The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-17

AtAhy 80 kACSdg VI AhOhCg ah0 iuoh 30 OAoSh
Ing as the present gas companies. But there
Is prejudice against the gas people which
will aid the successful introducers Of tho
electric light, and no one except their own
shareholders will regret the discontinue OF
the gas companies. 1t Is true that Of late
years the citizens OF New York have bene-
fitted by increased competition among the
companies, and that our gas is OF good
quality; but the price Is still high, and II
has not gone down with tho prices OF the
other necessities Of life. Some of the com
panies continue to make a great deal OF
money on heavily watercd stocks, and u
Massachusetts commission which carefully
examined into the subject has reported that
relatively TO its cost gas is now too high In
our chief cities.
The price OF gas Is very low In London,
lower than in any other great capital; but
Its quality Is not so good as ours. Mr.. i. j.
JENNINGS formerly the editor OF the New
York Times, writes to the World from Lon
don that 1.-THE gas supplied In London is
much inferior in quality to that you use In
New York Here it gives a yellow and
slckly light, and sends out such volumes Of
black smoke that the gilt frames of pictures
hhh ul Wuilo anu N'lllllkS ult very SOOu
ruined. That is the real cause OF the very
great objection which English people gem
orally have TO the introduction Of gas in
their drawing rooms. | admit that there
are cases OF complaint against the gas COM
panes In New York, but they are not quite
such great sinners as their London friends"
Under such condition OF things 1t IL not
at all surprising that the report that Mr..
EDISON had solved the problem Of adapting
the electric light to general use created
such an uproar in London and sent gas
shares down per cent. with jump, amid
the rejoicing OF the people
But there Is no good reason for assuming
that the use OF coal gas will be at an end
when the electric light has been perfected.
Even for Illuminating purposes it cannot
fail to DO largely employed, and as the Lon
don engineering journals point out coal gas
as a cheap and portable form of fuel alone
has future Of its own. THAT gas OF suf-
ficiontly good quality for heating as dis
tinguished from lighting purposes, can DO
produced at an exceedingly low price, re-
marks the London Iron. has long been
known; and that 1t will ultimately super
scde both coal and wood for cooking and
house warming apparatus is quite within
the range of probability" The great
convenience Of gas causes II to be
used even now In enormous quantities
for cooking and heating, much more in Eu-
rope. however, than In this country, where
wo have yet many lessons TO learn In the
art of economical living; and II the gas COM
panies would only teach the public how to
use II with better effect the consumption in
this direction alone might be greatly in
creased.
II has been found that one pound, or about
% cubic feet, of coal gas, costing In London
a fraction over two cents, will raise nearly IA
gallons OF water To the boiling point from the
ordinary temperature OF the water supplied
to our houses. But no existing gas stove
will enable US to do that; and though there
must always be large percentage OF waste.
there is no reason why gas should not be
burned so well that with u proper boiler
the waste OF heat could only reach Is per
cent. instead of % or rs per cent, as now.
In that case 1t would be easy to boil nine or
ten gallons OF water, at London prices for
gas. for about two cents.
For the consolation OF our gas companies,
now so grievously threatened. we join our
London contemporaries In suggesting that,
even though Mr.. EDISON have complete sue
cess, they may do a very fair business in
selling gas for cooking, provided they direct
their attention to devising improved gas
stoves, and showing the public how TO use
them. But probably their first step after
the feasibility OF the electric light for ordi-
nary illumination had been established
would be toward getting control Of the pro-
cess for themselves; for as long as they can
make handsome profits, they care little
whether they 10 !: with electricity or coal
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