African Business Chronicles

Chapter 33 – Searching for "Light"

Berlin Electric Company.

Located in the eastern part of Berlin, the company sat in a transitional area between the busy city center and the suburbs. A grayish-white building housed the company's main office.

After attending the completion ceremony at Hohenzollern Castle, Ernst returned to Berlin—because the company's first major result was in.

Following Ernst's guidance, the Berlin Electric Company had focused on one core task: experimenting with materials for electric lamp filaments.

Ernst recalled Edison's process of improving the electric light. He had tested many materials before choosing carbonized cotton fibers, and later bamboo. So Ernst gave the team a head start by pointing them in that direction.

Upon entering the company, Ernst asked around and learned that Carl von Linde was in the lab. He quietly approached and opened the door.

The lab was full of tangled wires and scattered equipment. Ernst carefully stepped around the devices until he spotted Carl von Linde sitting in a chair, deeply absorbed in drawing blueprints.

Ernst didn't dare disturb him—genius-level creativity was precious, and interrupting Linde's flow could be a costly mistake. He silently found a chair and sat down, waiting patiently.

The quiet lab was filled only with the ticking of a clock and the scratch of pencil on paper.

Time passed. Ernst almost nodded off before the sound of shuffling papers broke the silence. Carl von Linde stretched and yawned, finally noticing Ernst's presence.

"Your Highness Ernst! I didn't realize you were here—my apologies. I was so focused on my work."

Ernst stood, stretching a bit as he replied, "Mr. Linde, why don't you have someone clean the lab? It's a mess. Doesn't that affect your research?"

Carl von Linde smiled and explained, "I work best alone. It helps me think. I usually don't let others into the lab. And besides, most of the people here aren't trained for this kind of work—I'm afraid they might damage the equipment by accident. Of course, I would prefer a tidy workspace too, but in research, inspiration strikes at random. Over time, the instruments and wires just pile up. Eventually, I gave up on keeping things neat."

"I see!" Ernst nodded, realizing that in the world of geniuses, things really were different—though he'd known plenty who were just messy.

"If you ever need anything, just let me know. But today, I came to see the light bulb project," Ernst said.

Hearing that, Carl von Linde stood up excitedly. "Of course, Your Highness. Please, follow me."

He led Ernst down the stairs to a lab on the first floor. Several workers were tending to a furnace, seemingly refining materials. Ernst guessed they were making filaments.

Carl von Linde walked to a shelf and brought down a box full of oval-shaped glass bulbs. Inside were odd-looking, handmade filaments.

"Morgens! Come over here and give a demonstration," Linde called.

A staff member stepped forward to show how it worked.

"Your Highness, here's the socket, and this bulb has a plug at the base. We insert it here, and once the current flows through the filament—it lights up."

He plugged the bulb in. Immediately, it lit up with a pale yellow glow. The filament burned red-hot.

After a few seconds passed without issues, the worker let out a sigh of relief.

Ernst asked, "How long will it stay lit?"

"About six hours," the worker replied.

Carl von Linde added, "Your Highness, thanks to your input, we've made a working prototype. But some of the hardware is still beyond current science.

"For example, this filament needs a vacuum environment to work efficiently—but today's vacuum technology isn't advanced enough. We don't have the tools or patents to create the proper conditions. So we're making do."

"Is there a solution?" Ernst asked.

"That's what I'm working on now—improving the available vacuum technology. I've been researching it for days, but so far, no real breakthrough."

Ernst stroked his chin in thought. Linde was brilliant in electrical applications, but when it came to precise engineering, Lenoir's team at the energy company had more experience—especially given how demanding internal combustion engines were. Their expertise in tight tolerances and mechanical reliability was unmatched.

"Mr. Linde, vacuum technology requires high mechanical precision. As you know, I also own the Berlin Energy & Power Company. Their engineers are experts in this field. Perhaps we should ask for their input?"

Linde agreed immediately—doing everything alone was difficult, especially in an area outside his specialty.

So the two of them took a carriage to the nearby headquarters of the Berlin Energy & Power Company. It was afternoon, and Lenoir and the others were still on-site.

"Mr. Lenoir!" Ernst called out.

"Your Highness, what brings you here today?" Lenoir asked.

Ernst explained the situation. After introductions were made, he connected the two company teams.

"I see," said Lenoir, pulling out a piece of paper and sketching. After a while, he asked, "Mr. Linde, could I see your designs?"

Fortunately, Ernst and Linde had brought them along. They handed the documents over.

Time ticked by. Suddenly, Lenoir's eyes lit up.

"This idea is brilliant, Mr. Linde. It's absolutely doable. But the key isn't the design—it's the materials. That's where I have some experience."

The two scientists, from different fields, excitedly discussed and cross-checked ideas. Benz and the others joined in. One draft after another was scrapped and redrawn as they debated and refined the plan.

Hours passed. Night fell. The moon rose in the sky. Ernst, not much of a science guy, could only sip coffee and wait patiently for the experts to finish.

"…That's it—the last problem is solved!" Lenoir said enthusiastically.

"This clears the biggest obstacle to improving the light bulb! Thank you so much, Mr. Lenoir!" Linde responded, equally thrilled.

In the end, they concluded that it would take at least three months of experiments to turn the theoretical vacuum improvements into a working reality. A short-term collaboration was agreed upon.

The patent for the new technology would be jointly filed by all researchers, while ownership would belong to the Hexingen Bank. The inventors would receive 20% of future profits.

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