Page:The Bell System Technical Journal, Volume 1, 1922.pdf/6

6 presented themselves in the mechanical construction of large tubes in which vacuum tight joints must be made and maintained between glass and large masses of metal. The importance of the problem, however, was such that Stoekle and Buckley pushed on in the face of difficulties to the construction of tubes which could handle kilowatts where previous tubes could only handle watts.

A step in the direction of overcoming these difficulties was made by Messrs. Schwerin and Weinhart, who were working with Dr. Buckley on the problem, and who suggested that the anode might be made in the form of a tube or thimble of platinum sealed into a glass vessel and kept cool by passing water through it.



This suggestion led to the development of a tub which, although not the one finally adopted, is discussed in some detail since it was the first one to be pushed to such a point as to give promise of economical commercial manufacture.