Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 November 1888 — Suggestions About Kerosine Lamps. [ARTICLE]

Suggestions About Kerosine Lamps.

Brooklyn Standard Union. All who have experience in mineraloil lamps must, sooner or later, learn that the condition demanded for their burning without smell is that the wick . shall be turned up so as to obtain a fullsized flame without actual smoking. It is commonfy supposed at first that by keeping the flame low all objectionable odor is prevented, but the contrary is the case. Something more may be learned by first charging a lamp with a measured quantity of oil, burning it with the flame at full size for a given time and ascertaining the loss of oil, then making a second experiment with the same lamp, same quantity of oil, burning the same length of time, but with the wick turned down so as to have but a fraction of the amount of light supplied during the first experment, On measuring the loss of oil this time it will be found but little less than in the first case. Therefore, in turning down such lamp flames we obtain no saving of material as in turning down a gak flame. The reason is that with a low flame a considerable quanity of the products of incomplete combustion are making their escape into the air, and these are hot only offensive to the sense ■at smell, but are also injurious to the health.