Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-07-22

futation of The errors Of is advocates by the
suhjoined article frum the Scientific American
A CITIZEN OF LYNCHBURG
wood Gas.
The civ of Wilmington, Norlh Carolina, Is
wv. for it. size. the cheapest lighted city IN
the United States. The hole apparatus, IN
Guiding malns gasometers, &c. cost but SIS,
900. This includes their transportation, with,
also The pay and passage of workmen. BY
reference 10 Ure's Chemical Dictionary,
standard work. it will he found a ton of coal.
ar Whereabouts. Yields about 1000 feet Of cubic
gas. This after eight hours dstaion from
the best selected coal BY actual experiments
il has been found that cord Of wood will pro
duce %. 900 feet of cubic gas. 1t will be per
c,ived at once this renders wood gas much
cheaper. Besides it Is we'll ascertalned TACT
that IN the production of light the ligneous oils
are as 7 To superior to that of coal. One
reason that they have been SO i''le used is,
that they require Ia be distilled from wood pre-
vious 10 use, but this difficulty, it is SAID has
been obvated by simple and cheap appara
tbs, Invented and patented by DR.. Mcdonnell.
This invention places the use OF gas within the
r, ach IT all rural villages, and will repder ev.
cry one who chooses TO be So independent oil
The gas companies, for by its means they can
manufacture their own gas, at much cheaper
rate than it can now be supplied by any CON
panv chartered within the United States. This
gas has not the offensive smell of that produced
10y coal, and be passed di ectly from the
retort through the washer or condenser 10 the
gasometer without further publication.
This discovery promises 10 open a new field
Of commerce; the vast amount Of pine in Low
or Virginia and North Carolina now consider
ed Of no value, will be brought INTO market for
the purpose of manufacturing gas, and the
charcoal left, after destructive distlllation, will
pay the whole expense Of mfnufacturing.-
Wood can be purchased IN North Carolina
and delivered at Wilmington, or in Parnlico
Sound, for one dollar per cord; the transporta-
lion, &c, would not bring the cost up beyond
four dollars. Wood, at five dollars per cord,
yields $4,000 cubic feet. An apparatus for
manufacturing wood gas could be put up for
one seventh the cost of that for manufacturing
coal gas. Il is estimated that he city of New
\ ork might be lighted for one dollar per thou
sand feet and yield handsome profit 10 the
manufacturers; whereas this city now pays
three dollars per housand.-Ercning Post.
That good gas can be made from wood is a
act, and one as long and vel Known as that
also true that ton of coal produces about
5000 cubic feet ofgas, bot 1.-THE amount which
AN he produced by cord Of wood we do not
snow, as one kind Of wood will produce more
gas than another More gas can certainly be
produced from resin than from wood, and yet
;as can be made from coal at less cost. We
re positive that no 90 900 cubic feet of good
as can be made from cord of wood 900
ubiC feet will he ppa The mark We ha
10 doubt but In some places were good rosin
nus pine wood is cheap, gas can be made
conom cally, but il any OF the other woods in
'ur forest IS used, we believe IFS gas will have
be washed with turpentine before it can be
Iaie suitable for illumination.
We do not hesitate to pronounce the state
oent, respecting "makng gas from wood for
ne dollar thousand cubic feet in this CITY,"
grossly erroneous alegement. A cord of
Try pine wood does not weigh 1000 lbs
pitch pine 1904 lbs } ii contains 40 95 Carbon
,4l hydrogen, and 1854 oxygen. Good bit
minous coal yields 74.823 carbon, 6.1SO hy
'rugen, and only 0S5 OF oxygen As OK
gen aud by drogen are very volatile, If they
xlst In a large propolIon IN any matter employ.
d In making gas in wood it is evident that
ley will quickly pass off when the wood is
Ut into the retort and not take up the carbon
! the wood, wich is essential to the making of
God gas the product therefore will he poor
vatery gas in comparison with hat produced
ON coal; and, besides, there will be produced
great quantity of watery acid, and other MAJ
ers not fit for illumination. Lii hit carburetred
ydrogen the gas made from coal and used in
lnrs, contains no oxygen, It's composition is
'H2, and it's the excess of hydrogen in the
oal which takes ~ some carbon--the latter
ct beng volatile in itself, but it is left in the
ttort-and makes the gas. The excess Of
xygen in wood-it not being an element of
he Illuminated gas-rerders it altogether in.
error for making gas for cities. A cord of
FOOD then cannot make much gas as a ton Of
luminous coal, and therefore it would be
'ore expensive TO use ii for that purpose, ex.
"pting where tits very cheap and coal dear
1t has been found that 123 parts of hydro
Ell can combine with as much carbon as 100
arts OF oxygen in wood there are about 10
arts OF oxygen to l of hydrogen while in
~ ilIarn 4 h,.l. .