Carborundum is another product of the electric furnace.

It was the invention of Edward B.Acheson, a graduate of the Edison laboratories.

Acheson, in 1891, was trying to make artificial diamonds and produced instead the more useful carborundum, as well as the Acheson graphite, which at once found its place in industry.
Another valuable product of the electric furnace was the calcium carbide first produced in 1892 by Thomas L.Wilson of Spray, North Carolina.
This calcium carbide is the basis of acetylene gas, a powerful illuminant, and it is widely used in metallurgy, for welding and other purposes.
At the same time with these developments the value of the alternating current came to be recognized.

The transformer, an instrument developed on foundations laid by Henry and Faraday, made it possible to transmit electrical energy over great distances with little loss of power.
Alternating currents were transformed by means of this instrument at the source, and were again converted at the point of use to a lower and convenient potential for local distribution and consumption.

The first extensive use of the alternating current was in arc lighting, where the higher potentials could be employed on series lamps.