The various manufacturers of lamps in nearly every instance made bases
that were very different from one another. No less than fourteen
different standard bases and sockets came into commercial use.
These were known as, Brush-Swan, Edison, Edi-Swan (double contact),
Edi-Swan (single contact), Fort Wayne Jenny, Hawkeye, Indianapolis
Jenny, Loomis, Mather or Perkins, Schaeffer or National, Siemens &
Halske, Thomson-Houston, United States and Westinghouse. In addition
there were later larger sized bases made for use on series circuits.
These were called the Bernstein, Heisler, Large Edison, Municipal
Bernstein, Municipal Edison, Thomson-Houston (alternating circuit) and
Thomson-Houston (arc circuit). Some of these bases disappeared from
use and in 1900 the proportion in the United States was about 70 per
cent Edison, 15 per cent Westinghouse, 10 per cent Thomson-Houston
and 5 per cent for all the others remaining. A campaign was started
to standardize the Edison base, adapters being sold at cost for the
Westinghouse and Thomson-Houston sockets so that Edison base lamps
could be used. In a few years the desired results were obtained so that
now there are no other sockets in the United States but the Edison
screw type for standard lighting service. This applies also to all
other countries in the world except England where the bayonet form of
base and socket is still popular.
[Illustration:
Bernstein. Heisler. Thomson-Houston
(alternating current).
Thomson-Houston Municipal Edison. Municipal Bernstein.
(arc circuit).
VARIOUS SERIES BASES IN USE, 1892.
The above six bases have been superseded by the “Large Edison,” now
called the Mogul Screw base.]
THE EDISON “MUNICIPAL” STREET LIGHTING SYSTEM
[Illustration: EDISON “MUNICIPAL” SYSTEM, 1885.
High voltage direct current was generated, several circuits operating
in multiple, three ampere lamps burning in series on each circuit.
Photograph courtesy of Association of Edison Illuminating Companies.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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