The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1899-08-25

DEFENDS ELECTRIC LIGHT.
The Mitchell Electric Co. Makes n Reply
to Criticisms on Their Business.

to Criticisms on Their Business.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN,: Much as We
dislike entering into q newspaper con-
troversy, we cannot help making q re-
ply to Mr.. Browns communication OF
the Is inst, as he brings the Electric
Light Co. into the matter. Mr.. Brown
ssys it was carelessness on the part OF
the manager. Then if that is the case
is it not just as likely to happen with
one of Mr.. Browns machines. Or
does he furnish an expert with every
proof against wear and tear of time and
OF accident or carelessness on the part
of the buyer of the machine. He cites
this as q parallel case with the electric
plant burning down. But he does not
say anything about the scores OF plate
glass windows this explosion broke and
which the burning of the electric
plant did not do. In Mr.. Browns ar
city of Wabash putting in acetylene
gas, he says: "It is announced that the
district syndicate which has q practi,
cal monopoly OF the supply of natural
and artificial gas in the Indiana gas re-
gion is putting in this plant" etc. In
Tuesdays article he says the electric
light people put in the plant to try and
make the people believe it is 8 good
deal cheaper than electric light even
down there. Although Mr.. Brown &C.
knowledged in one of his articles that
carbide costs five cents per pound and
when it got to be three cents per pound
his light would only cost one-half cent
per hour, when we are furnishing
lights of l6 candle power for two cents
per night or 32 candle power for
four cents night and the customers
can use all they want, too. Again he
says that German and Canadian rail
ways have adopted this gas. In the
July Trade Journal the following article
appeared "Acetylene has made little
progress in car lighting but is used to
some extent abroad. That it is not the
safest of illuminants is proved by an oc-
currence on q train from AK la-Cha-
pelle to Berlin. An acetylene lamp in
first class apartment exploded with
great violence shattering the glass,
etc. Luckily says the koelnische
Volkezeitung, there were no passen-
gers in the compartment, otherwise
they would almost certainly have been
killed or injured'" So high an
an authority as Casters Magazine of
New York says: Like all other illum-
mating gases acetylene will explode if
mixed with air in the proper proper
lions and ignited. If acetylene be in
troduced or generated in 8 confined
space it will mingle with the air which
originally filled the space and form
very explosive mixture" Mr. Brown
cites the Chicago Record as saying that
acetylene gas is safer than coal gas and
it is in this way: acetylene will not
Kill sleeping person without awaken
ing him, as the acetylene will sicken
and cause the person to vomit and coal
gas will not. Mr.. Brown admits the
danger when he says: Undoubtedly
the improved appliances will overcome
this 30 there will be no danger"
Again he says, "that machines made
on the improved and safe methods
aho,l1 not ho b1sp,od for ooo;6o,te 4h,&
have occurred to some machine caused
more by carelessness than poor me-
chanism." So no matter how good a
machine you buy you must be an ex-
pert to handle them safely as it would
not do to let your wife handle them
while you are away from home for q
day or two, judging from that admiss-
ion on the part OF Mr.. Brown.
And in this busy world the people
have not the time to study to become
an expert to have light that needs as
much attention as kerosene lamp and
q syndicate owning such vast interests
in Indiana would certainly have q
pretty well posted man as their super
intendent and the news article shows
he was there on duty at the time of the
1t shows that acetylene
will explode with the best of men. II |
Mr.. Brown has made q machine that
has the power to exclude air when
charging with carbide he has overcome
one OF the laws of nature, as everybody |
knows air is everywhere except in an
absolute vacuum and that has not been
yet.
Air is in water and as water is fed
in to make the gas the air will come in
with the water. If the insurance board
are requiring others to conform with
Mr.. Browns machine why does he not
stop them, as he claims to have it pro-
tected by q patent and if it is the only
good machine l wonder why he stays