The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-05-22
DAILY CRESCENT.

p.fexas HYDRO EI.KcrnIc LiaHF.-By the
follo,siar article, which we copy from the Boston
Fo.1 Il vii appesr that Mr.. Payne's discovery Of
lirhi from paief, BY mechanical action, is at last
psriscied. It says,
All his residence, on Tuesday evening. April 2Sd,
MI. Payne eahibIied the operation Of his lnven-
lion 10 3 number Of genilsmen Of Boston and Wor-
eesier, come Of whom have eonsdssaols eLper,snce
h The gas business, and others have taken great
interest in plans and projects, having IN we" the
production of artificial light a. cheaper rates than
Il can be furnished BY The means hitnsrio employed
bv aas manufactures. Mr.. Payne had his house
brilliantly lighted up. although he used only one
small burner fof each room. The light was err
rs-l,jAe,p strong and white, and so pure that the
4nozt delicate shades Of blue and green in some
c5itred prints could be distinctly distinguished al
distance OF several feet from the burner, "a com
fun fas barner.l which was Supplied with gas from
pip4 whose diameter did not exceed one,qnarier
of an inch.
Al the same tine that the light wss being exhib,
lied, the mode Of using the gas ior healing was
also shown. A small jsf Of pure hyefogen, Pc
tween two circular plates Of iron, raised q ieW
inches from The floor, was lighted, and in few
minutes an equal and sMial neat was oiH1se9
throughout The apartment Thus the astonished
psrty had fhe light and heat together, supplied
from i'e sasne spprcs below apu tnelr expIesslons
abaisd when they were led down into the cellar to
examine the exceedingly small machine by which
fi1e gas was made. The box containing il was
about eighteen inches square and eight in depth.
We cannot give the details Of the interior Of the
machine, but will simply state that as its name in
d;cales, il evolves magnetic electricity by purely
mechanical action.
From the above mentioned box there ran fat
copper wires into the decomposng jar, which was
about two feet in height and six or eight inches
in diameter, and partly filed with water in this
jar, BY the action Of the electricity just spoken Of,
pure hydrogen gas was alone formed from the
water, whence it passed into two gasometers or re-
aersoirs, about the size OF barrel each. The pole
at which oxygen gas is liberated, on this occasion
passed into the ground, that hydrogen only was
evolved BY the action Of the machine. The pro
Of carbonizing the hydrogen for illumination is
very cheap, so much so that Mr.. Payne says that
the cost Of carbonizing the gas he has burned in
his house, in three burners, every evening, for
week, has not yet amounted to one cent The n.y.
drogen gas is used fof the general purpose OF light
and heat, and the oxygen can also be secured in
second jar, and may be used with the hydrogen to
produce the . calcium light for lighthouses.
Mr.. Payne has also discovered principle by
which he regulate the quantity Of electricity to
Be discharged into the composing jar. A large
machine has recently been perfected by Mr. Payne
Of sufficient power to supply three thousand burners
with gas; it is set up in the Worcester Exchange,
and only occupies space Of three feet square by
SIX in height
One cubic foot Of water will make Q 100 feet
feet of gas, and weight of 67lbs. falling nine feet
in hour will make, from this large machine, 1000
feet Of gas The apparatus can be applied 10 gas
works Of any kind, and be used with any Of the
gas fixtures at present in fashion,