Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1850-07-12
PAIYE,S ELECTRIC LIGHT,

! PAIYE'S ELECTRIC LIGHT.
4 The newspapers for some months past
have been speculating as TO the merits of
8 MIR. Pane's discovery of manufacturing
. gas from water, but up to this time we re-
smain III doubt as to whether the thing is a
4humbug or not Paine pretends TO laugh
Gin his sleeve at the speculations of the diff
4ierent newspapers on the genuineness of
shis discovery, and he may well afford to
edo so, if he is in earnest. Meantime let
Gus give such evidence on the subject as
4has come out. A committee of highly re-
5spectable citizens Of Worcester have is
Tsued the following statement -
I WORCESTER, June %, 1850.
. We, the Undersigned have witnessed the de-
-composiilon OF water, by MIR Paines magnetic.
electro apparatus, at the Central Exchange. at
public hall (Flagg'sJ and al Mr.. Paine S dwell
Hng-We have seem at various times and yari-
ous places, the water resolved into the gases
under circumstances which precluded entirely
the use oi secret conduits cistcrus. or any other
2agents than the ayowcd one Of electrical action.
and we know that the only portions Of the an
paratus kept secret have been the interior of
!. the helices aud electrodes, both Of which com
solned together, would not contain a quart of
Eany liquid or other material. We have like
fwIse witnessed he construction Of Mr. Paine's
: apparatus, piece by piece, with the exceptions
OF the helIces and eectrodes) and have been in
the habit of calling on him AT all hours Of the
day and witnessing the putting together Of the
apparatus, previous 10 the decomposition of the
water. and, when together, witnessed the de-
composition in glass jars, and have seen the gas
! es ourn directly from the same And we fur
. ther state that the gases have been evolved in
separate Jars, the hydrogen IN one and the OK
1ygen IA the other with out any communication
between either jar, than a thin strip of copper
lSgued III. G. Bates, VI. d.. Thomas Drew
Associate Editor Of Burretts Christian Citizen :
James Newton f. Boyden, Architect; Phineas
2Bail {. Engineer c. c. Chckering Seth 2.
SMiier, NJ. d.. Rev. J. r. Barbour, Stephen
sTracy, NJ. D.; William A Wallace Worces-J
tier Daily Spy Office.
The editor of the Boston Transcript la'
5highly respectable journaD thus gives hisi
Testimony. He does not, however, ap-l
pear full believer yet, because Mr.. Paines
did not show his whole apparatus and Sc
scret TO the company present
On arriving at Worcester we proceeded to-
2
ton Of the city, where we found from twenty to
twenty-five gentlemen, of high character and
fstanding, several of whom were scientific in
their pursuits. We were courteously received
zby Mr.. Paine. The house, which is a small
agcnteel country residence, was lighted with the
snost brilliant gas light We ever beheId, which
Mr. PANE assured the company was has hydro
selectr!c light It gave out a pure. inodorous
Swhite Opaque flame, by which the most delicate
Scolors, blue and green, could be as readily dis
stlngulshcd rs by the light 6f the sun at noon
sday. He then exhibited, ia a basement room
] his gasometer, which was a small sheet iron
1 ayessel ia shape of common pyramid stove.
sstanding III the corner OF the room. on triang-
eular box, which he stated contained his magnets
and electrodes which produced pure hydrogen
sgaS, which he carburetted, and which was seen
burning. This was done by passing pine from
( the gasoneter through the cork of a glass con-
tanning pint Of spirits of turpentine brought !
! by one of the company. where the gas was seen
I TO bubble, and from another pipe through the
same cork was carried to the burner where ltH
4 twas lighted. This simple and compact appara-z
tus, he stated contained the grand secret of his
discovery, the interior of which apparatus offs
scourse was not seen by those present Ifthere
was any deception IN the production Of the gas
IT could not be discovered by any one present i
7Mr +. detached the pipe from the jar, and pro- J
.duced pure hydrogen, which was lighted and
pronounced pure hydrogen by those that knew
il TO be such /
With the New York Dispatch, we cans
.only say we hope the discovery is real i
and honest one. If it should prove to be;
a fact that burning gas can be produced
sirom pure water at a minute cost, thens
Paine will be the berefactor of mankind,
,nstead Of the uncertain person he has been
deemed 10 be for the last ten or dozen
years. Just imagine that we can burn
,cold water for our steamboats,, and rail
roads, and factories, &c. instead of fuel,
land the importance of this discovery will
be understood at once. 4