The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-10
GAS FROM WATER.
Quietly Making 1t for Fifty Cents q ThOus.
ana Feet and Selling 1t for ~.
New York Sun

New York Sum-.
While the possibility of making illuminat-
ing gas from water has been under discussion,
some practical men have erected works, and
made from Croton water. Among the estab-
lishmerts in which this gas Is burned are the
Standard, Fifth Avenue, Wallaek,s, Union
Square and Park theatres, and Delmonioo's,
VgSa@ st Me{roneap amsS Fifth s. avenue Sboa sSs
Parker ia1Ier'' and Prescott hotels. re
works are at Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth
and Forty sixth Streets, and the
North river, and Mr.. Francklyn, the manager
capitalist who has supplied money Tor carry
ing on the enterprise. It Is said that $500, 900
| is invested. The concern, called the Munici-
pal Gaslight Company, has been In active
operation for more than a year. A Sun re-
of the company, and asked him to describe
spects Of the enterprise. He said that the
company had carefully avoided publicity, and
did not desire public attention. They had a
cheap mode Of making gas, which nobody
else had yet adopted, and which, therefore,
gave them an advantage. They were unable
to supply the demand, having now over 1000
applications on the books to which they
could not respond.
"The foundation Of the discovery that water
is convertible into burning gas, this gentle
man said, "is the explosion of the old idea
that water is an original element. Water Is
a composition Of oxygen and hydrogen, and
solved into its original constituents, yielding
one volume Of oxygen gas and two volumes
Of hydrogen The process is a complicated
one, but inexpensive, and the water gas does
not cost nearlysO much as the gas made from
coal and kerosene. The first operation in the
manufacture OF this gas is to heat the water,
and the next to superheat it to about 10000
Fahrenheit. The water is then passed into
generators filled with anthracite coal, by
means OF which it Is decomposed into its
with the carbon from the coal, and the pro
duct is carbonic oxide and hydrogen. At this
stage crude burning gas is had, containing
sulphur and carbOnic acid. To remove these
which are immense sieves containing layers OF
lime The sulphur is deposited in the lime,
and carbonate is made by the acid. These
impurities removed, the gas next passes into
carburettes- cylinders incased in water
cylinders are half full Of naphtha. The
naphtha is vaporized by the heat, and the gas
takes up this vapOr and carries it into the
retorts. In the retorts the naphtha vaDor ls
decomposed, and combined with the water gas,
but not ready for the market Its next passed
through condensers and washers to remove
any condensible vapOrs The result 1s q clear
white burning gas, entirely free from odor OF
smoke, and far more brilliant than ordinary
coal gas. Its Illuminating power Is 30 per cent
greater than that OF the coal gas.
"How much gas do you make every dayT
asked the reporter.
about 100000 feet"
isn't there about as much Of other kinds
OF gas in this mixture as OF what you get Out
OF the Croton water?"
mo; the gas comes from the water. W.
treat it with naptha to give 1t the iIluminat-
ing power. You go and try this gas. Yor
lean place sheet Of white porcelain within