The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-24
THE NEW ILLUMTNANT.
some Facts About AcetyIene--A ;'Day
Load" for Electric Light Plants.


Load" for Electric Light Plants.
From the New York Tribune
The recent discovery by an American
of cheap way Of producing acetylene
which has a higher Illuminating power
than any Of the other gaseous combina-
! lions Of hydrogen and carbon, has crea-
ted more Of sensation on the other side
Of the Atlantic than IT has in this coun-
try A paper on the subject, presented
to the London Society Of Arts a few
weeks ago. by Prof Vivian B. Lewes, who
/ is widely known as an authority on the
/ chemistry Of fame has attracted much
/ attention. 1t is a curious fact that gas
of certain quality will produce less
light. if used directly as an illuminant.
with the best sort Of burner, than II
converted into electricity by means Of a
gas engine and dynamo. Now. however.
we are confronted by a new phenome-
non, directly reversing the situation. A
1 given amount of electricity viii Weld
I less light In the proportion Of % to A. If
/ sent into the fiilament of the incandes
I cent burner, than II employed in an cleo
/ trio furnace to manufacture the new ma
] r-'--- NA'ANA A@e+2 be'AA Aiu4E 10 evolve
I acetylenel
Wilson's discovery was accidental. He
/ was really trying to accomplish some
/ thing quite different from the cheapening
| Of gaslight. He had undertaken experi-
/ ments for the purpose of forming an
/ alloy Of calcium. the metal which CON
sututes the base of lime and chalk At
| the temperature Of the electric arch he
| had melted some lime and powdered coal
| together. The result disappointed him.
| ana the semi-matallic product was
! dumped into bucket Of water Instant
! ~ the liquid effervesced. betraying the
/ development of gas which, by it's strong
/ and characteristic odor as well as by its
| combustion when a match was applied
/ gave indications of its nature The dis
/ coverer's perfected process of making
/ calcium carbide calls for the mixture
in the form of powder, of 40 parts by
| weight Of lime or chalk and "a of char
/ coal, coke, anthracite or graphite When
/ water is poured upon the product, says
| Prof. Lewes, a double decomposition and
/ reconciliation take place The LIQUID is
| resolved into its constituent elements.
/ the oxygen seizing upon the calcium, and
] forming calcic oxide, or lime again and
/ the hydrogen uniting with the carbon
\ IN the right proportion to produce acct
/ ylene. Among the other hydrocarbons
/ there is none approaching this in illumi-
mating power. Thus. methane whose COM
| position is carbon 1 part and hydrogen A.
| gives a light OF SO candles when burned
! at the rate of five cubic fet an hour;
| ethane, whose symbol is CO II6, 357 can
! dies; propane, CO IFS. 567 ethylene, CT
/ H4 20; butylene, CA HIS, 1913; while acety-
/ lene, CO H2, is rated at 2i0 candle-power!
/ This last gas, consumed, has an odor like
| garlic, and is unwholesome, not to say
/ poisonous, If taken into the lungs; but
/ the product of its combustion is virtually
/ the same in character as that of ordinary
1 coal or water gas, although perhaps not
\ so abundant. In fact, Prof. Lewes ex-
! pressed the belief some time ago that the
/ other hydrocarbons in a gas flame were
! always transformed into acetylene before
/ any great amount of light was produced
so that we have this particular hydro
carbon burning in every gas jet already.
| If pure, acetylene yields the most light
| when used with burners giving a small fat
| flame. The Argand does not produce
| quite as good results. But gasmakers
/ have long been accustomed to make a Gas
/ of rather low illuminating power. and
| then to enrich it by the addition of a sep
| arate hydrocarbon of better quality. This
/ matter of enrichment has been the subject
/ of much study, and in the discussion which
/ followed the reading of Prof. Lewe's pa
/ per II was the possible value of acetylene
in combination with the product of the or
1 binary gas plant which provoked the most
/ Inquiry. That distinguished expert point
! ed out. in reply thereto, that acetylene
/ was not available for the Improvement of
I water gas, but was admirably suited TO
/ that Of coal gas He also declared that if
mixed with the latter IL would not there
| after separate therefrom while stored or
flowing through pipes, but would form
stable compound.
A suggestion of much commercial i'm
/ pOrtance made in this connection is that
electric-lighting plants shall undertake
/ the manufacture of calcium carbide. in
| the interest of their stockholders. 1t is a
notorious fact that when any steam plant
| is operated only about four or five hours
/ out Of the twenty-fOur its output costs
more per horsepower than when the en-
gines are run steadily day and night
| Hence, enterprising managers of cleo
/ trio light companies are hunting for "a
day load Here and there, for this very
! purpose. they sell electricity for cooking
and household heating at half rates, and
! keep on hand the necessary apparatus
! therefor, to be rented out to consumers to
facilitate the development of such bust
ness. If a market could be found for Mr.
Wilson's product, another use would be
provided for these plants during idle
1 hours and the cost of electric lighting
would thereby be reduced.
! This raises the question of the probable
cost of calcium carbide Dr. Henry Nor
ton, of Stevens Institute, and other in
! NtsuEdNOFS ueCidIG lnaL TINS material can
be produced at a cost ranging from sis
TO $40 a ton Doubts are expressed on this
point by a few American and foreign
technical periodicals. But should the es-
Inmates prove correct, acetylene may find
wide use, not merely in isolated country
houses, but also in large cities. so long as
gas lighting remains In vogue.
jail Warden: I am beginning to think
lhat perhaps that IelloW isn't murderer
at all.
Assistant: On what do you base your
belief?
Jail Warden: Why, there hasn't been
! single bouquet sent him since his arr
rest-Judge.
"A jolly Fellow-Wife: Why do the
jolly fellow?
Husband; Because DE Us always pleas
ant and good-tempered; he Us very Ohlig-
ing, spends money freelv. and neglecta
MS family TO a shameful cxtent.-Mons.
Calpe.