The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-04-18
Gas from Water.

w lille the possibility OF making lllu-
minating gas from water has been under
discussion, some practical men have
erected works, and for a year past have
supplied gas in this city made from
Croton water. Among the establish
ments in which this gas is burned are
the Standard, Fifth Avenue, Wallack'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 steam
ships, is the capitalist who has supplied
money for carrying on the enterprise.
1t is said that 10000 is invested. The
concern, called the Municipal Gaslight
Company, has been in active operation
for more than a year. A Sun reporter
on Saturday met one of the directors of
the company, and asked him to describe
the method of making the gas, and the
prospects of the enterprise. He said
that the company had carefully avoided
publicity, and did not desire public at
tention. 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
two thousand applications on the books
to which they could not respond.
The foundation of the discovery
that water is convertible into burning
gas" this gentleman said, is the ex-
plosion of the old idea that water is an
original element. Water is compost
ton of oxygen and hydrogen, and by
subsection to intense heat the water is
resolved into its original constituents,
yielding one volume of oxygen gas and
two volumes of hydrogen. The process
is complicated one, but inexpensive,
and the water gas does not cost nearly
SO much as the gas made from coal and
kerosene. The first operation in the
manufacture of this gas is to heat the
water, and next to superheat it to about
one thousand degrees Fahrenheit. The
| water is then passed into generators
| filled with anthracite coal, by means of
which it is decomposed into its original
elements. The oxygen here unites 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 the gas is passed
through purifying boxes, which are i'm
mense sieves containing layers of lime
The sulphur is deposited in the lime
and carbonate is made by the acid
These impurities removed, the gas mex
passes into carburettes-iron cylinder
incased in water jackets, on the glue
pot principle. These cylinders are hal
full of naphtha. The naphtha is vapor
lied by the heat, and the gas takes VI
this vapor and carries it into the retorts
In the retorts the naphtha vapor is de
composed, and combined with the waite
gas. and the latter is then burning gas
but not ready for the market. 1t i
next passed through condensers ant
washers to remove any condensible va
pors. The result is a clear white burn
ing gas, entirely free from odor o
smoke, and far more brilliant than OF
binary coal gas. Its Illuminating powe
is 80 per cent. greater than of coal gas.
"Hew much gas do you make ever,
day." asked the reporter.
"About five hundred thousand feet.
Isn't there about as much of othe
kinds of gas in this mixture as of wha
you get out of the Croton waterf'
"No; the gas comes from the watel
We treat it with naphtha vapor simpl
to give it illuminating power. You G
and try this gas. You can place a shee
of white porcelain within three inche
of the fame, and there will not be
J particle of smoke in three months"
Are you selling it any cheaper tha
the other companiesF
) "No; why should we? We can
supply the demand for it. If we sougl
customers that would be a differer
thing. We can make a-big profit frol
. it now, and we intend to do it,
I The gas, it is said, costs the compan
only fifty cents per thousand feet, an
e they sell it for two dollars.