Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1850-12-27
From the Christian Citizen.
THE PAINE LEG HT.

We nave been frequently asked of late, "Wha
about the Paine light?" This question has come
to us across the great Atlantic, from many per-
sons in Europe interested in, this wonderful dis
covery; and it has been put to us in writing BY
friends dwelling far away within the borders O.
! this land We mean to answer those questions
now The storm of envious defamation, detrac.
ton, and gratuitous vituperation, which so sud.
denly sprung up on the announcement of Mr.
Paine's discovery, did, as is well known as sud-
denly cease. The energy of that conmoton
soon exhausted itself, leaving the validity of Mr.
Paine's claims as an inventor untouched and not
in the least damaging that gentleman's reputa-
ton, or disturbing the confidence of those init
mately acquainted with his discovery During
the lpIl which has succeeded Mr.. Paine's part
ners have been actively engaged in securing pa
tent rights in Europe and at home; and as that
-protracted process of protection TO inventors
draws to its legitimate end, the necessity for Sc
crecy somewhat le,axes, and Mr.. Paine finds
himselfat liberyto explain more fully the char
acter of his grand invention.
We had the honor of visiting Gr. Paine's la
boratory few days since; and with hischarac-
terstic urbanity and unequiyocal candor that
gentleman showed and explained to US every at
| tribute and operation of this discovery, which has
stirred the ire, wonder and distrust of the whole
world. Mr.. Paine does not profess or claim to
have made any original discovery. He modest
ly repudiates such an assumption. Water has
been decomposed by electricity before he did so,
he says; and hydrogen gas has been carburret-
ted and burned. But he claims to have found
mode of decomposng an infinite amount Of hy-
drogen, and of rendering it infiammable at almost
nominal expense.
We are certain that Mr. Paine is able to do
what he processes. We have examined a model
machine in his laboratory and we have satsf-
ed oursef that it was an isolated machine, having
not the most distant connection with those mys-
ferrous pipes and gas conductors, that one '.Sci-
ence'' and other knowing ones, conceived to be
in the deep bottom of his cellar buried We
have examined the conductors, which were led
from this machine to the gas generator, miners
ed in transparent jar Of water and we are GER
tain that they were just solid stripes of copper,
and nothing more or IS. By our own hand we
set the electrical machine in operation; and the
electricity thus produced, being conducted to the
generating vessel in the water jar, and escaping
in regular pulsations, abundanty detached by
hydrogen gas from the water, which rose IN bub-
bes to the surface, and then filled the vacuum
left in the jar. The hydrogen gas passed then
into brass tube, leading to the carburetting yes
sci, thence into the pipe at the end of which it
was consumed. We lighted the gas, and so
long as we kept the machine in motion, it burnt
with clear, steady flame when we ceased to
operate, the flame fiickered and died. These
are mere general facts which we cou'd support,
if that were necessary, by the cearest analysis of
the whole process. We could describe in detail
the simple machine, and our explanations would
convince any tolerabe mechanic ard chemist
that the discovery must be genuine. In few
short weeks, however, the light wilshow forth
its.own glory, and dispel the temporary darkness
that, for sufficient reasons at present shrouds it.
Mr. Paine is engaged in completing a splen-
did machine, which is to be exhibited at the great
Worlds Exposition in 1851, We trust that this
eminent and most interchangeable mechanic will
there be crowned with the laurel which we be-
lieve he deserves to wear. J. B. s.