SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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mantles, such as have latterly come into general 

 use for coal-gas. This in itself is a great advantage 

 to consumers, on account of the expense and 

 fragile nature of many of these modern mantles. 

 When, however, half-a-foot per hour of acetylene 

 is burned through a mantle, it produces about 

 eighty to ninety candle-power light. 



In quality the light approaches that of sunlight 

 more nearly than any other known gas ; the result 

 being that " daylight " colours which are generally 

 fugitive in artificial light are visible in that of 

 acetylene gas. The flame of this gas has an odd 

 clinging character, making it very difficult to 

 blow out, even in a high wind. 



When it is remembered that to produce an 

 amount of illumination equal to coal-gas, twenty 

 times less of the gas need be burned, it will be 

 readily understood that the unburnt carbon of 

 acetylene gas is far less damaging to books and 

 household decorations than coal-gas. Persons who 

 have had occasion to work in an atmosphere 

 saturated with acetylene gas state that they have 

 suffered no inconvenience either to health or sight. 

 An elaborate series of experiments recently con- 

 ducted in France have shown that this gas is 

 decidedly less poisonous than ordinary coal-gas. 

 An examination of samples of blood taken from 

 animals that had been under the influence of 

 acetylene demonstrated that the effects of this 

 gas were rapidly eliminated from the system. 

 When burning there is no smell nor disagreeable 

 effect, and it is probable that when acetylene gas 

 becomes generally used there will be fewer of the 

 gas explosions which so frequently occur from 

 leakages of coal-gas. This will be more readily 

 understood when it is remembered that the scent 

 of unburned acetylene is so powerful it would 

 attract attention long before an explosive quantity 

 had saturated the surrounding air. A leakage of 

 half a foot per hour in an air-tight room of i,oco 

 cubic feet capacity would require at least fifty hours, 

 or two days and nights, to produce an explosive 

 mixture. The scent of escaping acetylene is very 

 remarkable, and would therefore soon be noticed. 

 Another advantage of acetylene is that, as has 

 been pointed out by Professor Vivian Lewes, its 

 lighting point, being below that of ordinary gas, 

 it can be ignited by any red-hot carbonaceous 

 matter, such as the glowing end of a cigarette. 



Many forms of portable lamps for table use have 

 been designed and patented. The gas has also 

 been successfully applied to bicycle lamps, and 

 a few ounces of carbide, costing only a penny, 

 will produce a brilliant light to last about seven 

 hours. It may also be adopted for carriage 

 lamps, its extreme brilliancy being more useful to 

 the driver than to the person meeting the carriage. 



Successful experiments have been conducted in 

 applying acetylene gas to heating purposes and 



for cooking-stoves. It has been used in Germany 

 with great success in the National Assay office. 

 In a short time temperatures up to 1,500° Cent, 

 were obtained, and a quantity of nickel was molten, 

 ready for casting, within thirty minutes, while it 

 usually takes from eighty to eighty-five minutes to 

 smelt the same bulk. In America a useful series 

 of trials of this gas for signalling purposes have 

 been made, and it has been found more convenient 

 than the electric light, as it is instantly available, 

 without the time lost in getting up steam to run 

 a dynamo. For lighthouses and light-ships it is 

 sure to be adopted not only for the warning light 

 itself, but also for signalling purposes. It is stated 

 that an excellent acetylene gas engine will 

 shortly be placed on the market. Being portable, 

 it can be used for any purpose, either domestic, 

 agricultural or commercial. 



It has been the boast of coal-gas companies that 

 they could afford to give away their gas, and live 

 upon the profits accruing from the by-products 

 in its production. Among the more valuable are 

 those obtained from the coal-tar. This forms 

 an important industry in which large amounts of 

 capital have been invested ; especially in making 

 aniline dyes. It has been discovered, however, 

 that carbide of calcium will produce far more 

 conveniently nearly every by-product of coal-tar 

 and probably some others. The aniline dyes 

 especially, made from carbide, will compete 

 in cost of production with those made from 

 coal-tar. A process has also been patented 

 for converting acetylene gas into alcohol. It is 

 found that by placing the carbide in one end of 

 the machine a spirit of fine quality runs in a 

 stream from the other — reminding one of the 

 pantomime clown who places a squealing pig in a 

 box, while the pantaloon turns a handle and pro- 

 duces the ready-made sausages. 



Notwithstanding the prejudice displayed in adopt- 

 ing new inventions and the detraction of interested 

 persons, acetylene has come to stay. Doubtless.it 

 will have an uphill fight, as had electric lighting 

 twenty or so years ago. Still more was it a 

 strenuous battle to overcome distrust in the case 

 of coal-gas, which ruined and broke the heart of 

 its mosi ardent early advocate, who did not 

 live to see its universal application. There are 

 many persons still living who as children saw one 

 of the earliest demonstrations of coal-gas lighting 

 in London, which was in Pall Mall. The wise- 

 acres of the time gravely shook their heads 

 and remarked, "It is very pretty, but will 

 never be of any general use." Only a few 

 years were needed to prove the value of both 

 coal-gas and electric lights. Can we, therefore, 

 doubt the speedy adoption of the new illuminant, 

 acetylene gas ? 



110, Strand, W.C.; December, 1898. 



