Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

I oo BRITAIN AT WORK. about ten years previously. M. Greyson introduced a burner which, by the use of gas at a high pressure, and consuming only the average ten feet per hour of the ordinary burner, drew five times its volume of air per hour into the combustion; and using with it an incandescent mantle he obtained an immensely increased light, equal to that of more than 300 sperm candles. This is the essential principle. But for the satisfactory working of this principle it is necessary to increase the pressure of the gas about four times more than that at which it is usually found in the mains; and his method of compressing the gas was not in practice very successful. Several other plans were suggested ; and one of the most satisfactory was the auto- matic compressor, introduced by Mr. James Keith, C.E.—the actual inventor being, we believe, his son, Mr. George Keith—and it was their method by which the very beautiful results were obtained at Glasgow and Turin. A suitable burner is also a necessity; but into the battle of the burners we need not enter. Thus, while the opening years of the nineteenth century saw the gradual adoption of gas as an illuminating agent, the opening years of the twentieth century behold a remarkable development of its power and resources. A soft, white light beams from its best burners, and multitudes of persons use its flame as a fuel. Striving to hold its own, it seems more efficient than ever in diffusing light and warmth, and so supplying two of the great needs of mankind. F. M. Holmes. SIFTING AND PICKING THE BREEZE.