Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-12-03
Carburetted Hydrogen.

CarDuretted hyuroSehs
| MEssRs. EDITORS was some years ago led
| to inquire what was the cause of the blue flame
Immediately around gas burner, and at first
supposed that it was owing to the impurity of
| the gas but experiment led me to different
conclusion. Remembering the wellknown phe-
nomenon, that in soldering any article Of jew
elry, the white fame of candle was, on the
application Of the blow-pipe, converted into
blue light similar to the flame of alcohol, it led
me to make the following experiments: pro-
cured a common hogs bladder, and after ex-
pelng all the air, tied the open end over a
COR mon gas burner, and inflated it with gas
| carefully removing it, inserted burner into
the open end, and tied it securely. Putting 1t
under my arm, the results were these: with a
moderate pressure of the arm | obtained the
usual light, but on increasing the pressure to
certain extent, | was surprised to find that, IN
stead of obtaining more light, the gas burned
with perfectly blue flame, and the room which
was in the first place Illuminated, suddenly be-
came quite dark, although it is evident that
with the increase Of pressure there was an In
creased consumption of gas. | also found that
the heat was in the first case moderate, and in
the second very intense, so much so that 1t
readily melted gold and silver. Initiating the
bladder again, as before, with the exception OF
adding about one-fourth common air, found
it to burn with the blue flame, but could not
produce the white light, however might vary
the pressure, but as before, it produced very
| intense heat.
Recently have made some experiments
| with what might be called the sieve burner,
| now frequently met with in restaurants, where
it has taken the place of alcohol, heretofore
used for keeping dishes hot, for which purpose,
as we'll as many others, it is really a very ez
cellent as well as economical article. COL
structed one very cheaply by drawing some lin
brass wire gauze over the mouth of a commo
pint tin cup and making hole in the bottoi
sufficiently large to fit tightly over gas burnes
placed it over the burner, turned on the ga
and lighted it, when l found it to burn with
blue flame, not distinguishable from that Of e
cohol. Putting cup containing pint OF W.
ter over it, | found it to boil it in Il minute
with consumption of As feet of gas. Taking
off the water as well as the sieve burner, with
out touching the stop-cock, / lit the ordinary
burner, and placing the same cup, with the
same quantity Of water as before found it to
boil in 62 minutes. | subseq aht.T tried the
| sieve burner over again, at ng on the
whole head, the gas first issuing as before
through a common four feet burner, and then
| through the sieve. In this case the water
boiled in ten minutes, and ! have no doubt
that with properly arranged apparatus (mine
being very imperfect) the same quantity of
water can be made to boil in five or six min
utes. This great disparity between the heating
| qualities of the two burners, | believe to be
partly owing to the lampback which always
forms under the vessel over the usual white
light but which is entirely absent when using
the sieve burner. Lamp-black, as is well
known is bad conductor of heat, and by its
presence prevents the heat from penetrating
to the fluid; yet l do not think that is the en-.
tire cause. 1t appears to me to be owing to
the converting OF light into heat as the sieve
burner as well as my other experiments ap-
pear to do and this in spite Of the well-known
law that light and heat are two separate and
distinct elements, yet my experiments with the
bladder would appear to warrant the conclu-
sion that each is convertible into the other for
with very light mechanical pressure obtain
ed, what you might call all light, and with
strong pressure, all heat; yet neither the one
nor the other were what could be called abso-
lutely disconnected from the other From my
first experiment / was led to very important
practical conclusions they are these, that the
gas company can, by increasing the mechanical
pressure, force you to consume more gas al
though with the increase there is no increase Of
light and as it is for the light you want it, it is
evident you are paying for thing for which
you get no equivaent-at least not the kind of
equivalent you want; and it is to their interest
that your bills are large, although they furnish
you with the quantity of gas they charge you
for, as they can make large quantity at a
much cheaper rate than a small one. This
fact is well illustrated in our city. The North
ern Liberties Gas Company cannot afford to
sell their gas for less than So per 1000 feet
whereas the City Gas Company charge 81;
this company has about four times the consul
mers that the Northern Liberties has, yet one
makes about the same profit as the other
Also they can, if they choose, adulterate
also endeavored to catalyze the gas, by passing
it through spirits of turpentine, with view of
improving the whiteness of the light, but with.
out success.
JOHN +. MASCHER.
Pun ,nEI puIA Nor ol lSl2