XXXVIII. NORMAN SELFE. 



the output of the world's factories is now estimated at 200,000 

 tons per annum. Germany is probably ahead of the rest of the 

 world in the use of acetylene gas, as there are twenty seven towns 

 in that country reported as being lit entirely with it. The most 

 notable installation attempted in Australia so far, has been the 

 lighting of the Sydney Cricket Ground, where acetylene gas has- 

 supplanted the electric light. By its introduction in connection 

 with the lighting of trains on the Prussian State railway lines, it 

 is estimated that eight thousand tons of carbide will be required 

 per annum for that purpose alone. 



As the author designed the whole of the original plant for com- 

 pressing the gas, as well as for storing and expanding it again, in 

 order to light the carriages on the New South Wales railways, in 

 the year 1878 when Mr. Castner was the contractor, he may 

 perhaps attach undue importance to the question of train lighting. 

 It may, however, be pointed out that recent experiments seem to 

 prove that although pure acetylene is explosive when compressed,, 

 and that it has already been the cause of several accidents, it is 

 not explosive when it is combined with three times its volume of 

 oil gas. From the results already attained on the Prussian State 

 railways, it is claimed that the illuminating power of a mixture 

 of 25 per cent, of acetylene gas, with 75 per cent, of ordinary oil 

 gas, is, as compared with oil gas alone, as 325 is to 152, or more 

 than double the efficiency. Such being the case it is evident the 

 carriage reservoirs now in use would either be able to run the 

 present light for double the number of hours, or otherwise they 

 could supply double the light for the same period. The electric 

 lighting of our New South Wales trains is still in the experimental 

 stage, and it cannot be said that success has been attained so far. 



Wool and Presses. — After the lost cattle of our first settlers and 

 their progeny were discovered in the district around Camden, since 

 called the Cow Pastures, the flocks and herds of the young colony 

 increased rapidly, and the early production of fine merino wool is 

 a matter of common history. Up to the middle of the century, 

 our staple product wool was brought from the station to Sydney 



