New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-07

Pure hydrogen gas ls manufactured from
emo and weak sulphuric acid. The flame
hour on watch dial.
Coal is practically compound of carbon
and hydrogen in the solid state. A good
gas coal may contain eighty-i per cent
Of carbon, and from five to seven per cent
of hydrogen, the remainder being fixed
oxygen, etc.
Purified coal gas is q mixture. in variable
proportions. of hydrogen csrburetted and
bi-carburetted. The most brilliant and in
tensely luminous flames of any known
gases depend chiefly, if not entirely, on the
defiant gas they contain. In all cases the
light Of any infammable gas is
in the exact proportion to the
quantity of carbon it contains. Ono
argaud burner, burning five cubic feet
of gas per hour, should give at least the
illumination Of . dozen sperm candles.
though all gas companies can and should
keep up q sufficient pressure at all times to
give bright, steady light. If the pressure
Is too great more gas is forced through the
burners than they are capable of burning;
the consequence is that that portion passes
through in an uncOneumed state, smoking
and destroying everything in the vicinity
gas bills. If the pressure is not sufficient,
or the pipes and fittings too small, the lights
can not be good or steady; in fact it is one
of the great causes Of Pickering.
Every gas consumer should learn to read
the index of the gas meter; it is quite as
easy to understand as it is to learn the time
on watch dial.
the brightest and steadiest light, though l
frequently see the illuminating quality Of
the gas passing through those beautiful
burners half destroyed by the chimneys
being either too long or too short.
Ii the current of air passing through the
chimney is too strong, the illuminating
quality of the gas is destroyed, and great
combustion Of oxygen derived from the air.
1t is on this principle the oxyhydrOZen
flame 10 produced. To give the reader
some idea of the amount Of heat produced
by such flame, l have only to inform him
that all known metals are easily and quick
~ melted by it.
The next best burner to the srgand is
the bat-wing. 1t is good, ana II Kept clean
by drawing q card or q bit of thin metal
through tho opening in the top, they will
last for years.
The tish-tail burner is also good, but it
| is more liable to get out OF order. Ihls
burner was the first improvement on the
original one hole jet. With all its faults a
| much greater number Of them are in use
| in every country than all the other burners
put together.
Mr.. Sugg, gas engineer of London,
| formed his argaud burner of steatite. 1t
| gives the greatest amount Of light OF any
argand burner constructed in England, the
| ordinary argand burner consuming five feet
of gas per hour, giving the illumination OF
| twelve candles. Mr.. Sugg's burner, sub
| iected to the pbotometer test, was found to
give the illumination of thirteen and half
/ nf London
| and other cities have not been slow to take
advantage of this burner. They measure
the Luminosity of their gas by it, and thus
| keep within the requirements OF the act OF
| Parliament by supplying gas of about one
and half candles in Luminosity less than
the act of Parliament intended.
| am not saying too much when l inform
| the gas consumers generally, that every in
ventiOn that tends to promote the cheap
manufacture of gas and lessen its cost to
| the gas companies is readily taken up by
them and used.
1t would be q great mistake on the part
| of the gas coneumer to blame the collector
| or any person in the employ of the gas COM
pany for tue faults or fraudulent acts OF
any gas company.
In an article of mine published in the
| New Orleans Times, July, 1872. showed
| the necessity OF establishing in this city q
gas consumers protection office, furnished
| with good test meters, pressure gauges,
photometers etc.. for the purpose of testing
all gas meters in use in the city. All that can
be found to register correctly after fair
test should be marked with the official
stamp of the office.
Gas meters require constant supervision.
lest they should register from ten to forty
DER cent against the public, and in favor OF
the Gas Company. Clock and watches must
be kept clean and often regulated, II you
wish them to keep the exact time OF day.
Every gas meter in the city found to
register against the consumer after being
tested in the above mentioned Office, q
Certificate should be handed to the CON
sumner stating the overcharged percentage.
| The Gas Company should be compelled by
| law to return to the consumer the amount
| in cash for the Overcharged percentage
| from the time he paid his deposit on the
meter up to the date of his official certif-
cate.
The Gas Company demands an unressona-
| BILE deposit on their meters; in most in
stances q sum considerably more than the
original net cost before they will conde.
| scend to allow you the use OF it.
The Gas Company's collector scall month
", note down the figures pointed on the
| index of the meter, and in q few days calls
With the bill for immediate settlement.
Should the meter register fifty per cent
| against you, you can not obtain redress. 1t
| you complain, you are informed that the
| index of the meter shows that that amount
of gas passed through in the month.
They lhold your deposit money, conse
quently have it in their power to pay them
selves, return you the balance, shut off the
gas. and remove the meter. For one mo-
ment, think of the yearly revenue that
would be realizt d by the company if all
tbs meters in this great city registered only
| five per Ct mt fast.
Making tests of the photometric power,
or in other words the Illuminating quality
| Of gas, at or near the gaswOrks, is pure
nonsense. ANY quality of gas may be pro-
duced by them in a short space of time
sperm candles OF six to the pound, each
consuming 100 grains per hour.
If health and property are to be taken
| into consideration, no gas is fit for use
which gives less illumination than eighteen
candles, and nothing less should be all we'd
| to be supplied:
A poor or bad Illuminating gas is far
richer than it ought to be in sulphur COM
pounds, and in burning gives off too much
poisonous sulphurous acid and other case.
Gus vapors, fesrfully injurious to health. It
a room where such gas is used. In fact, it
tinges everything-paint, paper, engrav-
ines, lithographs, drapery and all other
goods exposed for sale in the show windows
| of stores in this and other cities.
A large quantity of gas. generally esti-
mated ct from ne.seventh to one-eighth of
the whole production, is lost by leakage in
| Europe and in this country. Strange to
say, that is not the case in this city. The
| oompany's main pipes lay deep under water,
consequently little or no gas can escape: