Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-07-06
PAINE's NEW LIGHT

our use by Dame Nature. MIR. Paine claims
to be able to produce hydrogen gas from
water by magneto-electricity, and after
wards to carbonise it by passing it through |
turpentine, thus producing the carbureted |
| hydrogen. Both these discoveries were,
unfortunately for him, made some twenty
years ago. The only thing that remains is
his assertion Of being able to produce the
gas IN much larger quantities than has
hitherto been done, and at an expense
scarcely worth mentioning. Whether he
can do SO, he has not yet demonstrated
We do not apprehend rnuch danger of our
coal dealers being driven out OF market or
the colleries being closed much less the
fine Susquehanna salmon being boiled in
their shady hiding places, when Mr.. Paine
sets the river on fire.
A scientific gentleman who has lately
made visit 10 Worcester, Mr. Paine's resi-
dence, for the purpose of investigating the
new process, has written long letter on
the subject, to the Evening Bulletin, from
which we make the following extract:
On arriving here yesterday my first inquiry
,, was for Mr. Paine, but | was informed that
he had left the previous night for New York.
| soon, however, made the acquaintance Of
!, MIR. j. C., Pedrick, of Boston, the present pro-
prietor of the invention, TO whom | am in
dcbted for much poiteuess. He offered to
accoTpan me 10 Mr. Paine's house 10 show
me what had been done there, and we set
of without delay, the house being on the out
skirts of the city. On our way we were met
by Mrs. Paine and brother of Henry NJ
Paine, who, on learning our errand, politely
consented TO our visiting the house, and pass
ed OH. At the house we found no grown
person except a servant. The first thing |
observed, was a gasometer in a cistern at the
side of the house, with pipes passing from it
through the wooden wall Passing in, we
C found in the basement room adjoining the
:, gasometer, the whole apparatus for lighting
" the house. 1t consists of an enclosed wooden
lie box for base, about foot in depth and two
'e or more in diameter, within which are said
to be the mysterious agents of the machine.
On the top of this stood closed tin cylindr-
:. cal vessel, about ten inches in diameter and
# two and half feet high into which passed
10 the negative pole Of the magnetic apparatus
underneath. This tin vessel is said TO con-
> tain the water, from which by the action OF
=" this negative pole, the hydrogen is obtained'
= the oxygen passing off. From this vessel
l. the gas is received into the gasometer out
side, and thence, after being passed through
o spirits of urpentine, is distributed through
the pipes in the house. This is the whole of
the visible portion of the apparatus for sup
d plying the house
n While examining this, and expecting 10
e see the gas burned, Mr.. Paine's brother.
e whom we had met on the way, returned
| hastily 10 say that during visit of some gen.
tlemen from Boston, in the morning, a leak
had occurred in one of the pipes near the
gasometer, which caused all the gas TO es-
cape, so that it would be impossible TO show
>, the burning. This was disappointment,
but proposed having the leak mended aud
> new gas made, as the process was said to be
e very simple, and TO require only the turning
of crank. But it was considered best not
TO meddle with it in Mr.. Paine's absence,
V and lost the sight of the burning. We tried
. one of the burners, in the hope that some gas
might remain, but with no success. There
. was attached 10 the apparatus a separate
glass vessel containing spirits of turpentine,
so as TO show the process of "carbonzing"
J the hydrogen TO those who are sceptical on
'f this point. By deachng the pipe before it
It reaches the vessel a Jet of gas is obtained
e which buns, as was told, with bluish
flame, being pure hydrogen. After passing
through The turpentine, it burns with a white
light. The burning of this gas in Mr.. Paine's
rs house has been witnessed by thousands of
= people, and all say that the light is much su-
S. perior to the ordinary gas. Whether it is
r made solely from water and electricity, is
J. what nobody knows but MIR. Paine,
e was next shown the apparatus made by
y Mr. Paine for exhibiting his discovery TO the
citizens of Worcester which is erected in
room in the Exchange building, 1t is a
complicated machine, resting upon cast
y iron tripod, consisting of certain contrivances
l. of brass or other metals, which | was told
St are the Ghelces1 and eelectrodes' that con-
v stute the essence of Mr.. Painc's discovery.
n | was not allowed 10 touch them, and they
were not explained TO me in any way. They
are placed above the magnets, and are acted
upon bya weight of brass, which is suspended
above the instrument, aud is wound up like
, the weights of clock. ! did not see this in
II operation, from the fact of It's having been
out 0! order, some scamps having, it is said,
broken into the room one night and injured
the machine. The only part of the apparatus
Is which appeared 10 me % be seriously dam
y aged, was conlrivance called "goyernor,"
he attached TO the wires to carry of any surplus
re electricity that might be developed acting