The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-03-24
THE PRESS
SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH "a.
DR.. wELsBAcH's INvENTIoN.
A Gas Burner Which Gives Clear
and Strong Light,
With None of the Objectionable Fea-
lures of Ordinary Burners.

The Welsbach Light which is attracting
the attention of Capitalists and gas consum-
ers in New York and Philadelphia is de-
scribed in the Public Ledger of Philadelphia,
under date of March 18th, 1883, as follows:
The management Of the Welsbach mean
descent Gas Light Company, whose works
are located at Gloucester City, N. j., is rap
idly pushing forward the work of alterations
and repairs to enable the company to com
mence operations in full In the near future.
The Welsbach Company has taken posses
sion of the extensive property formerly oc-
cupied by the Ancona Printing Company,
extending from Mercer street to Essex street,
and from Ellis street to the Delaware river,
having large water front and plenty of
room for any additional buildings that may
be found necessary by the company.
THE BUILDINGS AT GLOUCESTER.
The buildings on the property, which were
used by the Aconia Printing Company in the
manufacture of print goods, are nearly all of
brick, and, with two or three exceptions, are
two lstories high. They comprised what
were known as the smuggling room, bleach
house, gray rooms, winding rooms, ergrav-
ing rooms, shell rooms, print rooms, sketching
department, ageing boxes, steam room, hang
ing rooms, she'll rooms, dye houses, cylinder
rooms, folding and packing Irooms, fire room,
engine room, drug and store rooms, mechani-
cal departments, offices, &c.
The new company have not yet obtained
possession of all the departments, owing to
considerable Of the heavy machinery not
having been removed. The departments
now being used at the WelsbacL Company
are mostly those of the south ana west
wings, and others are being rapidly convert
rrfva aarnfl
for the contemplated increased forces in the
manufacture Of the Welsbach Lamp: ms
industry is an entirely new one In this coun-
try, and the company did not get Things IN
shape to commence work until december 0,
1887, when less than 100 female operatives
were engaged in what is known as the man
lie" factory Since then work has been pro-
crossing faVoraby, although 1t has chiefly
been in the instruction OF the girls IN the del
icate construction of the mantle, which pass
es through II different processes beside the
preparation of the chemicals) before it is
ready TO be placed in the lamp.
WHAT THE BURNER CONSISTS OF.
This burner is the invention of DIR. Carl
Auer Won Welsbach, Professor of Chemistry
in the University of Vienna, man of great
learning and high standing in scientific cir
Giles abroad, who for many years has been
developing the idea which has resulted in
the production of this burner.
Substantially, the burner consists Of cy-
Under of network suspended from wire over
the exit of Bunsen burner. This cylinder
network is made by first weaving cotton into
the shape desired, then soaking it in solu-
ton of the oxides of chromium, lanthanum
thorium, yttrium, or certain other metals,
then attaching the network (Which Is called
a mantle) by a platinum wire, threaded
through one end to vertical wire bent at
the top into a horizontal loop. A flame is
then applied and the cotton entirely burned
out, leaving in its place the oxides of the
metals, which are almost absolutely indes-
tructible by fire, and reproduce, in every de-
tail, the form and texture of the destroyed
cotton The wire supporting this mantle is
then set into a gallery attached to the burn
er, similar sto the gallery of an Argand
burner, and thereby held directly over the
exit of the gas. The gas. as it issues from
the Bunsen burner, burns only with a blue
flame, but impinging directly upon the
mantle, heats it sufficiently to render it in
producing perfectly steady and
clear column of light about three inches high
and about three-fourths of an inch in diam
eter, which may be made almost as white as
daylight, or as yellow as the light of an oil
lamp, as desired. BY the use OF the Bunsen
burner, it is claimed, perfect combustion Of
the gas is obtained, and the vitiation of the
which always accompanies the
present methods of gas lighting, is absolute
ly avoided. While possessing these advan-
tages, it is claimed that the Welsbach burner
dimishes the consumption OF gas one-half
required by the ordinary burner, and that
the same amount of light is obtained.