Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-06-15

ILLUMINATING CASA number of sclen-
fists and experts in the manufacture of iurl-
mating gas visited Astoria yesterday to sec the
working Of new process Of manufacture which
has been recently perfected by Professor Henry
W. Adams, formerly Of Philadelphia and now
fist, has concerned himself for many years in
the manufacture Of coal oil and gas, and has
taken out no less than eighty patents for his dit
ferent inventions. Ho has built complete
works in Astoria (nesr the excavation made by
General Newton before blowing out He'll Cato
for tho purpose of testing this latest invention.
and yesterday exhibited them TO his visitors run
ming in perfect order.
Professor Adams claims, and experts prosent
yesterday allowed the claim, that he, by his
new process, makes seven lcet OF gas from a
pound OF coal, instead of four and a half feet
which is the maximum attanable by the old pro.
cess. Second, that he extracts all the bitumln'
GUS matter from the coal in the shape of gas.
producing no tar and no ammonical liquid, and
leaving as the only residuum coke Of a better
quality than that produced by the old process
Third, that the quality OF his gas is much better
than that OF the old process and fourth, that he
can produce it just twice as fast.
The first point of difference between the old
process and Professor Adams is that the retorts
instead of being complete in themselves arc make
in pairs, with reciprocally acting connection by
pipes. As the burning out OF retort takes four
hours the 8rst retort is charged two hours be-.
fore the second and, each one being charged as
often thereafter as it becomes exhausted, II fol-
lows that oDe is always two hours ahead of the
other. As, by the old process, the gas generated
during the first and last part Of the tlmo oc.
cuped Is inferior to that when tho operation
is in full blast, the pipes mentioned arc so ar
ranged that the Roduct (gss, tsr and ammonis-
cal liquid) of heretort that is producing the
poorer gas il forced through the retort that is in
full operation. Being thereby subjected to the
inauencaaf.heat for theIecond time it is render
ed into pure gas. This WAS at first doubted by
some of those who examined the works, but an
examination Of the pipes from which tar and
ammoniacsl liquor would flow according to tho
old process (which pipes Professor Adams has
had made and placed in position) showed that
not drop of either was flowing.
This double distil lston, while it effects COM
plete saving of the bituminous matter formerly
used up in the tar, &C., is assisted by the filter
ing in of small amount Of petroleum and by
the Simultaneous decomposition OF superheated
improved The final product is not a mixture
might be supposed, but is compound Sed gas
of great purity.
Should the process be found to be practicable
on large scsle-and Professor Adams has man.
ufactured many thousand feet air dy-tho
result will be great saving to the gas COM
panies and to the public Gas can be produced
for forty cents thousand feet. according to pro-
lessor Adams calculation, and even such mo-
nopolies as we now have for gas companias
would be forced 10 put down their prices. ". 7.
Herald