Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1914 — Lights Floating on Quicksilver. [ARTICLE]

Lights Floating on Quicksilver.

Quicksilver Is used mainly, according to the United States Geological survey, in the manufacture of fulminate for explosive caps, of drugs, of electric lighting and scientific apparatus and in the recovery of the precious metals, especially of gold, by amalgamation. An increasing demand has been reported in manufactures of electric appliances. An interesting and increasing use in Scotland is the floating of the lights of lighthouses upon a body of quicksilver. The metal is not consumed, of course, and the loss in use is insignificant Concerning this Consul Fleming writes as follows; “Quicksilver is used for ‘floating* the revolving lights < in lighthouses. The commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, Edinburgh, have in their charge 90 lighthouses on the coast of Scotland. Up to the year 1900 the revolving lights were borne on rollers. The ‘float’ system has been gradually introduced, however, and is now in operation at 30 coast stations and will be used at all others. The lighting machinery rests on a pontoon which runs on quicksilver in a groove. The quantity of mercury required in a lighthouse is from seven to eight flasks of 75 pounds —Consular Reports.