The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1895-05-03
BY A NEW METHOD
MAKING Gas IS WONDERFULLY
siMPLiFiED.
Experiments VITA AcstJiene aud Their
Results s Cas That Everyone Can
Generate on Their Oun Premises ~
fittic Expense.


made at a recent meeting Of the Society
OF Chemical Industry that q powerful
gas could be- manuiac-
tured by a newly discovered method /
at reduction OF nearly one-third OF /
the present cost OF gas should the |
discovery prove az practical ~ claimed /
Il will reyolutionize the manufacture /
OF gas Factories are being erected. /
and u o. expected that gas made By the .
new process will be on sale IN the near |
future. The new illumlnant s. called /
acetylenc. 1t has been known TO the
chemists for years. but the dimculty
OF It's manufacture prevented them
from utilizing IT, n IN the lowest gas
In the aorlcs OF hydrocarbons, and is
uHunlly manufactured by passing u
stream Of hydrogen through a globe In
which the electric air ig produced be-
tween two carbon points. But by this
method the gas Is made In minute
quantities only. and serves merely for
experimental purpoHcs In the lnbora-
tory and lecture room. Il remained
for T. l.. Wllnon 20 discover means
by which the gns could DO produced
In sufficient quantities Tor practical
purposes. Mr. Wilson discovered tho
method by mere accident lie was
working Ia hiB laboratory with an cleo
tic furnace. endcayoring TO form an
alloy Of calcium from some Of IL COM
pounds. when be noticed that mixture
OF powdered lime and anthracite. under
the influence OF the electrical current,
fused down TO heavy scmi-mctnllic
mass. This substance was found not
to be the ono sought. aud Il was thrown
into a bucket Of water. The strange
results which followed It's contact with
the wntor Immediately attracted MIR
Wilson's attention. A gas was given
on whose chief characteristics seemed
TO be It's penetrating and disagrccablo
odor On applying light Mr. Wilson
found that the gas burned freely, with
a smoky but luminous fame. Here
Mr.. Wilson became Interested and Inn
mediately began his investigations
He repeated the experiment. and found
that the mixture he had east into the
bucket was n substance called oaloio
carbide. containing forty parts by
weight OF carbon. Al this point Prof.
Venable, OF the University OF North
Carolina. took up the matter. and II
was there that experiments looking to
the utilization OF ncctylcne as an illu-
minant were FIRST carried out Expert
ments soon proved that pound OF this
caloIc carbide would yield 80 cubic feet
OF acctylone gas. which Immediately
gave II commercial value. and a COM
pany was formed TO manufacture the
gas on a large scale. Prom an cconom-
ic point OF view this gas II OF great
value. for n has been found that II can
be generated In house aA II Is needed
by very simple apparatus This
would undoubtedly be a boon to faml-
lies living In the country. Perhaps the
most remarkable quality OF the gas Is
the fact that Il can be iiquincd by pres
sure, and put In cans that can be tapped
when the gas Is needed. a very simple
device has been arranged by which The
pressure OF the gas will be regulated
while changing from It's llQulncd con-
dltlon, and then pass into the varloua
pipes. Acotylone IL n most powerful
illuminanL II "a dazzling In the
brightness and stcadfastness OF ia
fame. and whom compared with the or
binary coal gas lts superiority Ii Won
derful. the latter appearing dim and
fllekoring There is no dark center to
the flame. as Is the case with the or
binary gas. Tho illumlnant Is some
what peculiar. viewing II from popu-
lar point OF view. In that II gives only
ono-half the heating power OF the or
binary gas. II ls also impossible to use
It In the ordinary burners, for they are
too large, but this apparent fault has
been easily overcome by constructing
burners which admit smaller amount
OF gas. II has been proposed by pro
moters OF the enterprise TO do away
with gas piping through the streets
Cor they say that lamps can be mad
containing the necessary chemicals b,
which the gas can bo generated an,
consumed on the spot. This motho,
may be a solution TO the car-lightinl
problem, to which the elevated and sur
I
face railroad authorities have devoted
considerable attention Of late, Tn
cost OF the gas 80 dependent upon tn
cost OF the carbide, II is said by tn
company which Is about to place IN
carbide on the market that II the sub
stance is sold at $50 ton the gas ca
be furnished at 90 cents per 1000 feet
which will give light equal in amour
to that given by the ordinary llluml
mating gas. or course this would no
represent the actual cost OF the acety
lone. which has not as yet been dc
cldod but the cost Is sure TO be only
small proportion OF the cost OF the OF
binary gas. II has been found tina
when the gas Is passed through a tuh
heated TO rodncss that benzol, the sui
stance which % the foundation OF IN
anlline colors, II produced Even thI
feature alone would serve TO make IN
discovery one OF great value.
TYRANNY OF RED TAPE.