The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-01-02
LIGHT RESEMBLING THE SUN
DISCOVERY OF THE
WONDERFUL ILLUMINANT
ACETYLENE.
Of PRACTICAL VALUE and RIVAL OF
The Electric Light, and Which Can Be
Made at Little Cost-Its Manufacture
and Chemical Components-Gas
Companies Have the Rights.

Experts say that the most wonderful
illuminant yet invented has come from
the accidental discovery of a gas from
acetylene, heretofore vaguely known as
chemical compound existing in small
quantities and susceptible of but limited
manufacture, says the New York Her
aid. T.. l.. Wilson was trying to manu-
facture cheap aluminium down at his
works in the little town of Spray, in
North Carolina. He conceived the idea
of decomposing lime and separating the
metal calcium into contract with ordinary
aluminium, or clay, by fusing them to-
gether under the influence of the heat
of the electric arc.
In order to separate the calcium, then,
from lime, Mr.. Wilson one day in the
course of his experiments brought to-
gether burnt lime and finely divided or
powdered carbon, in the form of coke
dust. He used certain proportions of
each and put the mixture between the
poles of an electric arc. Intense heat
resulted and the mixture was melted
down. Instead of finding in his furnace
after it had cooled off, the metal calcium
of which he had been in search, he dis
covered O hundred or two pounds of a
brown crystalline compound.
Doubtless Mr.. Wilson was disappointed
and this Stag this refuse from an unsuc-
cessful experiment, Was cast aside. But
for an accident it might have remained
in the refuse heap forever. Chance. in
the shape, perhaps, of a slovenly office
boy or careless house cleaner, threw
some water on this mass of brown Stag.
1t may have been Mr.. Wilson himself
who hurled away the dregs of his drink
ing cup. AT all events he was present
when a wonderful thing happened. As
soon as the water touched the brown
mass Mr.. Wilson saw, with intense inter
est. that it began to fuse and splutter
and crumble, evolving all the while a
gas whose properties he became immedi-
ately anxious to investigate. A
chemical analysis of the gas disclosed
! the fact that it was acetylene. match
applied to it generated at once brilliant
| white light, so intense and powerful as
to dim the electric arcs near by and al
most to ,scorch the eye.
Nature had been once more at work in
her laboratory and for the benefit of man.
| Chemical analysis of this brown mass
found in the furnace the Stag or residum
| showed it to be not a mixture, as Mr.
Wilson had supposed, of metallic calcium
and undecompOsed lime and carbon, but
positive new chemical and compound OF
| calcium and carbon, expressed in the
| formula of Ca.2, CO. The oxides of the
calcium had passed off as carbon monox
ide, leaving the new product, calcium car
bide. That was the brown Stag.
But what marvel of science took place
when the water was accidentally thrown
on the mass of calcium carbide! The
water was instantly decomposed, the cal
| cium was released from it's union with
the carbon and reconverted into ordinary
lime. The calcium carbide having thus
lost it's its calcium, the carbon remaining
was at once snapped up by the hydrogen
of water, which is, of course, a compound
of hydrogen and oxygen. The new COM
pound of hydrogen and carbon was none
| other than this wonderful acetylene gas
whose chemical formula, CT, H., lndl,
! Gates equal proportions OF carbon ana
hydrogen. The exact results OF the whole
operation, conducted by nature, IN the
presence of wondering man, showed also
| that the contact of water ana the Drown
mass would always produce a positive
percentage of the new acetylene gas,
which contains 2.5 of carbon and 10 OF
hydrogen. ,rso,
The light that resulted almost blinded
the eyes of the observers, but 1t didn,
blind their intellectual vision. They, real,
| lied in an instant what q marvel famed
| before Them
I found DR.. J. ]. Suckert, an expert in
chemistry and physics, at the offices OF
Cowen, Dickcrson & Brown yesterday.
| "Acetylene gas" he said, represents IN
itself the essence of all light. All lilum-
mating compounds, whether gas or IL
| Eliminating oil, can not evolve light WIN
out first having burnt off sufhclent hydro-
gpn and carbon to form acetylene. Now,
acctylene gives forth light not by rea-
son of the incandescence of solid partl-
cles of carbon, as heretofore supposed,
hut. and here is the whole point, because
the carbon is incandescent in vapor
form in this new gas, which, for that rea-
son. emits a light equal in proportion to
the light of the sun. In fact, TINS new
light is sunlight, for the two show ex-
actly the same spectroscope."
OF course, Mr.. Wilson wanted to pro-
tect his discovery by patents, and ne con
suited, for that purpose, Edward n. Dick
erson. Mr.. -DickersOn's father was one
of the most eminent men IN tine country
pened to be member of flrm when
represents many gas companies. 1t speed
ilg became apparent to him and then to
Mr.. Wilson that these gas companies,
who were and are making cheap gas by
cheap processes, could make much bet
ter gas by much simpler processes with
the help of Mr.. Wilson's acetylene gas rs
nm enricher.
And when the managers of the gas com
panios and Mr.. Wilson came face to face
it did not take long to make the deal.
The discovery of acetylene down In the
North Carolina mountains took place III
1890, and now, in 1896, after the secret
has been so well kept, it is said that the
chief gas corporations of the country al
ready control the acetylene gas rights for
most of the profitable American territory.
Certain it is that the Chicago Gas COM
pany owns acetylene for the windy city
and the new companies to operate in the
city of Philadelphia and the State OF
Pennsylvania, respectively, have been
nine days wonder in the Quaker city.
OF the New York company, the direc-
tors are Charles T.. Deitrick, who is as
ISOLATED with many gas companies; Bar
on e. ]. Jermanowski, president of the
Equitable Gas company; Mr.. Proal, sec
rotary and treasurer of several Western
gas corporations; Captain r. 5. Hayes,
president of the West Side Elevated rail
road, in Chicago, and Anthony N. Brady
This company owns the rights for the
United States and South America.
The discovery of acetylene gas has re-
leased the gas making companies of the
Irn;taJ C+otao n biub official said tn mo