The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-04-18

Costs TO daAufa0tuF0. and What
ltSclls fer. ilalf. sraf...f9= y:v
From the New York SUM- .l,sits a.il E. e
While the possibility of making liz
Illuminating gas from water has been
under discussion, some practical men
have erected works, and for q year
past have supplied gas in this city
made from Croton water. Among the
tablishments in which this gas is
burned are the Standard, Fifth Avenue
Walack's, Union Square, and Park
Theaters. and Delmonico's, Windsor.
st. James, Fifth Avenue, buckingham.
Metropolitan, st. Nicholas, Parker
and Prescott Hotels. The works are
at Forty-fourth, Forty. fifth and Forty
sixth streets and the North river, and
Mr.. Francklyn, the manager Of the
Cunard Line of steamships, is the cap
italist who has supplied money for
carrying on the enterprise. 1t is said
that 5000, 600 is invested. The concern
called the Municipal Gaslight Compa-
ny, has been in active operation for
more than year. A Sun reporter on
Saturday met one of the directors of
the company. and asked him to de-
scribe the method of making the gas,
and the prospects of the enterprise.
He said that the company had careful
ly avoided publicity, and did not de-
sire public attention. They had a
cheap mode of making gas, which no.
body else had yet adopted, and which.
therefore, gave them an advantage.
They were unable to supply the de-
mand, having now over 5000 applica-
lions on tho books, to which they could
not respond. fsem bfii -afaa3 .zeH
sThe foundation of the discovery
that water is convrtible into bnrning
gas this gentleman said, is tho ex-
plosion Of the old idea that water is
an original element. Water is COM
position of oxygen aud hydrogen,
and by sabjection 10 intense heat the
water is resolved into it's original con.
stituents, yielding one volume of oxy-
gen gas and two volumes of hydrogen
The process is complicated one, but
inexpensive, and the water gas does
not cost nearly as much as the gas
made from coal aud kerosene. The
first operation in the manufacture Of
this gxs.is to heat the water, aud next
to superheat it TO about l,O00 degrees,
Fahrenheit. The water is then passed
into generators filled with anthracite
coal, b; means of which It is decoin-
posed into Its original elements. The
oxygen here mites with ythe carbon
from the coal. aud the product is car
bonic oxyde and hydrogen. Al this
stage crude burning gas is had, con-
tanning sulphur and carbonic acid. To
remove these the gas is passed through
purifying boxes, which are immense
selves cent aiming layers of lime, aud q
carbonate is made by the acid. These
impurities removed, the gas is next
passed into carbureties--iron cylinders
encssed in water jackets, on the glue
pot principle. d These cylinders are
half full Of naptha..a The naptha is
vaporized by the heat, and the gas
takes up this vspor and carries it into
the retorts.3 In the retorts the naptha
vapor is composed. and combined
with tho water gas, and the latter is
then burning gas, but not ready for
the market. 1t is next passed through
condeneers and washers to remove
any condensible vapors. The result is
a clear white burning gas, entirely free
from odor Or smoke, aud far more
brilliant than ordinary coal gas. Its
illuminating power is thirty per cent.
greater than that of coal gas
bsHew much gas do you make every
day p asked the reporter.
About SOC, 600 feet "a
- Isn't there about as much of othei
kinds of gas in this mixture as of wha
you get out of the Croton water p
mo; the gas comes from the water