View report page

19
Naphthalized Gas.
I also reported upon the subject of a letter, dated
April 24, 1861, from the United Kingdom Carburating
Gas Company, which directed your attention to a patented
invention for carburating gas for street lamps, and for
lighting public and private buildings, whereby at a very
small cost a considerable saving is effected.
I made experiments during three weeks upon the increase
of illuminating power of the naphthalized gas, and
the quantity of material consumed.
The process consists in passing common gas through a
chamber containing naphtha, with which the gas, having
come into contact, mechanically combines with the volatile
vapours, and produces a greatly increased light.
This method is termed naphthalizing gas, for which a
patent was taken out by Professor Donovan, 6th October,
1830, who applied naphtha to hydrogen, carbonic oxide,
and the gases produced by decomposing water by coke.
Mr. George Lowe received a patent June 9th, 1832,
which has expired, for naphthalizing coal gas, and French
patents have been taken out for the same purpose.
But the principle of applying naphtha to street lamps,
and the mode adopted by the company, is new in this
country.
The company intend to apply the carburator inside the
lantern, below the burner, in order to keep an equable
temperature.
In one experiment, the illuminating power of the common
gas, when naphthalized, was nearly double, and in
another it became two and a quarter times greater than
the non-carburetted.