The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-12-28
Heating cities by steam.

Heating cities by steam. II
The CITY authorities of New York have
authorized General Spinola to convey steam
for heating purposes through mains under
| certain streets OF the city. The whole city
is not to be dugiup for the purpose, the con-
cession being limited TO certain quarter.
General Spinola, in an interview with New
York Herald reporter, gave the following
summary CT the advantages claimed for the
system:
at costs the city now, so I am informed
by The police, S225,000 year to carry away
ashes from IN front Of residences In this city.
Now, il this system OF ours is universally
adopted, there will be one item of economy,
for there will be 10 ashes TO cart off,"
"Anything else. Genera|?"
eyes; il now costs 5000, 900 year to heat
the courts. pollce.stations. engine houses,
schoo-houscs, and other public buildings,
and by our system we can save one third OF
that amount, or 100000 year to the city,"
"Is that al!?"
"No: we will reduce insurance rates one
or one and half per cent"
I'm what way will private parties pc Den'
Gifted by the system
..Weil. they will have the advantage OF
:
then they will be saved about one-half their
nrcscnt eXpensc in fuel. So much for the
| financial aspect OF the case. Now, the 40
mcstic advantages are greater: household
helm can be reduced, for there will be no
furnaces or fires to attend to, no coal TO
carry I'd, and no ashes to carry down stairs.
Cooking OF all kinds can be done on stove
which will be provided to subscribers for
steam. The heating OF house can be reg
ulated by a child, such is the simplicity OF
the system. In one house we can send two
hundred pounds OF steam pressure, while
next door we can make it two pounds"
"Will the introduction Of the system in-
tcrfere in any way with the present method
OF generating steam for power in down.
town factories and offices ?"
s.Of course it will, for no man OF common
sense will spend $50 week for generating
steam when he can have steam supplied TO
him for half that money, to say nothing OF
| the bother and annoyance, dirt and VeXa'
ton, consequent on keeping up fires in
boilers. Which he will avoid. Right here ]
might state that the two interests most
affected by this new system are the coal and
insurance companies. Neither Of them
want to have the system introduced. be-
cause it will affect them iniurlously by re-
ducing the consumption of coal and the
rates of insurance. These are the parties
who have been working hardest to prevent
| me getting this grant, but their dnlnaus is
| quite plain"
In answer to question to the point the
General said it was not contemplated by
| himself or his friends to begin work or SET
down mains until next spring. The General
said. in conclusion, that it was contemplated
to nut I'D steam hydrants in the streets, to
which, after,a snowfall, hose could be at
tached. With the Use Of the steam the
streets could be cleared Of snow in about
twenty minutes for one tenth the present
cost, which is about Sl.25 load.
| II was in June, 1877, that the first test OF
the Holly scheme was made by laying bali
a mile of pipes underground in Walnut
street, Lockport, n. Y, which enabled q
company to learn the exact capacity OF the
pines to carry steam and the exact rate ol
loss bv condensation. The test was salts
factory and the company were encouraged
to lay longer line. Three miles were
laid in all, there being one continuous
length Of mile and one third; and the
system was practically applied along The
whole distance to all the purposes for which
il was designed. Very little Of the ripins
was larger than four inches diameter; ye
after the experience OF last winter the sys
tenn is said to have worked with entire sue
cess. The company during this time have
been heating about forty dwellings, laug'
: school building (l05,00O cube feet), and th'
largest hall in the city, besides furnishing
steam to run two engines, one Of them abou
half mile distant from the boiler-house
: and are supplying steam for number O
!, other purposes. Houses mile away az
heated as readily as those near ut hand.
Three boilers are in position in the steam
house, two of them horizontal, by 1G feet
and one upright. In the coolest wcathe
last winter two were fired slowly. but muc
OF the time the steam has been furnished b.
n single boiler. The fire is OF course KEEP
up constantly. Two tiIemen do all th'
worl -one forthe day and one for the night
They can do the same work for three or fou
, hundred dwellings when that number arc al
tached along the line. Experiments are sal
TO demonstrate that with sufficient boile
capacity and pipes Of proper size an area Q
more than four miles square in any city o
village can be warmed from one set OF hoi
ers. The Lockport building is intended t
contain six boilers; but buildings in large
cities would be provided with /" battery
Of ten. II one boiler from any cause shoul
be disabled 1t would not interfere with I'd
operations Of tue others. In the coldes
weather, ii necessary, the whole numbe
can be feed. The arrangement OF pipe
lending from the boiler building is such tba
it would be impossible for any district to b
depriyed OF steam ut any time, since IN cas-
of accident any one OF the steam-maias cal
be closed without interfering with the gen
eral circuit.
The Holly ls;a system Of high pressure il
the mains and dow pressure in the service
lDipes, and thus .much smaller and less eE
Densiye maaas and pipes are attached thal
4 those necesSssrginsthe usual exclusively ioA
lI pressure system Of .steam-heating. The lat
liter. which is used TO advantage in singt
iBsuildings, ccnM not be employed Ia an eN
Intensive systesa of street mains at all.
i The mains, in a district OF full size. dc
l:arease as they approach the district iiralt
d fYsn eight to one inch. In diameter, to cor
respond with the amount Of steam to b.
4 nassed. First h1ing been covered ant
] bous d with conducting materials, whles
are an important feature rof the inventor
discovery, the mains are inserted In logs o.
wood bored for the aurpose and sunk II
ditehes. laid with tiles, thnee to five fee
ldeep. so as to be above the gas and water
| pipes. To prevent the contraction and ex
pansion of The iron, or rather to allow
| the iron mains their natlrai contraction
/ and expansion withoutthe formerd disastrous
results, expansion iunetion-boxea, where
the several lengths OF The mains come TO-
eether, are PLACED at intervals OF one hun,
lred to two baDdred feet along the lines
From these boxes, too, serYice-pipes are
carried under ground to the basement OF
Ibe buildings to be heated. The boxes are