New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-25

He merely found new, ana what once ~ 0'
! m he a cheap. way to obtain H.
A., ,aa, Of the brilliant illumination anoroeo
~, ocotv,ene may be derived from the following
! counarison: Methane which contains one u'oi
! ~ carbon TO four OF hydrogen. when purheo d.
! the rate Of five feet an hour gives the i'eh' VI
/ 10 candles; ethane contains two atoms Oh car
! hon and six Of hydrogen. and has candie-po"er
! of3 :: propane, with three atoms OF carbon anu
eight OF hydrogen 56T candle-power; ethylene'
tn, ,u.o atoms OF carbon and four OF hydrogen
IN oordle-power; butylene. combining four atoms
~ carbon with eight OF hydrogen 'seeHii"si!
the same thing as ethylene). 10 cahoie-po"ei'
and acetvlene. whose constitution is TWO atoms
each Of carbon and hydrogen Is ra'eo a' ~
candlepower.
What takes place when bit or caicluih o"'
hide is put into water is this: The various che'l'-
ical elements which are present give up 'ne'r o'o
associations and form new ones The water
is split up, its oxygen uniting WIN the caic'u'
TO produce an oxide, or ordinary lime, ana us
bvdroeen entering into partnership with the
carbon 10 form a gas. 1t is singular that the
.uo gaseous elements should invariably combine
in the right proportion to produce acetylene.
and not any OF the other hydrocarbons just men
toned
AS tn. lime and coal were made to unite
chemically in an electric furnace. and with an
expenditure of power for generating the heces-
sary current that was believed to be small
wilson's discovery threatened to work reVoiu-
ton in lighting. There was great zeal Oh 'aiN
for while about knocking out all the gas COM
panies and electric light companies INSIDE Oh
year or two. But after little 1t was dlscoVered
that the process of manufacture was ho' %
economical as had been hoped Instead OF only
So So or $40 ton, the price at first cohnoeh'-
Nv promised. It has cost from $50 to $50 to pro-
duce every ton yet marketed. and from TWO 10
four times the latter amounts have been oe-
manded in numerous instances. In conse-
ouence there has been a comparatively limited
sale OF carbide UP to date. The gas ootalneu
from il has been used 10 enrich vac 30,
or to operate luminous buoys, magic lanterns
and othe- apparatus in which no specia ecoi-
omy sought. , 49,. -.
A more serious obstacle to the general use "a
acetylere gas. however. Is the eApioSNS W.
denCy which IT manfests under certain clrculn-
stances. Every month or two Tor the Iast W.
or three years the newspapers hant ,aO,a frnr,
stories of more or less formlda bic accluehts i'oI
this cause. In nearly dozen cases, pro, 10 'Ic
disaster in Jersey City. from one 10 .n m ,ha
four lives have been lost. ana ,,. assis,
victims have been cheihis's Vi 0"e''''
ants. +. -. ,.o, TN,
In some instances. obviously. IT has Deen I'M,
possible to determine the lmmedlate cauee v.
conditions under which such result Is known
TO be possible II acetylene be stored under
pressure exceeding two atmospheres o, Il =. U
mixed with a certain proportion or ar 'apou'
one part OF the former TO twelve OF 'ne iaItei!'
or II It contain certain impurities IKE phos-
phuretted hydrogen; or IT, having been corn
pressed to liquid form, It be conilneo an
cylinder which Is allowed TO fall on stone
pavement there is great danger OF nishap
some of the advocates Of acetyiene nave pro-
nosed therefore that the gas shall not be stored
at all. but be generated only as USED win an
automatic control over the process. some Oh
the small lamps for service In the househoid IN
tended TO burn acetylene. have been designed on
that theory; but as yet the public cherishes
natural dstrust OF even such contrivances, ana
n has not been practicable to introduce them
into general use. great many OF the most use
f,ll servants Of man-steam. electricity, gun
nnwder ard pctroleum. for instance-were the
cause of accidents when first introduced But
whether better understanding OF the properties
~ acetylene and of the precautions 10 ne Cd
served in handling Il. will remove eNlsthE
pretudices against 1t and lead 70 WiuespIean
emnIovment OF the new illuminating agent is
something which cannot well be predicted.