Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1853-07-23
Wood Gas.

/ United states. The whole apparatus. in.
GLIDING mains, gasometer. &C.. cost blu,
$4,000. This includes their transportation
from Philadelphia and also the passage and
pay OF workmen. By reference to Ure's
Chemical Dictionary. a standard work, il
will be found ton of coal, or thereabouts
yields about 10000 cubic feet of gas. This
is after eight hours dlstillation from the bes,
selected coal By actual experiments it has
been found that a cord of wood will produce
$4,000 cublca feet of gas. 1t will be per.
celved at once that this renders Wood Gas
much cheaper. Besides, it is a we'll ascer.
famed fact, that wood-oils, in the production
OF light, are as seven to three in favor CT
ligneous oils over COIL. One reason that they
have been SO little used is. that they re.
| quire 10 be distilled from wood previous to
use; but this difficulty, it's said, has been
obyiated by simple and cheap apparatus,
| invented and patented BY Dr.. Mcconnell.
This invention places the use of gas within
the reach of all rural villages, and will
render every one, who chooses to be so, in
| dependent of the Gas Companies. for by its
means :hey can manufacture their own gas,
at a much cheaper rate than it can now be
| supplied by any company chartered within
the United States. This gas has not the Of
fensive smell of that produced by coal, and
| can be passed directly from the retort through
| the washer or condenser TO the gasometer,
without further publication.
This discovery promises to open new
| field to commerce the vast amount of pine
wood in lower Virginia and North Carolina,
| now considered of no value, will be brought
into market for the purpose Of manufacturing
gas, and the charcoal left after distillaiion
will pay the whole expense for manufacture
ing. Wood can be purchased in North
Carolina, and delivered al Wilmington, or in
Pimlico Sound, for one dollar per cord; the
transportation, &c, would not bring the cost
up beyond four dollars. Wood at five dol
lars per cord, yiellls $4,000 cubic feet of
gas coal, at six dol lars per ton, only 1000
cubic feet. An apparatus for manufacturing
wood gas could be put up for one-seventh
the cost of that for manufacturing coal gas.
1t is estimated that the city of New York
might be lighted for one dollar thousand
feet, and yield handsome profit to the
manufacturers whereas the city now pays
three dollars per thousand feet. We under
stand that company has been projected in
this city. by w. D. Porter, Esq, son of
Com. Porter, for profitable employment of
the patent.-N. Y Evening Post.
The Scientific Am ercan commenting on
the above says-"That good gas can be
made from wood is a fact, and one as long
and well known as that it can be made from
oil, bitumen, and coal. 1t is also true that
ton of coal produces about 10000 cubic feet
of gas, but the amount which can be pro-
duced by cord of wood we do not know, as
one kind OF wood will produce more gas than
another. More gas can certainly be pro-
ri frov
gas can be made from coal at less cost
We are positive that no $4,000 cubic feet
of good gas can be made from cord of
wood; 1000 cubic feet will be nearer the
mark. We have no doubt but in some places
where good resinous, pine wood is cheap.
gas can be made economically, but if any
OF the other woods in our forests is used, we
believe its gas will have to be washed with
turpentine before il can be made suitable for
illumination.
"We do not hesitate to pronounce the
statement respecting making gas from
wood for one dallar a thousand cubic feet, in
this city," grossly erroneous allegement.
A cord of dry pine wood does not weigh
1000 lbs. (pitch pine 1904 lbs.) 1t contains
1895 carbon. GAL hydrogen, and 1894
oxygen. Good bituminous coal yields 1893
carbon, 6.180 hydrogen, and only 5085 of
oxygen. As oxygen and hydrogen are very
volatile, if they exist in large proportion
in any matter employed for making gas as
in wood, it is evident that they will quickly
pass off when the wood is put into the retort
and not take up the carbon in the wood,
which is essential to the making of good gas;
the product therefore will be poor watery
gas in comparison with that produced from
coal, and besides, there will be produced
great quantity of watery acid, and other
matters not fit for illumination. Light car
buretted hydrogen, the gas made from coal
and used in Cities contains no oxygen, its
composition is Cha, and it is the excess of
hydrogen in the coal which takes up some
carbon the latter not being volatile in itself.
but it is left in the retori) aud makes the
gas. The excess of oxygen in wood lit not
being an element of the illuminating gas)
renders it altogether inferior to coal for
making gas for cities. A cord of wood then,
cannot produce as much gas as a tor of
pituminous coal, and therefore it would be
more expensive to use it for that purpose
excepting where it is very cheap and coal
dear.
at has been found th.t 1919 parts Of n.y.
drogen can combine with as much carbon as
100 parts Of oxygen; in wood there are about
10 parts of oxygen TO Of hydrogen, while
in coal there is of hydrogen TO so of OK
ygen. We would therefore expect that one
ton Of good camel coal would produce ten
times more good Illuminating gas than
cord of wood
AN IMPORTANT DEclsfoN-A case of some
importance to newspaper publishers, as
we'll as TO advertisers generally, was decided
a few weeks since by Judge Oakley, of the
New York Supreme Court, the main points
Of which we here state for the information
Of all interested. 1t appears that Mr..
Henry l. Ibbotson, merchant of New York,
took an advertisement TO the office of the
Courier and Enquirer, to be inserted in that
Journal. When it was handed in, there not
being correct understanding as to how
long it should be inserted, and not being
marked, it was continued until it had re-
ceived one hundred and fifty insertions, for
which charge was made at the rate of two |
dollars for each insertion On presenting
the bill for payment; Mr.. Ibbotson Oh
ected to it, on the ground that his directions
had not been complied with The court, !
however, decided that, as he took the paper,
il was to be presumed that he saw the ad- |
vertisement daily, that ii was his duty to
n ifv tho r,,hii Shprs eifhpr IN cha n,,o ,r |