SOME NEW MODES OF LTGITTING." 



By A. Ukimiiikk. 



Incandescent petrolem/i oil J((m pa. — Diiriiitr tho last quarter of a 

 century the use of petroleum and its derivatives for illtnnination has 

 been much restri{;ted by the growth of incandescent lighting by 

 electricity, acetylene, and illuminating gas; but (|uite 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 special 

 device arul the disti'ibntion 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 (ilitsch 

 systems have succeeded in avoiding separate mechanical contrivances 

 and automatically produce the mixture of gas and air within tiie 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 li<iuid to the several lamps or heaters 

 to be supplied. In the \\'ashington and Kitson systems petroleum 

 oil is the li(|uid emi)l()yed, while the (xlitsch system uses benzine. 

 The reservoir for the licpiid may be either inside or outside the build- 

 ing, but for single lamps or heaters is often dii'ectly attached to tho 

 capillary tubes which supply the burnei's. These capillary tubi>s 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, l)oth less 

 visible and less dangerous than electric wiring. The tul)es are Jested 

 to bear a i)ressure of 10 atmospheres, but in use are not required to 

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

 that with a licjuid of such slight volatility as petroleum oil there is 

 nmch less danger of explosion in conseciueiu-e of leakage than with 

 illuminating gas or, indeed, with l)enzine. 



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

 June IS, 1904. 



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