428 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Mr. Veeder repeated the necessity of a slow combustion, which might, 

 if required, be maintained for a year, But, as you well know, oxygen is 

 admitted, the charred body inflames instantly, and of course consumes. 

 Salt, lime and coal have been fluxed together to get the oil. 



S. D. Tillman stated that many oils smoke when used in lamps, because 

 there is an excess of carbon in their composition. When there is an equal 

 number of atoms of carbon and hydrogen there will be no smoke. Our 

 common burning gas is chiefly composed of olifiant gas, in which the carbon 

 and hydrogen atoms are as 4 to 4 ; in gas from oil they are as 8 to 8 ; in 

 spermaceti as .32 to 32; in turpentine, camphene, and rosin oil, the pro- 

 portions are 20 of carbon to 16 of hydrogen, or as 5 to 4. When sufiicient 

 oxygen can be obtained from the air to burn this extra carbon, the light 

 produced is of the most brilliant quality. Mr. T. proposed to obtain from 

 coal a product containing 16 C. to 16 H. It will be a fluid, and will burn 

 in a lamp without smoke. It will also be a valuable lubricator. 



Prof. Hedrick. — It will be found necessary to determine precisely the 

 various temperatures at which the several products of the coal come ofiF; 

 they must be chemically taken to pieces, each treated per se, and in this the 

 process must proceed, for it cannot recede. We must thus separate what 

 we want from useless products, Chevreuil's fine and laborious experiments 

 on fatty acids will help our chemical investigations. 



Prof. Mason. — The bitumen of the Dead sea is organic ; all like bodies 

 will more or less serve our purpose, as asphaltum, Cannel coal, or like 

 bodies. I think the term coal is misapplied to the Cannel ; it appears to 

 be an extract from coal, rather than coal in itself. 



Prof. Hedrick. — Anthracite coal contains no hydrogen, for that was 

 driven out in its last formation. All are organic, from first to last forma- 

 tions. 



Prof. Mason. — The subject before us possesses deep interest. I used it 

 in an address some twenty years ago. We pagana dwellers out of cities, 

 (for I live two miles from Poughkeepsie,) have lately found out the dark- 

 ness visible in which we have lived in the country, for when we tried to 

 light up our country parlor for a party, as we do our city parlor, we found 

 that by setting fire to all the spermaceti candles in the house, we groped 

 in the dark, in comparison with the brilliant illumination of our city gas- 

 burners. So that I thought of laying two miles of pipe, to draw light 

 from the city to my country parlors. Some citizens spend $900, others 

 $1,500. If I understand what benefactors are, let me say that those who 

 give to us the best food, clothing, fuel and light, will be entitled to that 

 noble name. Benefactors. These great blessings must be cheap, so that 

 all can share. Monopolies are natural enemies to the common people. 

 Gas companies .shine gloriously upon the rich ; cheap light is to them 

 odious. When a good man (as the world says) becomes president of a 

 (light) gas company, his nature receives, exoflacio, an alterative — he can 

 no longer shine for the poor ! To attain our great object, let me advise 

 our numerous ingenious men, those who are ever striving for something 



