24 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



feet is equivalent to 10,000 to 12,500 of ordinary gas. Acetylene is 

 a commercially pure gas, containing 98 per cent acetyelne and 2 per 

 cent of air ; the latter having slight traces of other substances, it is 

 clear and colorless, with specific gravity of 0.91. 



When a light is applied to acetylene in open air it burns with a 

 bright yellow but very smoky flame on account of its extreme rich- 

 ness in carbon, but when confined and delivered under suitable 

 pressure it gives an extremely white light, resembling the oxy- 

 hydrogen light and is the nearest in color and purity to sunlight of 

 any known artificial light. 



ITS POISONOUS NATURE. 



Acetylene when made from expensive chemicals was know to be 

 very poisonous, but as made from lime and carbon it is proved to 

 be less injurious than ordinary gases ; its strong pungent smell is a 

 safeguard, as no one can remain in an atmosphere of it a sufficiently 

 long time to be harmed. Handy for hotels where the guests blow 

 out the lights. In such an event the " Blowhard " could not get 

 asleep before he or some one else would be compelled to investigate. 

 The effect on the human system is rather to intoxicate than stupify, 

 and while it is absorbed by the blood it does not form combinations 

 with it, it asphyxiates less rapidly than ordinary gas. Moissan, of 

 France, and others made exhaustive experiments with the greatest 

 care with acetylene and coal gas on animals, and proved conclusive- 

 ly that coal gas was very much more poisonous than acetylene. 



EXPLOSIBILITY. 



x\cetylene, when mixed with one and a quarter times its volume 

 of atmospheric air becomes slightly explosive, and reaches its maxim 

 explosibility with five volumes of air, so that ordinary gas is 

 more explosive than acetylene. Accidents and explosions reported 

 recently have given the impression that the gas it very dangerous. 

 Let us examine this feature. Take the case of the accident in Que- 

 bec last winter. An ingenious mechanic made his own dynamo^ 

 furnace and carbide ; he was experimenting with the gas under pres- 

 sure to liquify it so as to get it into the smallest possible space, he 

 had an iron pipe eight inches long and four inches in diameter with 

 cast iron ends, a pressure guage at one end and a valve at the other ; 



