The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (February 1894)

The Optical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. WHILE a labourer was engaged in opening a gas main at Dungannon, a terrible explosion of gas took place tearing the roadway up for about thirty yards. After due investigation it was decided that the ignition was caused by a spark from the pickaxe used in digging up the roadway. A possIRLE method of utilising iron gas bottles for the lantern, in other ways than those now common, deserves investigation. When common gas is compressed it begins to split up into various hydrocarbons, and to deposit same in a solid state, but this is not the case with oil gas, which is why the latter is selected by Trinity House when it has to use, forlighthouse purposes, an illuminating gas under compression; moreover, the ‘Trinity brethren’’ recognise that such compressed gas gives a better light with concentric Argand burners, than does parraffin burnt from concentric wicks. This fact was published in these pages some time ago, and Mr. Fletcher, of Warrington, seems to have overlooked it, when he recommended paraffin as likely to give better results than gas in Argand burners. It would be useful to know what size of bottle, containing what pressure of oil gas, will do for a lantern entertainment of, say, three hours’ duration, also whether there is any simple apparatus which could be placed near a lantern to make good oil gas as it is wanted, and consumed without putting the gas under abnormal pressure at all. Here is a field for invention and experiment. WHEN in conversation with Mr. W. I. Chadwick, of Manchester, he stated that he had found the best covering for gas cylinders, with a view of preventing concussion, was to have a_ basket mace on the cylinder. Some three years ago he had had a cylinder covered in this manner and found it highly efficient. To the best of his memory the cost was only Is. 6d., or 2s. As is well known to our readers, Mr. X. Brown, of Ossulston Street, N.W., isa maker of limelight jets, saturators, etc., but itappears that he has recently been enacting a new role, viz: burglar catching. Two burglars recently broke into his premises, when Mr. Brown with alittle manceuvring managed to secure both until the arrival of the police. During the ercounter he was fortunate in only sustaining a bite on the thumb. ah: * a deca On another page will be found particulars of a clock slide which we learn was made by Mr. C. E. Rendle, whose articles on building a bi-unial lantern are at present appearing in our columns. We have had one of these slides sent to us and have tried it with great success. THE two humorous advertisment slides which Messrs. Peek, Frean are offering to lanternists were from drawings made by Mr. F. F. Weeks. a e a As the use of oil lanterns and the necessity which exists for keeping developing rooms for lantern slide work warm in the winter will continually draw more and more attention to the proper combustion of petroleum, perhaps the tollowing remarks will be useful. These little stoves with flat tin cone chimneys and a mica window, on sale everywhere at prices varying from about 2s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. each, display great ingenuity in construction, and are usually most efficient in supplying the right amount of air to burn the paraffin without smell, but they are not large enough to comfortably warm a room of decent size. In introducing two long burners into more costly stoves to obviate this, the manufacturers are confronted with a difficulty ; they have either to make the ornamental upper part long and steeple-like to get a sufficient draught, in which case the stove is more liable to get knocked over, or they have to shorten that upper part, so that a slight smell is often ‘given when the height of the flames is not care fully adjusted; in other cases they put additional metal work inside the stove and near the burners to properly govern the supply of air. Some new stoves are coming into use consisting of two of the good little stoves first mentioned, mounted upon one oil reservoir, and surmounted by one perforated metal headpiece for surporting cooking utensils or other things, close above the two flattened tin cones. This class of stove is excellent, for it enables anything to be rapidly heated, and when the stove is wanted solely for warming a room may be capped with a movable radiator. It also can be surmounted and surrounded above the reservoir by any ornamental movable open ironwork the possessor pleases, when such ornamental casings are introduced into the market. After a thorough trial the electric lighting of the City has been pronounced a success and orders have been given to remove all the gas standards in the City, the cost of maintaining which, has cost nearly £1,200 a year. Out of 1,230 hours of electric lighting there was only a failure of one hour and the cost of gas to supply this deficit was only a few shillings. ne ok we The Pall Mall Gazette states that ‘ The Arcadian age has returned, and childish simplicity has found a shrine at the Bachelors’ Club.