THE JABLOCHKOFF “CANDLE”
Paul Jablochkoff was a Russian army officer and an engineer. In the early seventies he came to Paris and developed a novel arc light. This consisted of a pair of carbons held together side by side and insulated from each other by a mineral known as kaolin which vaporized as the carbons were consumed. There was no mechanism, the arc being started by a thin piece of carbon across the tips of the carbons. Current burned this bridge, starting the arc. The early carbons were about five inches long, and the positive carbon was twice as thick as the negative to compensate for the unequal consumption on direct current. This, however, did not work satisfactorily. Later the length of the carbons was increased, the carbon made of equal thickness and burned on alternating current of about eight or nine amperes at about 45 volts. He made an alternating current generator which had a stationary exterior armature with interior revolving field poles. Several “candles,” as they were called, were put in one fixture to permit all night service and an automatic device was developed, located in each fixture, so that should one “candle” go out for any reason, another was switched into service.
Jablochkoff “Candle,” 1876.
This simple arc consisted of a pair of carbons held together side by side and insulated from each other by kaolin. Several boulevards in Paris were lighted with these arc lights. This arc lamp is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
In 1876 many of these “candles” were installed and later several of the boulevards in Paris were lighted with them. This was the first large installation of the arc light, and was the beginning of its commercial introduction. Henry Wilde made some improvements in the candle by eliminating the kaolin between the carbons which gave Jablochkoff’s arc its peculiar color. Wilde’s arc was started by allowing the ends of the carbons to touch each other, a magnet swinging them apart thus striking the arc.
Jablochkoff’s Alternating Current Dynamo, 1876.
This dynamo had a stationary exterior armature and internal revolving field poles. Alternating current was used for the Jablochkoff “candle” to overcome the difficulties of unequal consumption of the carbons on direct current.