The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-18
GAS MADE OF PURE WATER.
A MaRTELLOUS DTSCOTERT THAT EN-
GIGEy SOME CiPITILISTS.
Artificial illumination Produced ut n Very
Trih,ng COSTA Wonderful Motive Power
Incidentally yDiscovered-savnnts' Opinions


that he has discovered how to make iluminat-
ing gas out of water. Mt Il trifing cost A num-
hcr OF capitalists Of whom Mr.. Jordan l.. Mott
is n fair representative as to business sagaci'y.
lmvc become Interested in tho matter. and suf-
fcient money has been invested to build an ex-
pcrimental machine. Some OF the more SAN
suino believe that the invention is bound to
rcvolutionize gas-makng. and provide now
motive power.
Mr. Winter IL a practical man" says one Of
tho gentlemen concerned in the enterprise;
that is he knows how to manage levers.
gauges, and boiler. without understanding
anything about the philosophy of steam
power. He IL. however. of very quick per-
ccptions. and SO. when something very
strange occurred. IA he was experimenting
on an invention. he realized that he had
made discovery. He thought that If this
discovery did not eludc him as suddenly as it
had revealed itself. he had something that
would prove Of great value. The expert
mcnts that he was making were at once
given up. and he bent his whole attcn
ton to capturing his discovery so that he
could handle II. He Is u Western man.
an engineer. and possessed of only such chcmi-
cal knowledge rs he has been able TO pick up.
The experiments that he was giving his timo to
when hc made his discovery were on water
meter. which was to be a great improvement
over those now used for measuring the con
sumption of gas. and it was in the manpula-
tion OF the water. and some of the forces brought
to bear on it. that he saw what suggested how
TO turn water into an Illuminating gas. lie
worked out the plans which his discovery sug-
cestcd. His whole time was devoted To it, and
| he showed all the absorption and energy OF an
enthusiast. People who saw him were in
/ al, T., ep,ilp Cenppinlly when they OBJ
| served that he used an old kitchen kotile.
punched full Of holes. in his experiments
| when he placed a lighted match AZ one of the
holes in the kettle. a blush flame fastened tseli
| To the aperture Then those who had wair ed
him smiled no more. hut spread the report thnt
| he had really converted water into iilumln1tin
! gas. He perfected his MACHINE, carbCcnatel ne
gas. and obtained a brilliant let, CAP .aiis,1
| heard of IT, and called on him. One mon"yrd
man was so far satisfied that he was willing -
invest largely. provided he could oe convinced
| that there was no trick. such ms the use ot
chemicals He put to Winter questions relat-
| ing To- the chemistry and philosophy OF thrs'p.
erntion. | don't know anything about that. |
| only know that this machine Will do I, wast ne
reply. and he freely showed the machine Inc
water that ne knew could not have been chem.
i icay prepared. and then generated gas OF
ists were induced TO look at the machine. and
| so well satisfied were they that they required
only the testimony OF experts tha' there was no
"Somethinc important happened while all
| this was going on. While periectlng machine.
Winter narrowly escaped being blown to pieces.
The little iron box exploded. Investigation fol-
lowed, and he became satisfied tnat MS box WA,
capable Of an lmmense powGiT in,o ana q
thought that the gas property might be a com
paratively insignificant consideration AZ the
might be- another keely motor dslusion. But
Winter apparently concealed nothing, except
snTy as 10 oaI prevent Others reaching the
once .rst To those WHOM, ne rists ne nus
opened the box and allowed them G to see ,l.s us'
and are positive that no electricity is used. tn,
small machine that is now finished was illlet
with few mounds Of water. and in fifteen sec
onds n power equal TO a pressur" OF 25O pounds
TO the square inch was generated. gaug'
Operation are Vicc-President Reed of the New
York. New Haven and Hartford Railroad Mr.
