Acetylene from Calcium Carbide: Generated, Purified and Stored

Water turns calcium carbide into acetylene gas and slaked lime. Thorpe's Dictionary (1912) says how to do it well: let the water rise slowly to the carbide so the gas stays cool, use about twice the theoretical water and flood the residue, clear the air out first, purify the gas over bleaching powder and then lime, and store it in a gasholder. Acetylene mixed with air explodes: no flame near the apparatus. The picture: our diagram.