The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-02-01
LIMITATIONS IND PosSIBfnTTIES.

There seem to be opinions in va riety regarding the future of acetylene gas as a commercial product. A vast amount of capital is being put into com- panies which are being formed to utilize the product as an illuminant. Author ities differ as to it's practical utility A learned savant declares the utter util- ity of attempting to bring it into popu- lar use until it's highly explosive proper ties are thoroughly controlled, and rem dered harmless with the exercise of or dinary care. Horrible dangers attending it's use are pointed out, and it is de- clared to be wholly lacking the requisite control essential and imperative to safe ty. Others assert that the explosive compound is now harnessed and direct ed, so that it is perfectly harmless, if used as it should be by anyone of prop CT sense and discretion. Investors in the companies formed to operate plants are urged to beware and warned that they are buying "a pig in a poke" and that the stock is inflated far beyond a possibility of dividends. Others assert that at the prices asked there are mil lions in it,' as Colonel Sellers remarked that it is a second Bell telephone stock. And so the contest goes. The recent terrible explosion in this city con- centrated public attention all over the country upon this gas cad no wonder the powers that be" interested in it, were thoroughly awake to the results of the investigation here.
 As to this gas, says an exchange, re- garding what a gifted professor in one of our educational institutions of the highest standard of its kind, and head ed by former New Havener, says:
 "A flood of light upon the explosive qualities of acetylene gas was afforded in the recent lecture given at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Thursday evening, by Pro- lessor James M. Crafts of the institu- ton. He said:
 "Acetylene is more explosive than common gas. Using a piece of tubing for popgun, he exploded two mix lures, one of common gas and air, the other of acetylene and air. Six per an q oi, !, t,,-io lao effect of the same amount of common gas. A room, 20 per cent. of whose to pieces along with the house. The study of the poisonous effects of the new more practical if a per cent instead of a 20 per cent. mixture were taken. A man would not have opportunity to breathe the latter mixture if there was a fire in the room.
 Equal parts of acetylene and oxygen to the total weight of five grains in the popgun made tremendous explo- sioh. Five grains of gunpowder the lecturer explained, would not have ex- ploded with anything like that power. The fact is-and here lies the secret of l the great power of the gas-acetylene i stores up heat at it's birth It is spon- l taneously explosive. The danger is ! slight, but it is there in peculiar form. 1 If We thrust a burning taper into the gas no harm is done. But we can get
 the explosive effect with illuminate of silver. The copper salts Of this gas
 are also violently explosive I prepar- ed a compound of this kind for this lee
 ture but it exploded in the drying
 chamber. The illuminate formed by sil-
 yer and acetylene explodes with a pres sure of 6OO,OOO pounds per square inch
 in 1-50, ,0O0, ,0OOth of a second. It is too
 cauricious to be handled under water in
 the lecture room, although common full
 inmates are handled in that way. The dangerin our houses would be in the for
 nation Of a copper salt near the acety- l Iene tank"
 This Boston expert declared that a great deal more work and study must