The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-09-26
Saint Paul Lighted with Gas--A De
scriptiOn of the Gas WORKS. &c.

cord, we devote considera,sp'se, {, space to de-
s,ripton of the works wh,,vthe gas is man.
uiactured, for the statistics of which we are
indebted to JOHN p. KENNEDY, Esq, the ell
gineer of the company, who kindly guided US
through the works, explaining the intricate
process of its manufacture.
The main building Of the works is built Of
stone, and contains the retorts, engines,
tanks, &c. 1t is about hundred and twen-
ty-five feet in length, and is one story and
half high. On entering the first door, where
some men are wheeling in coal, we sec the
furnaces, or ''benches," where the gas in gen
Grated. There are five of these, each having
five retorts Only one bench is now in use,
which is capable of manufacturing $4,000 Gu
bic feet every twenty -four hours. An idea of
the extent of the works may be formed from
the fact that the average nightly consumption
of gas now will be about 10000 feet so that
only one of the benches will have to be
worked, only part of the time. When all are
in operation, 1000 cubic feet can be made in
an hour, sufficient to supply city of $4,000
inhabitants There is both generating and
storage capacity much greater than will be
needed for several years.
When the gas is discharged into large
pipe which receives all the retorts, it is sepa-
rated from the tar, and passes into another
room. 1t is forced through couple
of large pipes which are perpendicular,
called washers" in which jets of water
are playing, which washes it by catch
ing and bearing off the impurities, such as
ammonia, carbonic acid, &C., and then sends
it through II more pipes, all perpendicular,
% feet high, and escaping out there, it passes
into what is called CENTRE" which is
drum fixed in he centre of the floor, immers-
ed in water. This connects with large box
several feet square, filled with shelves of
lime, called 'lime purifiers" Entering at
the bottom of this, the gas is forced along
through these, and the lime, having an affin-
ity for the impurities in the gas, retains them.
Here are three of these boxes, and it passes
through the whole of them by turas, until it
is completely purified. Wien the lime be-
comes very impure, it is changed.
1t passas then into another room to be
measured. Here is tremendous gasometer,
drum shaped, about five feet long, and four
feet in diameter. The whole gas made at the
works passes in here, and is measured. A
cylinder revoves inside, at each revolution
filing and discharging ITSELF equal to ten GU
bic feet The spindle Of the cylender turns
the hands of the dial, which, at one entire
revolution Of tie hand counting 100 feet,
go on increasing decimally, up to millions of
cubic feet. At the time we visited 29,6lO
feet had passed through. The gasometer
also contains al. ingenious contrivance called
'tell tale," which shows to the Superin-
tendent when the men have 'soldiered" any
during his absence.
Discharged from the meter, it passes out of
the building, into the yard, where the Gas
Holder" " is fixed. This is mammoth boil.
er-plate inverted bucket, some 25 feet across,
end II feet high. 1t is immersed, mouth
downward, in an immense cstern of water,
in the middle of which the pipe comes up
When the holder is empty, its weight sinks
the top down to the level of the ground, but
when the gas rushes into it, being so light, it
slowly raises the tank up, until it floats on
top Of the water. At night when the gas is
let onto the city, it's weight forces it out
and creates the pressure which gives the jet,
to the burners. 1t is capable of holding 49,.
600 cubic feet of gas, which is sufficient for
4 days consumption, One bench of retorts
can fill it in As hours.
After leaving the Holder by another con-
duit pipe, it passes through another ingenious
contrivance, an invention of Mr.. Kennedy's,
which regulates the supply for the city, fixed
in an office and is thence discharged into the
main aorta, which passes up Rosabel street
and supplies all the other branch pipes in the
city. There are FOUR MILES Of pipe already
laid, of capacity sufficient to supply the city
were it five times as large as at present
There are two steam engines in the main
building, one to supply water to tank which
feeds the fountains in the washers and an
other that drives an air pumps used for test
ing the tightness of the pipes. This is also
an invention of Mr.. Kennedy.
The Coke will be sold at Soc bushel, and
the tar, which has all been contracted for, at
1926 per barrel. There is now coal enough
in store to last one year. The rate of con-
sumption is abous two tons per "a hours; IL
gallons tar is obtained from this.
Mr.. Kennedy has agreed to fill Mr.. Mar
koe's balloon on Tuesday $4,000 feet will
be required for this operation, which comes
off Tuesday morning at o'clock.
This is all the description which we are able
to give of these splendid works, which, though |
not the largest, are the best and most scien
titically constructed west of the ALLIE ghanies, |
and should be source of pride to all our
citizens. Mr. Kennedy, the Engineer, is an
old and experienced builder, and has con-
structed Gas Works in many cities of this |
country. These in our own city he especial |
ly prides himself in.
The Gas Company was chartered on the
Third of March, 1856, - about eighteen
months since. JAMES Hoy, Esq, of Balti-
more, who has built Gas Works in eight or
ten cities of the Union, took one half of the
stock, and by his energy aud the prompt use
of his capital as fast as required for the COM
pletion of the works, has been the main Inspiring
to this great enterprise.
Gov. ALEXANDER RAMSEY, one of the larg-
est home stockholders, has been President of
the company since its organization, and has
contributed freely the use ofbis energies and
means to bring the work to an early COM
pletion. Charles W. Borup, G. II. Oakes,
and others of our prominent citizens also
contributed freely to its capital, and have
been tireless in procuring the success of the
enterprise. The inception, carrying forward,
and completion of these extensive works
within IL months from the date of the incor.