Evening star., 1900-10-27

rise Of the use of gas-'poor gas, cheap gas
for industrial purposes, threatens to dou
Bile the expense of main and pipe laying in
cities. If this cheap industrial gas could be
used for illuminating purposes, the double
expense of manufacture, installation and
administration would be avoided, while the
profits of the Illuminating department would
be increased remarkably. The cost to the
consumer could be reduced below the pos
sible competition of the electric light COM
panies, though We should be making more
money than ever. The indication on both
sides, therefore, is to discover an extra
cheap incandescent burner, extra cheap be-
cause it must be given to the consumer
free to induce him to take UP the poor
gas'-namely, cheap industrial gas, which is
not fit for illuminating purposes with the
common burner. In every room in every
house of the city the burners would have
to be changed. We could well afford to do
1t were we in possession of the long-sought
cheap incandescent burner" Hence his
feVer1sh search; and he is not the only
Searcher.
In the Palais de rOptique we found
whole exposition of the rare earths from
which the fncandescent material of such
burners are formed. They are oxydeS of
metals of the family of cerium: Iantane.
erbium. yttrium dydime, thurium, niobium
chromium etc, which are always found as
sociated together in certain Norwegian
strata. On account of their rarity and par
ucularly because of the long process of ex-
traction they are all of them still expensive
Recourse has therefore been made to all
kinds of possible substitutes. AT one time
my friend thought that he had found his
affair in certain chinaware burner Its
lighting power was not sufficient though
1t was cheap enough He is still seeking
May Work Revolution
. This expert visited the inventor of an In
candescent gas burner, an alcohol incandes-
cent lamp and alcohol stove / have
already written of the alcohol lamp thanks
to which, it is believed by the French gov
ernment authorities themselves, that
France will soon be freed from her slavery
TO American petroleum. Coming out from
the interview the expert said: IF there
is 25 per cent of truth in what that French
man has just been giving me- one of the
greatest economical revolutions the world
has ever experienced is due in a few years
That man has my cheap incandescent burn
er for the burning of poor gas'-but what
is the use of manufacturing even the cheap
est kind of gas when you have burner
that will burn atmospheric air? He says
his will do it. He showed me the thing, al
though he did not let me examine it and
would not describe it. 1t appears to be a
little metal bulb the size and shape of an
egg, attached just below the burner. With
this he 'disintegrates' the free air of heaven
itself. and the result is an incandescent
light that have seen superior to any other
incandeScent light"
Three months have passed since that con-
versaton. l see my American gas expert
from time to time and often inquire about
the "disintegrator.' millionaire French
company has been formed to exploit it, the
capital having been subscribed at a single
meeting. none of it being put on the open
market. All the stockholders are special
lists and wealthy men of affairs.
How is it, then, that they are doing
nothing with 1t yet?" L inquired of my
friend, who has given me reason to believe
that he is in ''on the ground floor for the
United States.
perhaps they are first getting rid of their
electric light and gas stock is what his
answer always comes to in the end. These
men have big interests in the lighting of
Paris and other continental cities it now
exists, and they naturally do not want to
sacrifice them.
And are you getting rid of your gas
stock in American" l ventured to inquire
the last time.
THE exposition prices of this summer in
Paris have materially aided me in that"
he answered with a melancholy grin.
STERLING HEILIG.