Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-25
SCIENTIFIC STRIDES.
lncandescent Electric Lamps Meet
With a Formidable Rival.
WRINKLES OF THE INVENTORS.
They Find New Combinations Of the Metals
and Chemicals.
THE OLD METHODS GREATLY IMPROVED

The incandescent electric light which i,
now becoming SO common in our public
buildings, has formidable rival in the i'm
proved Welsbach incandescent gas light
This new method of burning gas was intro
duced from Germany about ten years ago
but, owing to certain defects, it did not
meet with popular approval. All diff
culties have now been surmounted, and the
| system is being introduced by the Incandes-
cent Gas Light Company, of Westminster.
The lamp comprises special form OF
Bunsen burner-which can be readily at
tached to any existing gas ftting-in the
blue flame from which is supported a mantle
of zirconia, one of the most refractory
oxides known to chemistry. This mantle,
which looks like delicate finger-stall made
OF woven material, is brought under the
intense heat of the fame into an incan-
descent state, and gives out o powerful and
perfectly steady light of the same quality
as that afforded by its electric rival The
gas consumed is considerably less than that
used by the common bat's-wing burner, while
the light is increased three or four fold.
The lamp is also available with cheap gas
made from benzoline and other HYDRO
carbons in the portable machines which are
now in use in isolated districts where
public gas works are unknown.
An Improvement. in Lubricants.
An improvement in the preparation of
lubricants is described by Krause, a Ger
man chemist. The soap formed by treating
wool grease with alkaline I've is dissolved
IN water and filtered, and to this solution
of alum or other alumina salt is added, the
result being the formation of a brown pre-
cipitate, and this is called aluminum-lano-
late. With this substance, when dried,
lubricating oils of any degree of viscosity
desired may be produced by dissolving it in
any fluid mineral oil. 1t is also found that.
If dissolved in a small quantity of mineral
oil, gelatinous substance is obtained which
may with considerable advantage be mixed,
in suitable proportions, with India rubber
or gutta-percha. Solvents for India rubber
are said to be also solvents for aluminium
1anolate. Tn textile industries this sub
stance may be used as securing agent.
To Detect All1aIi in Water.
One of the few names in practical en-
gineering chemistry is that of paranitro-
phenol and it may vet play On important
part in a certain speciality. AS is we'll
known, water containing magnesium
chloride is injurious to boilers, as the salt
associates with the production of hydro
chloric acid which attacks the plates and
though, in large installations, where sys-
tematic publication of the feed water can
be adopted, this evil is preventable, in
most cases the treatment in vogue consists
in adding caustic soda to keep the contents
of the boiler alkaline; an excess of the soda,
however, is wasteful, as we'll as otherwise
and it becomes desira-
BILE to ascertain readily when the
water in the boiler ceases to contain
alkali and needs further supply. Dr..
Goldberg has found that the sodium salt of
is entirely unaffected by
the salts commonly present in feed waters
the claim being that it is possible, by in
Producing sufficient quantity into the
boiler, to Judge of the alkalinity or acidity
of its contents at any given momeut by
glass and allowing it to refill. To give a
distinct yellow color-the evidence Of
the water, SO that it may be
seen in the small quantity of water In the
gauge glass, about thirty to fifty grammes
per cubic meter are requisite. 1t Is re-
marked that, though the high price of the
article is bar to it's general use at present,
still, as its successful application is not
dependent on its purity, q crude variety
could doubtless be produced much more
,heaply.
Nickel and Carbon VIII Combine.
A short time ago Messrs. Mondand Frinc- |
zee discovered that nickol combines with |
,arbon monoxide to form q nickel-carbon
,xide, which promises to be useful in con-
lection with the development Of nickel |
,lSting. At that time,, however, the in \
,estigators failed to obtain any similar
ompound of carbon monoxide with another
METAL, and, considering 1t remarkable that
lickel should be the only metal capable Of
ntering into combination with this particu-
ar gas, they persisted in their experiments,
nore especially with iron, under very varied
ondtions they succeeded at last In demon
trating the fact that iron is volatilizable,
Though apparently in very small quantities,
q o current of carbonic oxide. This result
-as communicated to the Chemical Society,"
nd published in its official proceedings, the
acts being, in brief, that some finely divided
.on was yolatilized in current of carbonic
xide at ordinary temperatures, and that the
eposits from this process, give all the
nown reactions of iron in remarkably
rilliant colors. Further researches are ex-
ected to establish the conditions under
hich such action can take place.
Details of Australia's Crest Dam.
Official details of the great dam at Beeta-
70, Australia, correct some OF the previ-
nsly published statements and figures, and
lie immensity of such a piece of engineer
lg work may we'll challenge comparison
ith anything of the kind in that part of the
orld. The structure is of concrete, 10
et high from the bed of the creek TO the
Up of the dam, and $50 feet long, being
rived in plan to radius of about 1 400
ct; the width of the top is IA feet, the
rofile of the section being designed in ac-
,rdance with Rankine's rules, and the
idth of the section at the foundation is
% feet; the crest of the by-wash, which is
% feet wide, is feet below the crest Of the
I'm; and the reservoir behind the dam at
S full ~ miles long, with an average
idth of chains The capacity, under