Theatre Design & Technology - Dec 1971 - 26

to the desired intensity or reverse the process and
make the light slowly fade away. He could change
the color of light instantaneously or slowly by
shifting from one jet or group of jets to another.
He could mix colors by shining jets through two or
more colors of glass or other transparent sheeting,
as was apparently done with the footl ights of the
Opera House to create the effects noted in the
quotation. He could also bring on a sudden bright
Iight from above on a completely dark stage to
provide startling effects.
No further description of the electrical system
invented by Samuael Gardiner, Jr. and installed
at the Opera House could be found in the literature of the time. However, Electric Gas Lighting
by H. S. Norrie, published in 1901, contains detailed descriptions of similar systems. Chapter One
includes the following:

These burners are used in series, BBB are the [gas]
burners; 55, the secondary wires from the Ruhmkorff
coil, I; PP, the primary coil wires from battery, opened
and closed by means of the key, K.

"5, which is a hard rubber plate [or other insulator],
provided with a revolving metal arm and handle, H, and
four contact points, P, which latter receive the ends of
the wires from the groups of burners [with spark gaps].
B by means of nuts or binding posts. The wire from the
secondary of the coil is run to the switch-handle, H,
great care being taken that it does not pass near to the
circuit wires, or contact points. Revolving the switchhandle connects the secondary wire to each circuit in
turn. Also shown are the coil, (1.), the battery, (2.), and
the interrupter, (3.).

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// P

Chapter Five, the Lighting of Large Buildings,
has material in it which can be directly applied to
lighting theatres, both front and backstage. Several
diagrams from the book are included in this paper.
With only this information from Norrie, I was therefore compelled to fall back upon a patent search
through the many patents issued to Samuael
Gardiner, Jr. With the help of an engineer, a survey was made of Gardiner's patents dealing with
the use of electricity to light gas jets and to
operate gas valves. The consultant decided that
the system used at the Opera House operated in
the following manner.
Direct current was generated by the "small
battery of six jars." These were Voltaic cells, a
type of battery producing a direct current by chemical means. The battery will generate a direct
current of not over two volts per jar, or less than
twelve volts altogether for the six jars described,
if connected in series.

p
P

I n electric gas lighting a spark of the proper
character is passed across a jet of gas and ignites it. Sparks can be produced by various
means:
or an induction coil operated by a
battery ...

The induction coil described in the newspaper
account was apparently used with an interrupter
to step up the voltage produced by the battery of
jars and thus facilitate sparking across the spark
gaps used as igniters at the gas jets. The "16
miles of wire" suggests that this arrangement
might have multiplied the voltage some hundreds
of times.
The flow of this current was controlled by a
switch patented by Gardiner under No. 71, 158,
November 19,1867, or No. 124,126, February
27, 1872. The circuit for one or any number of

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THEATER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

DECEMBER ,1971

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