The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-12-30
PREPARE FOR A CHANGE
From Coal Fires and Dirt to Steam and
Cleanliness in Our Houses.
The Way that Expense and Trouble Is TO
be saved In the Near Future.

LUG Clk1 auknOIikico VI tSU IN ''''
authorized General spinola to conve!
steam for heating purposes through MAIN
under certain streets Of the city. Thl
whole city is not to be dug up for the pur
pose, the concession being limited to
certain quarter. General spinola, in al
interview with a New York Herald re
porter, gave the following summary OF thu
advantages claimed for the system:
at costs the city now, so | am informed
by the police, $4,000 year to carry
away ashes from in front Of residences Ii
this city. Now, ifthis system OF ours is un
iyersally adopted, there will be one item
OF economy, for there will be no ashes tc
cart off,"
Anything else, General?' ID. @
"Yes; it now costs 100000 year to
heat the courts, police stations, engine
houses, school houses, and other public
buildings, and by our system we eau save
one third OF that amount, or 100000
year to the CITY,"
as that all?" -....
"No; we will reduce insurance rates one
or one and half per cent"
"ln what way will private parties be
benefited by the system"
swell, they will have the advantage Of
the reduction in insurance rates, first oil
all; then they will be saved about one
half their present expense in fuel. Sc
much for the financial aspect OF the case
Now, the domestic advantages are greater
household help can be reduced, for there
will be no furnaces or fires to attend to, no
coal to carry up. and no ashes to carry
down stairs. Cooking OF all kind can be
done on stove which will be provided "a
subscribers for steam. The heating OF O
house can be regulated by child. In
one house We can send two hundred
pounds OF steam pressure, while next dooi
We can make It but two pounds"
"Will the introduction OF the system in
teriere in any way with the present meth
cd OF generating steam for power in down
town factories and otflces2"
"Of course it will, for no man Of com
mon sense will spend $50 week for gen
Grating steam when he can have the steam
supplied to him for half that money, &c
say nothing OF the bother and annoyance
dirt and vexation, consequent on keeping
up fires in boilers, which he will avoid,
Right here might state that the two inter
ests most affected by this new system are the
coal and insurance companies. Neither
OF them want to have the system intro
duced, because it will affect them injuri,
ously by reducing the consumption OF Goa
and the rates OF insurance. These arc the
parties who have been working hardest te
prevent me getting this grant, but theli
dnimus is quite plain"
In answer to a question TO the point the
General said it was not contemplated
by himself or his friends to begin work OIL
set down mains until next spring. The
General said, in conclusion, that it was
contemplated to put up steam hydrants Y
the streets, to which, alter snowfall
hose could he attached. With the use o
the steam the streets could be cleared o
snow in about twenty minutes for one
tenth the present cost which is about
81 % load.
II was in June, 1877, that the first test Q
the Holly scheme was made by laying hal
a mile OF pipes underground in Walnu
street, LocEport, y. y, which enabled I
company to learn the exact capacity OF thu
pipes 10 carry steam and tho exact nate o
ioss by condensation. The test was salts
factory and the company were encourage
TO Law longer line. Three miles were lait
In ali. there being one continuous length
OF mile and one-third; and tho system
was practically applied along. the who'll
distance 10 all the purposes for which
was designed. Very little OF the pipint
was larger than four inches in diameter
vet alter the experience OF last winter To-
system is said to have worked with entr'
success. The company during this tint
have been heating about forty dwellings,
Iarve school building (l0j, 600 cubic feet
and the largest hall in the city, besides fur
nishiug steam 10 run two engines one o
them about half mile distant from tn
boiler.house, and are supplying steam 10
A number OF other purposes. Houses
mile away are heated as readily as thos'
near at hand.
Three boilers are in position in the steam
houso. two OF them horizontal by l6 feet
and one upright. In the coolest Teathe
last winter two were tred slowly, ou
much OF the time the steam had been Turn
ished by a single boiler: The FIRE Is Q
course kept up constantly. Two hremei
do all the york-one for the day and on
for tho night. They can do the same Torl
Tor three or four hundred dwellings whel
that number are attached along the line
experiments are said 10 demonstrate tina
with sufficient boiler capacity and pipes
nroner size an area OF more than fou
miles SQUARE in any city or village can y
warned from one set OF boilers. The Lock
mort building is intended TO contain 81
boilers; but buildings in larger cite
would be provided witha BATTERY" o. ter
| ii one boiler from any cause should ,
disabled Il would not interfere with tn
operations OF the others. In the coldes
weather, il necessary, the whole numht
can be fired. The arrangement OF pipe
j leading from the boiler building Is sue
4 that Il would be impossible for any dtstfit
10 be deprived Of steam at any time, sinc
4 in case OF accident any ono Of the steam
mains can be closed without inter!erin
with the general circuit 4.
The Holly Is . system OF high pressuF
lin the mains and low pressure in IN
service pipes, and thus much smaller an
les expensive mains and pipes are g
Il tached than those necessary in the usui
exclusively low pressure system OF steal
heating. The latter which Is used to a.
vantage in single buildings, could not ;
employed in an extensive system Of stree
J mains At all. {,
The n,aips, in a district Of full, size, d
: crease as they approach tho district limi
from eight 10 one inch in diameter, 70 co
! respond with the amount Of steam 70 !
passed. First having been covered az
! bound with non.Conducting material
which are an important feature OF the i
/, yentors discovery, the mains are insertt
in logs Of wood, bored for the purpose AZ
1 sunk in bitches, laid with files, three
ave feet deep, 50 rs to DO above the 8
and water.pfpes. To prevent the contra
ton and expa- sion Of the iron or rath
10 allow the iron mains their natural CO
4 traction and expansion without the form
J, DISASTROUS results, expansion juncti!
! boxes, where the several lengths o. Y
: mains come together, are placed ut int
: yals Of one hundred to two hundred Il
| - a 4 A.