Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-06
FOUR MILLION DOLLARS SAVED,
What Prof. Henry Did for the Light
House Service.

-Four million dollars is a good deal of money,
and when it can be shown tina. one man saved
to the United States that enormous sum it
cannot fail to be n matter of more than COM
mon interest. There has passed the Senate
and is now in the House a bill to compensate
the heirs of the late Prof. Joseph Henry. for
many years secretary OF the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition. This measure proposes to pay to the
heirs of that distinguished scientist the sum of
5000 in return FOR his having saved the gov
eminent expenditures that would aggregate
s4.OOO,O00. How this saving was effected has
been set forth in a petitions very interesting
document. 1t sets forth that Prof. Henry
served as chairman of the lighthouse board
without compensation from October .. 1852,
until his death. May 8, 1878, twenty-five years
and eight months.
Two series of his experiments. the report
says. which resulted the one in the introduce
ton of lard oil. the other of sperm as an illumi-
Eant. may give some idea of the saving, which,
from 1867 up to the present time, has amounted
to ever 81. 600, 900.
The Oil in use by the lighthouse board was
sperm. Joseph Henry instituted n series of
experiments, which resulted in the demonstra-
ton that while the lard would not mount as
easily to the wicks at a certain temperature, at
a higher temperature the contrary was the
case. He then devised a lamp by which the oil
W. w VIC ldilD llSclI DtIOEc IL was
used by it, which, patented for the govern
ment, introduced the use of lard instead of
sperm into the light houses.
The difference between the price of the oils
was at first over a dollar on every gallon and
very nearly 500, eco Al year. From 1867 to 1889
the number of gallons used was LII, 600, and
the saving to the government, therefore. by
these experiments OF Prof. Henry III, 119, $40.
But tins Is not all.
STILL CHEAPER OIL.
The use of lard oil by the light houses
raised the price, a cheaper luminant was re-
CURED and Il new series OF experiments were
undertaken by Prof. Henry with mineral
oils. which had been considered too dangerous
TO be employed i'll the light house service.
The first difficulty was with the lamp. but
there were many other questions to be settled.
such as the flashing test, the fire test. the
freezing test, at which it should remain limpid
at zero. DC. The experiments were successful.
hut they were the last made by Prof.
Henry through a cold taken in the course of
them. and the fatigue of them. he contracted
the disease of which lie died.
The saving effected was 81. 739. 702. Sc: d to
tins the saving ON the lard oil, 81, 1l9, $40; total,
S3.Sj9, 2IZ. SO.
Last year $4,000 gallons OF sperm were used;
not less will be employed this year. Prof.
Hcnrys experiments are therefore saving TO
the government this very year over $40, 900.
and before the year has closed the saving from
1867 VIII amount to over s4,O00,000.
THE RESULTS.
The adoption of the mineral oil as an illumi-
nant has made it possible to use a burner which
can continue lighted for three, five and even
eight days and nights without filling. trimming
or attention of any kind. Such burners have
been made and many of them attached to pier
heads. to piles and to isolated beacons, mac
cessiblo in heavy weather. With lard oil these
nights could only have been maintained in light
houses arranged for keepers to live in them, AS
the lard-oIl burners would grow dim and finally
60 out unless trimmed every few hours. The
building of these Ignt houses would cost any,
where from sz5, 600 to $25O. 900 each, and each
such light house would require from three to
five keepers. The three, five or eight day
burner mlneral-oii lights are established at a
cost OF from $50 to $500 each. and one man
with a row beat can attend to rs many as he
can reach i'll his boat.
Thus the adoption of mineral oil as an illu-
minant has made the establishment of isolated
harbor, bay and sound lights inexpensive where
1t was formerly costly. and hence practicable
where they were formerly practically lmpossi-
bic. Many such lights have been established
and many more will be, it is quite evident.
There are some one thousand four hundred
post lights on the western rivers. The estab-
lishInent of these lights has revolutionized
steamboatinS and it has made it as safe for
boats to run by night as by day. Before the
rivers were lighted boats had TO cease running
and anchor or tic up to the banks at night.
These rivers could not have been lighted with
lard oil. This magnificent system of river
lights was born OF Prof. Henry's discovery that
mineral oil could be used for lighthouse illu-
mination and his experiments, which resulted
IN the invention and manufacture in the boards
shops OF lighthouse lamps in which mineral
oil could be burned.