The San Francisco call., 1899-04-16

French law DEGREES for all industrial al
cohols. The carburant, unhappily, does
not remove the disgusting odor which the
present excise regulations also prescribe.
This, however, is a minor matter, as
methylene, to which the infect smell is
due, has now but short course to run as
q "denaturizer."
1t is claimed for Dusarts carburant
that Il is 35 per cent cheaper than alcohol
itself. In this case carburated alcohol
will always be cheaper than other. While
there is none of this compound substance
yet on the market, it is promised to be
retailod within month at 30 centimes the
liter. in Paris itself trife less than II
cents the quart. In Paris headlight oil
(petrole de luxe, a rather inferior prod
uct, not properly refined, retails at u
cents and IA cents the quart
The Dusart lamps resemble ordinary
petroleum lamps, with wicks and CHM
neys The carburated alcohol does not
burn by generating gas and there is no
danger of explosion. Were it not for the
softness and brilliancy of the light you
might imagine you were burning head
light oil. There is no sweating, no smoke
or odor either during or after combus-
ton, and the lighting is instantaneous.
The WiCkS never burn, so they need no
trimming. / was present at some of M.
Arachequesne's experiments with the pho
tometre, when exact comparisons were
made between petroleum and Dusart
lamps of equal power. With slender
student lamp chimney the Dusart lamp
gave light of LOB carcel at an expense
of 60 grammes of carburated alcohol per
hour, and with a chimney bellied around
the flame a light of 1.32 carcel at an ex-
pense of 81 grammes. The petroleum lamp,
fed with the most expensive headlight
oil, gave q light of 126 carcel at an eX-
pense of Sc grammes of petroleum per
hour. After making all corrections of
density the results appear to be about
equal.
The experiment was nevertheless held
to be unsatisfactory, in spite of the su-
perior softness and beauty of the alcohol
lamps light and its advantages of clean
liness. With % degrees alcohol, which
gives the Denayrouze incandescent lamps
an extra economy of % per cent the bril-
lance of the Dusart light would have
ly the French excise. regulations do not
yet permit the use of 95 degrees alcohol.
A new "de-naturante' also, something
else than methylene, or woodspirits, will
sake of economy and lighting power The
methylene now mixed with alcohol, in or
der to prevent 1t being 'revitalzed' and
rectified for drinking, is a great hindrance
to the Dusart lamps, as is also the water
used to bring all French industrial alco-
hols down to 80 degrees. These are some
of the last legislative and administrative
barriers that are now being broken down
in France. The Germans, it is said are
far in advance. They have their own
carburant and lamps similar to those OF
the Dusart system. Burning alcohol is
now retailed in Berlin at cents per
quart, and carburated alcohol at 80 de-
grees will soon be retailed at cents per
quart. Undoubtedly the domestic petro-
leum lamp is seeing its last days in Eu-
rope.
In Paris by far the greatest sensation
has been made by the incandescent De.
nayrouze lamps. with which M. Loubet IS
now lighting UP the courtyard of the
Elysee. 1t is the incandescent system
that is also used at Potsdam and In the
Berlin Thiergarten.
STERLING HEIIIG.