery showcases an alternative energy storage or generation device.Context
This clipping appears to be from a late 19th-century publication discussing advancements in electric lighting and energy sources. The Freeman Incandescent Lamp was part of the evolution of electric light bulbs, following innovations by Thomas Edison, Lewis Latimer, and others in improving carbon filament longevity. The Earth Battery was an experimental electrochemical energy source, potentially used in low-power applications before more reliable batteries were developed. This article highlights contemporary discussions on the cost-effectiveness of electric lighting, emphasizing how decreasing carbon filament prices and efficiency improvements made electricity more competitive than gas lighting. Given Lewis Latimer’s professional expertise and interests, it makes sense that he would have saved this clipping in his personal papers.Collection
Latimer Family Papers (1870-1996 ) [QPL Full Collection]Transcription
Illustration Captions: "Freeman Incandescent Lamp." "The 'Earth' Battery." Partial Transcribed Text: "…association in October, in [illegible] of the results of the use, in [illegible] Mills, of the Brush arc li[ght] months in 1882. These results were p[resented] in the proceedings of the association at that time, and it is unnecessary, on that account, to repeat them in detail. But I may say that I then arrived at the conclusion that an electric light running for four hours a day replaced gas at a cost of $1.25 per thousand feet. In other words, that gas, to do the same work at the same cost, would have to be furnished at $1.25 a thousand. Since that time, owing to the decreased cost of the carbons used in the lamps, and to the increased…"