Note 58 — Chapter VI

The experiments on sounding flames have been recently considerably extended by my assistant, Mr. Cottrell. By causing flame to rub against flame, various musical sounds can be obtained—some resembling those of a trumpet, others those of a lark. By the friction of unignited gas-jets, similar though less intense effects are produced. When the two flames of a fish-tail burner are permitted to impinge upon a plate of platinum, as in Scholl’s “perfectors,” the sounds are trumpet-like, and very loud. Two ignited gas-jets may be caused to flatten out like Savart’s water-jets. Or they may be caused to roll themselves into two hollow horns, forming a most instructive example of the Wirbelflächen of Helmholtz. The carbon-particles liberated in the flame rise through the horns in continuous red-hot or white-hot spirals, which are extinguished at a height of some inches from their place of generation.