Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-04-17
Gas without Coal.

The attempts heretofore made TO manufac
ture gas by the decomposition of water. and
the subsequent carboniZati0n of the product by
the use of petroleum, or bituminous materials,
have not heretofore reached practical success,
though the experiments have been interesting
in suggesting possibilities in this way.
Now, however, a new gas of this description
has been developed in England, which is spoken
of sppToyIngly by scientific journal of stand
ing, the London Mature. and which also receives
favorable notice from the New York Journal Of
commeTce. This gas, invented by Mr.. Ruck,
may, it is asserted, be used in one form for
heating purposes. and in another for illumina-
ton; and made out of the cheapest substances,
by very simple method, and at small cost As
IN the various water gas processes, Mr.. Ruck
obtains his hydrogen BY passing steam through
incandescent coke; but his mode differs from
that OF other inventors in one respect: with the
IRON refuse) are mixed and the oxygen of the
decomposed water attaches itself to
the iron, forming scales of black rust
and then the hydrogen passes into purifying
chamber i'm a comparatively free condition
The effect OF the iron il to promote the perfect
separation of the two gases composing water
that work being more tardily done by the action
OF the red-hot coke alone. The charge of iron
and coke in the retorts does not need to be re-
said to cost, for making, only I'd. per 900 cubic
feet, which suffices to boil about fifty gallons of
cold water. By familiar arrangement it could
be used in stoves or ire-places. The cost would
lie reduced by sing the waste heat of the re-
tort furnace to raise the steam, instead of sup
plying IL independently from a boiler. For
Fighting purposes, this hydrogen gas is made to
bubble through reservoir containing rec tilted
petroleum OF specific gravity of about O.6so.
and L. then ready for circulation and consump-
ton. and is reported by NGfure-t to have an illu-
minating power of 10y candles "a good stand
ara, with a dow OF five cubic feet an hour in
an Argand burner. In this form the gas costs
les than Is sd. per 600 cubic feet; the cost of
ordinary coal manufactured gas in London
being - Id, when coal Is 26s. a ton.
The difficulty, heretofore, with all the substi-
tute gases has been their instability, and the
question has been raised whether the new gas
l. permanent compound, capable of passing
Tor long distances through ripes in all weathers
without disintegrating. The scientific Journal
referred TO says that in a number of expert
ments made its permanence seems to be estab-
lished, and it has been shown that when deliv-
cred at points remote from the works there is
no pereeptible loss of illuminating power. 1t
Is also stated that the necessary works for The
manufacture Of this gas are so compact that
those at Batterses, occupying about the space
of an ordinary well packed steam engine of
twenty or thirty horsepower, are large enough
TO supply gas to a town of 1000 inhabitants
The assertion is also made that only one-thir-
tieth the number of lsborers are needed i'm the
manufacture of this gas that are required i'm
the old process Of coal distiilation.
Ii is hardly probable that all these sanguine
claims in behalf of the new gas can be estab-
lished, but it would seem-according to the
adsge that Necessity is the mother of Inven-
tion-not unlikely that the present coal famine
in England will quicken the inventive powers
OF the nation to the discovery Of some more
economical mode of making illuminating gas
than 10y the present process OF the distilation of
coal.