hey
were about to go through the door, one of them turned to me and said:
'We have enjoyed this visit very much, but there is one question we
would like to ask: What is it that you make here?'"

The Brockton station was for a long time a show plant of the Edison
company, and had many distinguished visitors, among them being Prof.
Elihu Thomson, who was present at the opening, and Sir W. H. Preece,
of London. The engineering methods pursued formed the basis of similar
installations in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in November, 1883; in Fall
River, Massachusetts, in December, 1883; and in Newburgh, New York, the
following spring.

Another important plant of this period deserves special mention, as it
was the pioneer in the lighting of large spaces by incandescent lamps.
This installation of five thousand lamps on the three-wire system was
made to illuminate the buildings at the Louisville, Kentucky,
Exposition in 1883, and, owing to the careful surveys, calculations,
and preparations of H. M. Byllesby and the late Luther Stieringer, was
completed and in operation within six weeks after the placing of the
order. The Jury of Awards, in presenting four medals to the Edison
company, took occasion to pay a high compliment to the efficiency of the
system. It has been thought by many that the magnificent success of
this plant did more to stimulate the growth of the incandescent lighting
business than any other event in the history of the Edison company. It
was literally the beginning of the electrical illumination of American
Expositions, carried later to such splendid displays as those of the
Chicago World's Fair in 1893, Buffalo in 1901, and St. Louis in 1904.

Thus the art was set going in the United States under many difficulties,
but with every sign of coming triumph. Reference has already been made
to the work abroad in Paris and London. The first permanent Edison
station in Europe was that at Milan, Italy, for which the order was
given as early as May, 1882, by an enterprising syndicate. Less than
a year later, March 3, 1883, the installation was ready and was put in
operation, the Theatre Santa Radegonda having been pulled down and a
new central-station building erected in its place--probably the first
edifice constructed in Europe for the specific purpose of incandescent
lighting. Here "Jumbos" were installed from time to time, until at
last there were no fewer than ten of them; and current was furnished
to customers with