DESCRIPTION  OF  A  NEW  FUSIBLE  ALLOY. 
219 
It  is  obvious  that  they  do  not  at  all  interfere  with  the  use  of 
the  lamp  as  originally  intended.  It  may  still  be  ignited  out- 
side the  gauze,  so  as  to  give  a  broad,  open,  blue  flame.  When 
used  as  a  safety-lamp,  it  is,  of  course,  to  be  lighted  inside,  and 
furnishes  a  circuit  of  small  luminous  flames,  but  which  afford 
sufficient  heat  for  any  purpose  for  which  a  safety-lamp  is  con- 
ceived to  be  desirable. 
To  show  the  confidence  which  one  may  repose  in  the  safety 
of  such  a  lamp,  I  may  add  that  I  have  repeatedly  tested  one  by 
heating  a  fatty  oil  to  ebullition — during  which  the  gauze  imme- 
diately under  the  retort  would  acquire  a  dull  red  heat — and 
then  pouring  boiling  ether  upon  the  different  parts  of  the  lamp, 
without,  in  a  single  instance,  being  able  to  ignite  it  outside  the 
gauze.  A  portion  of  the  ether  would  fall  through  and  burn  in 
the  interior,  while  some  would  lie  in  the  spheroidal  state  upon 
the  gauze  itself,  until  evaporated  :  showing,  that,  if  one  were 
distilling  such  a  substance,  even  with  such  an  excessive  heat  in 
the  lamp,  the  retort  might  break,  and  its  contents  fall  through 
upon  the  lamp  without  any  kind  of  danger.  A  similar  safety- 
lamp  could  easily  be  constructed  for  using  alcohol  instead  of  gas. 
— Amer.  Jour.  Science  and  Arts,  March,  1862. 
DESCRIPTION  OF  A  NEW  FUSIBLE  ALLOY. 
By  B.  Wood,  M.  D. 
In  this  Journal  for  Sept ,  1860,  will  be  found  a  notice  of  the 
cadmium  alloy  discovered  by  me,  consisting  of  from  one  to  two 
parts  of  cadmium,  two  parts  of  tin,  four  parts  of  lead,  and  from 
seven  to  eight  parts  of  bismuth,  and  so  exceedingly  fusible  as  to 
melt  below  the  temperature  of  160°  Fahr.  A  brief  description 
of  another  alloy  similar  in  character  and  scarcely  less  remark- 
able, is  herewith  submitted.    It  consists  of, 
Cadmium  1  part,  lead  6  parts,  bismuth  7  parts. 
This  alloy  melts  at  about  180°  Fahr.,  being  nearly  midway 
between  the  melting  point  of  the  old  fusible  metal  consisting  of 
the  three  metals,  tin,  lead,  and  bismuth,  and  that  of  the  alloy 
first  mentioned,  consisting  of  the  four  metals,  cadmium,  tin,  lead, 
and  bismuth.    It  is  remarkable  as  exhibiting  the  liquidifying 
