SOME NEW MODES OF LIGHTING." 



Bv A. BERTlIItK. 



Incandescent pctfoJcuni oil /<///ip,s. — Durinjr tlu' last quarter of a 

 century the use of petroleum and its derivatives for illumination has 

 been much restricted by the growth of incandescent lighting by 

 electricity, acetylene, and illuminating gas; but quite recently there 

 has developed a new use of petroleum oil for incandescent mantle 

 lighting. Various systems have been proposed, of which the earlier 

 ones depended on the carbureting of air by the aid of some s])ecial 

 device and the distribution of this mixture under feeble pressure. 



Owing to complications of the mechanism and the tendency of 

 stoppage in conducting passages these earlier arrangements found, 

 little favor, but the inventors of the Washington, Kitson, and Glitsch 

 systems have succeeded in avoiding separate mechanical contrivances 

 and automatically produce the mixture of gas and air within the lamp 

 itself. 



In these new systems of lighting, a liquid is stored in a central 

 reservoir, from which runs a conducting pipe to a special distributer, 

 and thence small tubes lead the liquid to the several lamps or heaters 

 to be supplied. In the Washington and Kitson systems petroleum 

 oil is the liquid employed, while the Glitsch system uses benzine. 

 The reservoir for the liquid nuiy be eitlier inside or outside the build- 

 ing, but for single lamps or heaters is often directly attached to the 

 capillary tubes which supply the burners. These capillary tubes are 

 of steel and hardly an eighth of an inch in external diameter, so that 

 they may readily be hidden from sight, and are, indeed, both less 

 visible and less dangerous than electric wiring. The tubes are tested 

 to bear a pressure of 10 atmospheres, but in use are not required to 

 withstand more than 4 atmospheres pressure. It is apparent, too, 

 that with a li(juid of such slight volatility as petroleum oil there is 

 much less danger of explosion in consequence of leakage than with 

 illuminating gas or, indeed, with benzine. 



"Translated and abridged, by permission, from Cosmos, Paris, May 7, 21, 

 June 18, 1904. 



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