The revolution in illuminating power has that in motive power close at its heels. Keely's motor is far from being a forgotten thing. The stockholders in the new invention profess to have as much faith as ever in its success. A detailed report of the progress of the motor has recently been spread before the public, and it really makes affairs in that direction look encouraging. Much must be granted to the character of the men who take stock in the motor enterprise. In his own expressive language he has "harnessed the power of vibration," and that is something with whose is not familiar, and on results it cannot yet calculate.

Between Keely and Edison there is necessarily much in common, although their chosen spheres of thought and work are so entirely different. Of Keely the public knows less, since from the first he has been less communicative than his contemporary. Edison has always appear to be willing to show what he was doing, and to explain all he knew. Over the electric light he has been fully as enthusiastic as Keely has ever been over his motive force. His lamps have been freely exhibited to take the place of gas, being made by incandescence, a metal or other substance being interposed in the circuit. The light giving substance is an alloy of iridium with platinum, which shows that his is far from being a new thing in science. He uses in connection with this an invention of a regulator, to prevent the fusing of the substance placed in the circuit. This he calls an "automatic thermal regulator." Precisely what he aims to give is a cheap mode of generating electricity and divisibility of the electric current. He now uses a three-horse power machine, which is still too expensive, and is at work on a generator which he says will produce a light by electricity that will cost not more than one-fifth of what gas costs. This generator he still keeps a secret from all others. So far he has got from his three horse power machine sixteen lights, each of sixteen-candle power. He at last demonstrates that he has successfully solved the problem of the divisibility of the electric current in its application to incandescent lamps. So far, the public interest has been attracted to the light rather than to the generator.

Mr. Edison has yet to satisfy the public of his ability to invent a machine that shall generate electricity cheaper than any other machine. This he ought to be able to do, if at all, by scientific calculations rather than by mechanical experimenting merely. But it is claimed for Mr. Keely that be has mastered both the practical generation and the practical utilization of his new force; and this would go very far towards proving that he is ahead of Edison in the revolution in motive power. The inventor of the new method of creating electric light lacks something towards completing the revolution in illuminating power. We hope he may not have to wait long to solve successfully the problem he is engaged in studying. It may be that he will have to apply to Gary's new discovery, which is the generation of power by the magnet in consequence of the newly ascertained law of the change of polarity in passing through what is now know as the "neutral line."— Miss. Ploughman

See Also

Keely
Keely Chronology
Edison
Edison and Keely
Firestone-Edison-Ford
THOMAS EDISON