, 1860-02-24

tffoll EcFu7Fs fIc:SJ
We hare seen aud carefully examined this
It seems to us complete success. Compared
with con! Eas an equal number Of cubic feet
yields lnore light and more heat. It is more
dense, much cheaper, and requires greatly less
room for its apparatus and fewer laborers TO
manufacture it. It is also easily freed from
some OF the offensive mixtures, such as the
sulphurous and nitrous compounds-it is by SO
much less offensive in the leakages and escapes
incident to the use. A bushel Of charcoal and
til: &c hundred pounds Of rosn are consumed in
the production Of ten Thousand cubic feet Ut
gas. These ere the only materials employed in
the conse's sion of the hydrogen Of the water.
vapor into the gas or gases required. Hydro
carbonuc.ous substance5-such as tue nsphal-
ium Of Cuba, coal oil, or other mineral oils
may be used as well As rosin. This class OF
sub: tances il rcry various, quite exhaustless,
and extremely cheap. Il retort OF but one. third
Of the cuo!c-i capacity Of tie coal gas retor,s
in common use, can, without being subjected to
q destructive degree Of heat, make three or
four f"ld the quantity Of gus III equal time.
By incrcasiu- The heat It eau be pushed to d
yield Of sic tlnIes-,hct is, eighteen times the
yi.ld Of coal gas rrtort Of tue same dimcu-
slons. 1t, can, indeed lie made as fast rs it can
be conveyed from the generator. The ca
pacny Of The materials aud app!r<tus for p:o-
ducinx tie gas answers to thu degree Ct heat
f>ay to burn up the letorts with 4 rapdity pro.
'portioned to their produc'iveness, which is
scarcefy question. The quantity Of product
aud speed of,he mlEufactuic are the things Sc
crred. and they uIorc than compensate the con-
sumption Of iron.
Tue SIC, Ct ol tue SUCCESS in this method Of
making water gss is in the flct that by ming
ling tile vapor Of water and tue hydro cirbona-
ccous ul1tter {rosiu,) the decomposition of the
c:cu,cntsi is cf1ectrd simutaut ousIy, wl'h and in
the presence Of each other, SO thnr ut the
na:cent points Of generation they are s,ibject
70 1hs action Of their ai!iniies; they enter into
"Atmica! combination, yieldipg the III curhu
1et!el hydrogen Ii Illuminating gas, the oroto-
ctrburctted hydrogen aud caTponic oxide {coul-
bustion supporters y which arc required to con-
fer upon tls aggregate the proper deg;ce Of IT,
minousness. 4 sufficient experience. VIC are
told, proves that the gases thus produced are
permanent, undergoing no decomposition or de-
terioralion alter standing year III 4 sasometer.
lhe failure Of previous attempts to nuke water
gas is due to failure TO secure Instantaneous
decomposition Of the Ingredients, and combina-
tons OF their Elements. The gas, after leariuy
tue generator, is easily, cheat tly, aud expedi-
tiously washed and purified. Indeed, the appa.
that il can be introduc: in our large hotels md
factories is au attachment Of such establish
meats. To this extent, at least, it is capable of
passing into private use.
The current cost-apart from tue apparatus
aud its wear and tear-of making one thousand
!eet OF gas is less than fifty cents. The coal
gus of our city establishments COSTS about one
dollar aud twenty cents to the companies. That
This is watcrgas aud not rosin.gas in the proper
sense Of the words, is obvious from the fact that
an access OF rosin reduces its Luminosity, and
pushed vcry far destroys it. Both the charcoal
aud tue rosiu contribute essential elements. but
the principal ins1 cd'eut is the hydrogen Of the
water used, and this substance properly gives
the product its distinctive popular name. We
think It capable Of still greater improvement,
even in the process Of p' 'oluction, and hare no
doubt that it will answer mauy uses, and will be
got Under more and more perfect control in ap-
pLicati:n 10 such uses, with @ little experience.
ALI the world knows that We need something
to check the abuses which tue public is suffer-
Ing from the mouopoists Of gas manufacture.
We have been nut i little puzzled for q year or
two, 10 tiud that willie we are burning exactly
the same quantity Of gas, ut the same price per
thousand feet, our quarterly bills arc quite
doubled We look to this new invention with
much confidence, tor both light and relief.