SUBDIVIDING THE ELECTEIC LIGHT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 125, 25 June 1881, Page 4

SUBDIVIDING THE ELECTEIC LIGHT.

A very ingenious and simple method of subdividing the electric light has just been effected by Mr. J. Banting Rogers of Lombard street London. It effects the subdivision thoroughly, and the system may be familiarly represented by a tree with its trunk or stem, from which the radiate the main limbs which again bear branches from which in turn shoots and twigs. Take the producing power — which in in the present instance was a bichromate battery and a f -in coil — the conductors, postive and negative, were, led from the two poles, each to an accumulating box containing dividing apparatus which is said to be capable of effecting eighteen divisions of the main curret, although only one wire was ■used in the experiment, that being sufficient to illustrate the principle. This single wire was carried from each of the the two accumulating boxes to a dividing box, and from this box again eight pairs of wires could have been led to eight other boxes for the further subdivision of the current, but five pairs were considered sufficient. These five pairs of wires were led to five other boxes, one pair to each, where the current was further subdivided. From these boxes it was stated that no fewer than twentyeight circuits could have been formed had the battery power been sufficient, but as it was not, wires forming nine circuits only were used. On these nine circuits twenty-Beven vacuum tubes represented so many lights — three on each circuit — which were all supported from one battery. The circuits were detached one by one, without interfering with the lights on the remainder. So far as the experiment went, it satisfactorily demonstrated that the electric current could be divided, redivided, and again subdivided, so as to render the light available for the smallest apartment. — European Mail.