192 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



of the equivalently freed oxygen, a simple light of intense power may 

 be obtained. This system was shown to be a great simplification of 

 the ordinary system of gas-lighting, as no retorts, metres, &c., are 

 required, and the products of combustion are as pure as those from 

 the finest wax. It is expected that the elegance of the material and 

 the simplicity of the apparatus will cause its introduction into build- 

 ings and rooms where coal-gas is not now considered admissible. 

 Though this liquid does not require to be heated above the average 

 temperature of the air, yet it is liable to be cooled by its own evapora- 

 tion, so as to require an artificial supply of warmth, which is obtained 

 by causing a small jet of flame of the gas itself to play upon the reser- 

 voir, and by a simple contrivance the temperature is made self-regu- 

 lating, so that it never rises above nor falls below a proper degree. If 

 atmospheric air is used as the vehicle for the vapor, the jet-holes in the 

 burner must be slightly larger than those for coal-gas. Some burners 

 were exhibited, contrived for the purpose of accurately adjusting the 

 size of the orifice to the quantity of gas escaping ; by moving a part of 

 the burner, they were made to give any required quality of flame from 

 lightless blue to smoky, the medium point furnishing the greatest bril- 

 liancy. A gallon of benzole of the requisite purity will cost about 56 

 cents, and to this must be added the expense of the air-current and the 

 interest on the original outlay, which at the most would raise the cost 

 to about 90 cents for the consumption of a gallon of benzole. One 

 ounce of the liquid will give a light equal to four wax candles for an 

 hour; or one gallon for about 120 hours. It is inferred that a gallon 

 of this material is equivalent to about 1,000 cubic feet of coal-gas. A 

 gallon of benzole weighs but 71bs., while the coal necessary to pro- 

 duce the same amount of coal-gas weighs 200 Ibs. at least, giving an 

 advantage of 28 to 1 over coal, where the mines are at any considerable 

 distance. 



EXPERIMENTS ON BURNING FLUIDS. 



THE results of some important investigations with reference to burn- 

 ing fluids have been communicated by Prof. Horsford to the Ameri- 

 can Academy. " It has been maintained by many that several of the 

 various preparations under the general denomination of burning fluids 

 are, in certain conditions, explosive. It has been asserted by vend- 

 ers, on the other hand, that they are not explosive. Wherein the 

 misapprehension lies, how the numerous accidents that have occur- 

 red in the use of burning fluid are to be explained, and by what pre- 

 cautions the repetition of these accidents may be prevented, have been 

 subjects of experimental inquiry. The burning fluids as a class are 

 rectified spirits of turpentine, or turpentine with an admixture of a 

 small percentage of highly rectified spirits of wine, or of some other 

 inflammable body readily soluble in turpentine or alcohol. Turpen- 

 tine, alcohol, and ether, \vhen fired in an open vessel, burn at the sur- 

 face so long as a supply of oxygen is kept up. The accidents with 

 burning fluids have ordinarily occurred during the filling of lamps from 

 the cans, and always in the presence of flame, from a burning lamp 



