Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-06-25
THE HER AID .
experiments with Headlight Oil.

Ep1ToR OF DUBUQUE TIMES Il
was induced, several months ago, to
undertake some experiments, with
view to determining (for my own
satisfaction, principally the reia-
tive value for illuminating purposes,
as compared with ordinary kerosene,
of the article known as "Headlight"
oil, which is recommended as pos
sessing superior value, and is sold at
much higher price. With your
permission, | will give the readers of
The Times the benefit of what L
learned.
/. | first tested two lots of common
kerosene oil, and subsequently re-
Dewed the experiment with two
other lots of the same. This was
done with lamp holding pint and
a half. and il each case the lamp was
burned without replenishing or
changing the oil, so long as useful
light could be obtained from it. La
three cases the lamp was burned
three evenings, AMI in the fourth
case four evenings. The results, in
hours of light obtained, were respect
lively as follows: 19-184-18-204.
Convenience of use (Which was
principally for writlng) in reality
limited slightly the length of time
during which light was obtained
from the two first lots of oil tested.
2. My tests of Headlight oil-us-
ing for the experiments the same
lamp as in the first insIance-show
the following results First trial,
lamp burned two evenings-15 hours.
Lighted a third evening, but the
flame was too feeble to be useful.
On second trial, the lamp was
burned, during two evenings, 1O4
hours, and having been lighted a
third evening, burned 81 hours. Re-
plenisbing the lamp (from the same
lot of oily, it was burned during two
evenings, fetal of 13 hours. 1t was
lighted q third evening, but the
flame was too feeble to be useful.
Replenisbing it a second time, it
burned the first evening 81 hours.
The second evening it burned 81
hours, when it ceased to furnish a
useful light. The lamp was then
nearly half full of fluid of some sort !;
but it was not of q kind that would
yield light. Trying a third lot OF
oil, the lamp was burned 123 hours
in two evenings. The third even
ing it would not yield useful light.
This was followed by two trials, in
which fair light was obtained a
third evening from the same lamp
full but in each case the burning of
the two preceding evenings extend
ed to only about 10 hours. The ag-
gregate length of time during which,
in each of these two instances, fair
light was obtained, was Is hours.
Two others (and the last) trials,
produced the following results.-the
lamp in each case burning three
evenings: FIRST trial, 16 hours
second trial, 13 hours. In each case
the illuminating power of the oil be-
came substantially exhausted in the
length of time noted. Save in one
instance, it was found that when a
lamp filled with Headlight oil had
burned, during two evenings, as
much as II hours, it would not yield
a flame strong enough to be useful
when lighted third evening. The
best apparent results were obtained
in those cases where the lamp was
burned q third evening, and the
burning continued until the illumin-
ating power of the oil became eX-
hausted.
The various experiments made
seem to prove that for Illuminating
purposes Headlight oil is inferior TO
the best quality of common kerosene,
by about % per cent. 1t was also
found-so far as the various expert
ments made by me could show the
fact-that Headlight oil more COM
monty contains some sort of foreign
matter than does good quality of
oil of the ordinary kind. In two
lots of the former description, large
amount of residum was found, and
III other lots quite as much as is ever
shown by good common oil. If,
~ is claimed for 1t, Headlight oil is
less liable to explode than ordinary
Kerosene, it would seem that the adj
ditlonal safety is secured at the ex-
penso of its Illuminating power.
That ordinary kerosene, when of
good quality, and used with reasona-
BILE prudence. is in any considerable
degree unsafe, | have discovered no
reason for believing. w.