Artificial Light

卪
Artificial Light

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Artificial Light, by M. Luckiesh This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Artificial Light Its Influence upon Civilization
Author: M. Luckiesh
Release Date: January 29, 2006 [EBook #17625]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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Transcriber's Notes:
1. Subscripts have been marked with an underscore character in front with text surrounded in curly braces, for example: H_{2}O (formula of water).
2. Inconsistent hyphenation of words preserved.
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[Illustration: LIGHT AND LIBERTY]

The Century Books of Useful Science
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
ITS INFLUENCE UPON CIVILIZATION
BY M. LUCKIESH
DIRECTOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE. NELA RESEARCH LABORATORY, NATIONAL LAMP WORKS OF GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Author of "Color and Its Applications," "Light and Shade and Their Applications," "The Lighting Art," "The Language of Color," etc.
_ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS_

NEW YORK THE CENTURY CO. 1920
Copyright, 1920, by THE CENTURY CO.

DEDICATED
TO THOSE WHO HAVE ENCOURAGED ORGANIZED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CIVILIZATION

PREFACE
In the following pages I have endeavored to discuss artificial light for the general reader, in a manner as devoid as possible of intricate details. The early chapters deal particularly with primitive artificial light and their contents are generally historical. The science of light-production may be considered to have been born in the latter part of the eighteenth century and beginning with that period a few chapters treat of the development of artificial light up to the present time. Until the middle of the nineteenth century mere light was available, but as the century progressed, the light-sources through the application of science became more powerful and efficient. Gradually mere light grew to more light and in the dawn of the twentieth century adequate light became available. In a single century, after the development of artificial light began in earnest, the efficiency of light-production increased fifty-fold and the cost diminished correspondingly. The next group of chapters deals with various economic influences of artificial light and with some of the byways in which artificial light is serving mankind. On passing through the spectacular aspects of lighting we finally emerge into the esthetics of light and lighting.
The aim has been to show that artificial light has become intricately interwoven with human activities and that it has been a powerful influence upon the progress of civilization. The subject is too extensive to be treated in detail in a single volume, but an effort has been made to present a discussion fairly complete in scope. It is hoped that the reader will gain a greater appreciation of artificial light as an economic factor, as an artistic medium, and as a mighty influence upon the safety, efficiency, health, happiness, and general progress of mankind.
M. LUCKIESH.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a pleasant duty to acknowledge the co?peration of various companies in obtaining the photographs which illustrate this book. With the exception of Plates 2 and 7, which are reproduced from the excellent works of Benesch and Allegemane respectively, the illustrations of early lighting devices are taken from an historical collection in the possession of the National Lamp Works of the General Electric Co. To this company the author is indebted for Plates 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 15, 18b, 20, 21, 29; to Dr. McFarlan Moore for Plate 10; to Macbeth Evans Glass Co. for Plate 12; to the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, for Plate 13; to Lynn Works of G. E. Co. for Plates 14, 16; to Edison Lamp Works of G. E. Co. for Plates 17, 24; to Cooper Hewitt Co. for Plate 18a; to R. U. V. Co. for Plate 19; to New York Edison Co. for Plates 22, 26, 30; to W. D'A. Ryan and the Schenectady Works of G. E. Co. for Plates 23, 25, 31; to National X-Ray Reflector Co. for Plate 28. Besides the companies and the individuals particularly involved in the foregoing, the author is glad to acknowledge his appreciation of the assistance of others during the preparation of this volume.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I LIGHT AND PROGRESS 3
II THE ART OF MAKING FIRE 15
III PRIMITIVE LIGHT-SOURCES 24
IV THE CEREMONIAL USE OF LIGHT 38
V OIL-LAMPS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 51
VI EARLY GAS-LIGHTING 63
VII THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT-PRODUCTION 80
VIII MODERN GAS-LIGHTING 97
IX THE ELECTRIC ARCS 111
X THE ELECTRIC INCANDESCENT FILAMENT LAMPS 127
XI THE LIGHT OF THE FUTURE 143
XII LIGHTING THE STREETS 152
XIII LIGHTHOUSES 163
XIV ARTIFICIAL LIGHT IN WARFARE 178
XV SIGNALING 194
XVI THE COST OF LIGHT 208
XVII LIGHT AND SAFETY 225
XVIII THE COST OF LIVING 238
XIX ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AND CHEMISTRY 256
XX LIGHT AND HEALTH