as far as il may be made of use in ralroa,
operations. He was intensely Interested IN IN
machine. There was no DOUBT tnat great powe
WAS generated. and he remarked tnht II II was
genuine thing, and could be applied. II woul'
be worth $4,000 900 to the company that he rep
resented. He proposes to be present at com
ing experiment with the machine that Is TO h
made in the presence OF experts. ana where ih'
most searching examination Is ihVllru, i ~ ~
project has so far progressed that "a propostoi
to place IL in mnnuiactOry IN Fourteenth
street. to furnish both power and lllumination
will probably soon be acted on. lhcrr. o
course remains suspicion in the minds oi thos
who propose to invest in H. and yet. 50 iuil'
have ihnv ayailed themselves Of the opportuni
tirs 10 examine IT, THAI they cannot Sec wher
there can be- any fraud. ltwas Iroposedt to civ
an open exhibition weeks ago, hut It WAS de
, cldcd to first build a large nia'iin". c"phbl, %
furnishing great power and resistance. MI
Winter was provided with secluded place II
Brooklyn. very near Fulton ferry. and has n
large machine now nearly completed that IN
. experiments will be very soon made
The machine is described as consisting q
two iron boxes one containing water 10 u
pumped into the other. wnlch II the instrunen
that releases The oXygSn ,,,cl nnd hE nyGroSg n =,
Knows excepting Mr.. Winter and the few ear
talists who are Interested in 1t but the internH
machinery Is very annie alI n9Egs ,iiig us.
| To- hauprn after the conversion ot the water nj
gas that is a mystery-the chemical relations {
oxygen and hydrogen in water. two volume. Z
D oxygen to one OF hydrogen, are edlsiurnrd. IN
, | volume Of oxygen seems t. be l.ss"nri. anu {
hydrogen moi Increased. What becomes of TIA
. Prof. II. Osirn Dorcmus who has twice bee
in the room whore the apparatus is Kept, sul
= last evening that ne had not yet been shown ti
Y little Joker" >" but that he had been promise
= an opportunity in q few DAYS for thorough e'
tho exact whereabouts Of the room IN Brooklyl
= near the Fulton ferry. where the new IN
p nlinatinG gas Is being made hnt ne rrirrre
: the reporter TO a capitalist VINO has invested
the enterprise for information. When asko
,, whether the gas that he saw burning hqd IN
II illuminating power the Professors reply VI
Il that. Of course, the burning Of oxygen and J.
" drogcu gave very little Illumination, hut ihnt
1t could be- made sorviceany Ilinmnet NJ
= blowing II through ghSnline. me captAltt r
. icrred 10 says that the Professor il dlsbeliev
II because he has not seen III" operation.
t A scientific man. who had not seen tho a
- pafatls. but to whom the subject was moou
% last evening. said with impationcc: This
IS the thOusandth time that somebody has con
forward with an assurance that he could man
n facturc Illuminating gas from water. | dol
If say that our Brooklyn irirnd hasn't donH II.
- say merely that ii he has he has don" a very r
N markabic thing. and appears in corner 81 q
Is horizon that - bright with cons pl"Gous iallur'
q Lei me show You the difficulty of whHt he und
It takes to do. II jet of oxygen and Jet Of hvdr
gen are united and srt fire to, inside of lon- tu
J. as large or larger than X rros"nc lamp chlmn'
II and open at both ends. the cool inside suria
% will soon he covered with condensed N1pOr.
= product of the flame. II you place cup t
ri meath the lower end of the tube. to catch q
r drippings you will hr able to mn II in time vi
# pufe water Now comes in our l}rouklln !
It ventor who catches NJ the cup ana SAYS: lie
4 is what want. Hero Is some Wut"r II rs con
ir posed of oxygen and hydrogen the very thin
Ie | need to produce n flame. Water H. ms che
1t as dirt and with it we can illuminate III" worl
Il Thon all those good people who have nny
ot given special attention TO chemistry say; II
y. Sounds reasonable. We know that water IS col
10 posed of oxygen and hydrogen. ana Il
n these are the very gases needed to produce
ly nnme' They forget that this very water Il
- Itself been produced hy burning the EnS's'
III thnt il there had never been any 'omhlSll'h
ut oxygen and hydrogen, there Woudh nn a
le wntrr on the globe. II our glass tun" l1d p'
va hot The water would mol have boon coudrnH