A Practical Treatise on Gas-light Exhibiting a Summary Description of the Apparatus and Machinery Best Calculated for Illuminating Streets, Houses, and Manufactories, with Carburetted Hydrogen, or Coal-Gas, with Remarks on the Utility, Safety, and General Nature of this new Branch of Civil Economy.

PART I.

Chapter 1242 wordsPublic domain

PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT, &c. 8.

Production of the flame generated during the combustion of certain bodies.--Characters of flame when perfect.--Most luminous flame, how produced with the least consumption of combustible matter.--Conditions necessary for that purpose.--Importance of this subject, with regard to the production and supply of artificial light.--The flame of bodies may be tinged.--Blue flame, red flame, green flame, &c.--Opinion concerning the origin of light emitted by bodies burning with flame.-- Philosophy of the subject.--Theory of the action of the instruments of illumination.--Rude method of procuring light employed in some countries.--Chemical action of candles, and lamps.--Agency of the tallow, oil, &c.--Office of the wick.--Reason why tallow candles require snuffing, and wax candles snuff themselves--Further observations on the subject.

METHOD OF ASCERTAINING THE ILLUMINATING POWER OF CANDLES, LAMPS, AND OTHER LUMINOUS BODIES. 22.

Optical principle assumed as law for determining the relative strength of lights of different kinds.--Admeasurement of the intensities of light.--Quantity of wax, tallow, oil, &c. requisite for producing a light of a certain strength.--Method of increasing the light of tallow candles, and to obviate the necessity of snuffing them.--A tallow candle placed in an inclined position gives more light than when placed perpendicularly and snuffed with an instrument.--Explanation of the fact.--Further observations on this subject.--Comparative cost of the light obtained by burning tallow candles of different sorts and sizes.