The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-15
A NEW ILLUMINANT.
Chemist Discovers Light-Giving
Fluid Cheaper Than oil.
(Baltimors American


Fiaubert. in his remarkable novel.
''salammbo." describes on what seems
TO be unquestionable authority the
Carthagfnians as using petroleum.
Though we may have greatly in
creased our need Of artificial light
since that remote period of the
worlds history, its actual lack was
felt by all the ancients. And through
the slow growth of our modern ciyili-
cation there was but little improve
ment in the means Of illumination
until 1918, when gas was first discov-
cred as a lighting power. Alone, re-
Gently, still electricity has waved her
magic wand, and innumerable arti-
fetal stars and mooons have arisen at
her call. Yet Notwithstanding re-
markable progress made in iilumina-
ton of late years, the question cannot
be said to be absolutely settled. For
gas and electricity are for many purses
and many purposes very dear, while
the fact that both require special
place of manufacture. and each a sys-
tenn of pipes and wires, puts these IL
luIninants out of the reach OF any but
those who live in populous eenters
There remains the petroleum of the
ancient Carthraginians, the advantages
and disadvantages of which need not
be discussed here. for a new illumi-
nant has been discovered which is said
to be three times as cheap as petrO-
leum and from seven to eight times
as cheap as electricity In addition to
it's cheapness it gives a remarkably
clear light and needs no special con-
duits for its application.
The discovery is due to the eminent
French engineer, NJ. Denayrouze, who
did so much to launch the electric
light, while his frequent. improvements
on gas and other lamps have made
him one of the first authorities on ar
tificial lighting.
In the present case he has not only
discovered a new lighting factor, but
has also invented special lamp for
it's use. So impressed is the city of
Paris by NJ. Denayrouze's latest dis
covery that an experiment is being
made with 10000 of the new burners,
arranged for street lighting.
"Lusol," as its maker explains. is
merely L commercial name, for it can
not claim a chemical individuality
Without going into the processes of its
extraction from coal, lusol may De
briefly said to resemble acetylene. and
can be called its twin-an acetylene,
indeed, in liquid form, and minus its
explosive tendencies. Remembering
that the great drawback to acetylene
rouze has preferred to renounce the
| incandescent carbon body and to make
use only of the calorifie power by
placing it In a lamp with an Auer
mantle
AS test power it should be stated
| that the incandescent electric lamps
are usually made of 10. is and IS
candle power The strongest petroleum
| lamp without incandescence is SO, the
corresponding Auer burner is 30 and
| lusol model lamp as now presented is
the acetylene of 11-candle power.
! The advantage of the lusol lamF
would appear to be it's extreme IL
| Eliminating power aud its cheapness
| In an ordinary domestic lamp 81
grammes of spirit are burnt in an
hour. and it can be left burning q
| whole day at a cost of about cents
| In a 37S-candle power lamp, with al
extra air pressure. 1872 grammes only
are consumed For outlying villages
| isolated factories or widely detached
houses the outdoor form of the lusO
! lamp seems highly valuable. while fol
| interior use, too, it apparently has
much to commend it When the exact
results of the experiment made by the
Paris municipality are published the
| true value of the new illuminant can bt
| more clearly Judged