The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-02
OF GREAT PRACTICAL VALUE
Its Manufacture Possible Wherever
Coal and Lime, Its COnStitu-
entS, Abound.
GAS COMPANIES IN CONTROL
Rights Promptly Secured When the
Possibilities Of the Chemical
Compound Became known.

From the New York Herald OF Nov. 10.
1895.
Experts say that the most wonderful
illuminant yet invented has come from
the accidental discovery of a gas from
acetylene. heretofore known as a chem
zeal compound existing in small guam
titles and susceptible Of but limited
manufacture. T. L. Wilson was trying
to manufacture cheap aluminium down
at his works in the little town Of Spray
in North Carolina, He conceived the
idea Of decomposing lime and seperat-
ing the metal calcium into contact with
ordinary aluminium or clay, by fusing
them together under tho influence OF
the heat of the electric arc.
In order to separate calcium, then,
from lime. Mr.. Wilson ono day in the
course of his experiments brought to-
Cether burnt lime and finely divided or
powdered carbon, in the form or coke
dust. He used certain proportions OF
each and put the mixture between the
poles of an electric are. Intense heat
resulted and the mixture was melted
down. Instead Of finding I'm his fur
mace after II had cooled off, the metal
calcium of which ne had been in search
he discovered a hundred or two pounds
Of a brown crystalline compound.
Doubtless Mr. Watson was disap-
pointed, and this Stag, this refuse from
an unsuccessful experiment. was cast
aside But for an accident it might
have remained in the refuse heap for
ever. Chance. in the shape, perhaps,
of a slovenly Office boy or a careless
house cleaner, threw some water on
this mass Of brown Stag. II may have
been Mr. Wilson himself who hurled
away the dregs of his drinking cup. At
all events. he was present when a won
derful thing happened. A soon as the
water touched the brown mass Mr.. VII
son saw, with intense interest, that It
began to fuse and splitter and crum-
BILE. evolving all the while gas whose
properties he became Immediately
anxious to investigate A chemical
analysis of the gas disclosed the fact
that il was acetylene. \ match applied
TO il generated at once brilliant white
light so intense and powerful "a to dim
the electric arcs near by and almost to
scorch the eyes.
NEW CHEMICAL COMPOUND.
Nature had been once more at work
/ in her laboratory for the benefit Of
man. Chemical analysis Of the brown
mass found in the furnace the Stag or
residuum showed II 10 be not a mixture,
as Mr. Wilson had supposed. Of metal
lie calcium and undccomposed lime and
/ carbon, but a positive new chemical
/
| pressed i'm the formula Of Gao. C. The
/ oxides Of the calcium had passed of as
! carbon monoxide. leaving the now pro
! duct. calcium carbide. That was the
brown Stag.
/ But what marvel Of science took place
when that water was accidentally
thrown on the mass of calcium car
bide? The water was instantly decom-
posed, the calcium was released from
it's union with the carbon and recon
verted into ordinary lime. The calci-
. um carbide having thus lost It's calci-
f UNI the carbon remaining was at once
. snapped up by the hydrogen OF water
which IS, OF course, compound OF by
. drogen and oxygen. This new com
pound Of hydrogen and carbon was
. none other than this wonderful acety-
lene gas. whose chemical formula. G.
II. 2. Indicates equal proportions Of car
bon and hydrogen. The exact results 81
the whole operation. conducted by
nature I'm the presence Of wondering
man, showed also that the contact oil
water and the brown mass would al
ways produce a positive percentage o.
the new acetylene gas. which contain.
925 Of carbon and 10 Of hydrogen.
The light that resulted almost blind
ed the eyes ~ the Observers. bu
IL didn't blind their intellectual vision
They realized IN an instant what
marvel famed before them.
SAYS THIS Is SUNLIGHT.
I found Or. J. J. Suckert. an exper
In chemistry and physics NJ the office
Of Coweu. D.Ckorsuu & Brown. yes
tCrday "AcctEl-ue gas" he said. "rrn
resents in itself the essence of an light
All illuminating compounds wharhe
gas or illuminating oil. cannot eEalE
light without first having lurat 0f' sur
fCignt hydrogen and carbon Oh form