Electrical products Calcium Garbtoe. 231 



oxygen or common air it becomes one of the 

 most brilliant of illuminants. Acetylene, like 

 most other gases, becomes explosive when 

 mixed with air in certain proportions. Whether 

 it is more dangerous to handle than ordinary 

 illuminating gases the writer is not prepared 

 to say, as he has not had the opportunity to 

 make a thorough comparison between it and 

 other gases from an experimental standpoint. 



Kxperiment, after all, is the only sure road 

 to absolute knowledge. Theories are beautiful 

 in books and lectures, but they often fail in 

 tin- laboratory. 



Acetylene is now being introduced as an 

 illuminating gas for domestic and other pur- 

 poses. Several methods of handling it have 

 proposed. One is to condense it into 

 strong metal cylinders and deliver it in that 

 form: another i< to erect generators at con- 

 and generate the gas as it is 

 n-ed. A very ingenious contrivance has been 

 invented for regulating the generation of the 

 gas. A certain amount of the calcium carbide 

 i- placed in a gas-tight ve-^el containing 

 water. A^ BOOH a- the water comes in contact 

 with the carhidc the evolution of the gas be- 

 When the pi D the in-ide of the 

 hed a certain degree it is made, 

 through mechanical contrivances, to lift the 

 c;>rhide out of the water and thus stop the 

 evolution of - 1 the pressure iff 



