The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-04-12
A Visit TO the Gas Works.


On TburSiny last reporter visited the New York
aud the Manhattan Works and obtained the follow
ing facts relative these establishments, which,
doubt will prove interesting 10 the reader. at time
,hen the gas question is much agitaed in this city
TIE NEW YORK COMPANY.
This company incorporated with perpetual charter
10 March. ISL. Capital slocVOOO Commenced light
ing from their works. of Hester and Centre
streets March. ls5 Extended the works the
OF Centre and Canal streets in lS2s.
In lsis the company removed their works to Twenty
first street bordering the East river, having sold the
site in Hester .ree fr So 600 and that AT Canal street
to the New Haven Railroad Company for $4,000. The
space occupied y the company IL 1000 feet in Twenty
frst street BY les feet deep The company have already
erected and in operation. reort house, 2O5 feet by So
containing 120 retorts and ~ furnaces. There
o-sdcS purifying houses and condensing houses and
~inxs, 70 feet by ~ appropriated to shops and offices
These buildings are q brown and blue stone and
excec,iingiy handsome There l. chimney Is feet base
snd I'D feet high and two gtsometers y feet each in
damster snd 10 feet high calculated to hold 202Oo0
cubic feet of gas The company erecting west
~sr Of these another set 4 building corresponding to
them IN appearance aid materials and nearly Of the
dimensions The retort house l. 2i2 feet by so and
- feet high, and Is contain ~ retorts and IS fur
naees; chimney 10 fc" high and IL feet base puri
flying houe ~ feet by The lower part II these build
spes being constructed Of stone the upper part brick
and cornices be Of cast iron. There two
Telescope gasomctcrs nearly completed 90 feet each in
diameter and 20 feet high calculated 10 hold 10000 Gu
bic feet Of gas each Thcre, with the other two Ia
.orrrstion will contain $4,000 cubic Of gas There
space left between the gasometers in operation and
thoee being built for four more; but the company
talk Of putting large in the centre instead Of
smaller and it, dimensions arc 10 be $50 feet IN da-
and 20 feet high This would be the largest in the
world exceeding the capacity Of the gasometer
in Philadelphia. which contains million II feet. The
quantity Of gas manufactured during the last by
this company IN millions. Their great meter can
pas 10000 feet in the day. The average Is about
10000 Before the year 1919 the company manu-
featured gss from oil. Taey commenced manufacturing
froo coal the 1t q November. lsis Newcastle
coal first used afterwards two-thiris Of camel
cod aud one-third Of Newcastle Whom the works
cannot make fast enough, or when the gasometers
not barge enough % contain what might be ms
nufscturrd camel coal is exclusively used. for it
rakes and richer gasthat H. given number u
f,~t will produce Light than given number of feet
Newcastle coal partly u Newcastle and
rarity ~ camel Camel j. the purrr coal and make-
most sns price j. higher Gas l. manufactured
follows A painful q coal l. put into an iron retort or
under which j. furnace that heats the retort rel
hot turning the coal partly into gas and partly into
coke The coke, II remains in The pm, while the
passes out through pipe and thence into another
pipe half filled with water called the hydrHults main the
fxcc the retnt being sufficient drive through the
aud the surface and whom u reaches there u
pass back the water acting seal 70 secure H.
Te passing over tb' surface 81 the water lnds IT.
way into c0ndepring pipe and thence into tn con-
tensng house where it, heat and volume reduced
ny IL pacing through " rpttusI spray II - Trans
United thence % the purifying house where II
through three distinct beds 4 dry lime. which extract
the sulrburuus partslTs from Il. just the water
Through which II previously passes takes away the
There test .ttBChel 81 the purifiers by
-hich IT, purity Is tred The cock i turned 70
ta ras ana p,ce Of paper saturated in
solution q surnr q lead Is hcld over IT, If IL
stains the paper /. impure II dos not stain IT, the
- 't'n ~ F"l'0' 800 49,
Der y deeply stained yer the s-coud II = somewhat
stSiued but ov,r the thifd u = unstae Unless the hnc
nas been eft Too ng ~ Tue puriner ana rlures y Dc
'aorl lite tetrd that sugar ~ lead wiz detect one
inpure part Ia ]90s9
When purified the gas L conveyed 70 tho gasometer,
Eas holder which constructed Of sheet iron made
alright and painted and vanished. IL u like n huge
tub vat inverted II J. sunk mouth dovuwards and
botiom upwards. into a tet X - water the air being
frred through opening In the bottom; this open
ing i then closed and the gas being introduced by
pine tetween the btium Il the vessel and the water.
the Eaometsr rais,d e the water gradually, az
INC gss eom's IN aod = may se sa'd % ~ tuA Tnsa
me inverted perton - y ." rl,iil ~ lh.h,s -.
ssrsee - thc water lhs sIpps = ti.n 49,
INC e.om't'f shgud = TO- vtes "u1 u 'i's "a'''
and thc - fhoula '-c"p 0ilhan $3.50, = -
IRON tle ras' meter 'h' - y ''strSu',t ~ pBs
thronghnni the Guy ~ i,-'hy iA.' ' ai.
= mains tala hhd eNeut = h.'lts W. Z,
their Nhoe district nv "aN.'F ~ n.'e' ~ -. RI,
" me osd mann ar Dta u'isR '''ie's ~ ~
e'rr intcnaeu 1T ~ ", 80 ~ ~ ~ - 80 -.
~. ~ snnccht eA4lor, - -. 49,, ~ l
pfts-i theit main. u 49, .Vtyt .-D,R w .h lFl'
y, v pusns s,se, s IL ~, 10 "a tih,