102 The late Dr. Robert Hare. 
discoverer and others. It is well known that in later years he 
constructed the apparatus on a gigantic scale, with large vessels 
of wrought iron capable of sustaining the pressure of the Fair- 
mount water works, and that with this powerful combination he 
was able to fuse at one operation nearly two pounds of plati- 
num.* In these experiments the metal is held upon a refractory 
fire brick and both are heated as highly as possible in a wind 
farnace before submitting it to the gas-jet. The product of this 
fusion from the crude grains is found to be greatly purified, a 
result probably due to the volatilization at this intense heat of 
some of the associate metals. 
The employment of Dr. Hare’s jet to illuminate light houses 
and signal reflectors under the names of Drummond light and 
Calcium light is only another example of the mode of ignoring 
the name of the real discoverer, of which the history of science 
presents so many paralle 
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simple means and explanations, he seemed to be content with 
reat dimensions, corresponding well with his large mind, with 
_ Mus great physical and intellectual power and unquenchabl 
: ardor. He was himself an able and skillful mechanic, and often 
of a well furnished shop. In his operations he spared 
t labor nor expense, and bestowed both munificen y for — 
‘omplishment of his objects. 
evoted great labor and skill to the construction of new 
ed forms of the voltaic pile, and it is easy to show 
