The use of the ether light has a curious history. In the earlier days before the proper construction of ether saturators was understood, and gas-bags were still in vogue, it was largely condemned on the score of danger. Modern improvements in apparatus rendered it perfectly safe against anything but gross carelessness or bungling, and the London County Council and other similar bodies immediately supplied it broadcast to elementary schools (in disregard of warnings offered by myself and others), where it was often entrusted to incompetent operators or even senior boys. So far as I know no serious accident ever resulted, a pretty conclusive proof that the light is really safe, but in time the London County Council realised that the universal adoption of this illuminant was not advisable, and I believe now prohibit it altogether in halls licensed by them for entertainments.
In time, no doubt, they will learn to adopt a sane policy between the two extremes, but at present the official attitude in many localities has placed ether saturators out of the running, and before purchasing one the would-be operator should ascertain that he will be allowed to use it.
Ether saturators as made at the present day may be divided into two principal patterns, viz. those in which saturator and jet are combined in one piece of apparatus
which fits bodily into the lantern, and saturators which are used outside and connected by means of tubing to any ordinary oxyhydrogen double-pressure jet.
Both forms have their advantages and disadvantages; the first pattern tends to become too warm from its position in the lantern and generates ether vapour too quickly, while the second has the fault of becoming too cold (owing to evaporation of the ether) and therefore not vaporising quickly enough.
Writing at the present date, when manufacturers are slowly beginning to resume their normal occupations after the stress of war work, it is impossible to say exactly what models will or will not be made, but I will mention one typical example of each pattern as made in pre-war days.
The first of these is the 'Gridiron' (Fig. 21), adopted largely by the London County Council in the days I have referred to, and certainly one of the best designed saturators ever put on the market.
In the 'Gridiron' saturator there are three taps: two at the
rear and one in front, between the saturator and the mixing chamber. Between the rear taps is the inlet for the oxygen, which divides into two channels, that on the left passing upwards through the U tube shown in the illustration (the corresponding tube on the right is merely a dummy), and thence through the saturator and out through the horizontal tube and tap into the mixing chamber, whence the saturated stream of oxygen finally passes to the nipple, and the combination burns with a whitish flame closely resembling that produced by coal gas.