The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-26
DISAPPOINTED MISSIONARIES.

DISAFFOANTED VTSI0NARIES.
Only a few months ago every publ
cation, scientific and lay, was filled
with accounts Of the extraordinary
virtue and value of the new illumi-
nant called acetylene The public was
told that the whole business and meth
od OF lighting had been revolutionized,
and that by the excellence and cheap
ness of this modern agent a new era
was to be brought about, in which
gasl1ght and the electric light would
retire as far to the rear as the stage
coach has before the conquering loco
motive. There was much plausibility
in these Representations. The exist
ence of the gas itself was long-es-
tablished fact, and it's qualities had
been investigated and were well
known. OF it's extraordinary bril-
Hancy and power no question could be
raised. The new method Of producing
1t by the manufactured calcium car
b1de was also a fact of science The
claim was that by the new process of
the electric furnace this basic material
could be produced at a cost so incon-
sloeraole that acetylene would certain
ly drive all rivals out of the field. On
this supposition companies were
formed everywhere to dispose of the
patent governing the manufacture of
Tie proouct, and great fortunes
were made or supposed to be made
py dealing with franchises alone. In
the meanwhile, to the establishment
OF those who had been dazzled. meta.
phorically, as well as literally NV tho
appearance of the new illuminant, ace
tylene did not make it's way into COM
mon use The public supposed at first
tnat this was necessary consequence
OF the time required for practical nren-
aration.
Inc U o D was, we believe the
nrst, authority in the United States 70
lay before the public the facts relat-
ing to the comparative cost Of coal
gas, oil gas, water gas and acetylene
showing that the obstacle to the con-
querlng progress of the new illunninant
was not In lack of merit on its mart
but the fact that the cost of produc-
ton was equal to or greater than that
u lne lilumlnants now in use. In an
exhaustive article on this subject. DR.
+. IL. Conradson, of this city several
months ago, exploited the whole field
and gave statistics of cost ner LIGHT
tnat time novel and surprising prop
osltlon. namely, that acetyIene was NOT
hKely to come into general use until
the methods of production had been
sun mucn further cheapened. We find
In a recent number of the London En-
g1neer confirmation from the highest
scientific authorities of the position
that was set forth for the first time
In the United States, as far as we are
aware, In the columns of the Globe.
The Engineer says that In France
acetylene Is now produced on some
thing like commercial scale. and
It's cost can therefore be compared
with ordinary gas. Its conclusion ia
that, while the price Of coal gas per
hour is much less than that Of acety-
lene, yet the Illuminating power of the
latter is so much greater that "the cost
works out in practice to about the
same as that of coal gas
While experiments have been made
IN a large number Of places on the
continent with acetylene, all those who
are using it or are interested in it's
use are waiting upon the same expect-
ed and hoped-for lessening of the cost
or production. Until that has taken
place, the present methods of illuni-
nation may rest reasonably secure
against the entertainments of their
dangerous rival In fact, acetyIene
occupies in it's world very much the
position today that aluminium does in
its field. For each of them there is a
whole universe of uses and an almost
unlimited demand when science shall
have developed method of producing
them that will put them within the
reach Of the multitude and enable
them to compete with the less desira-
BILE but much cheaper commodity that
now occupies the place which 1t is
their destiny at some future day to
fill.