Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-08-18
THE NEW GAS WORKS.
The Extensive improvements NOW
In Progress ,.-s =
Fully Set Foth-A Register Reporter on an
Investigating TOur-Statisties OF
Cost, Consumption and ..
Labor.

! kOSI, NVHSuHipuoh e"s .....
Labor.
For some time past Improvements on "a
large and expensive scale have been quietly
going on at the Gas Works, and yesterday
a REGISTER reporter was detailed to inform
the public of their progress.
The first and most important change IS
the erection of new retort house, consist
ING of three benches OF "sixes.s This strue-
ture is being put up where the lime house
formerly stood, al the west extremity OF
the works, and it win be connected with
the small retort-honse which adioins il.
, The small retort-house's present face Will
| be torn down and new one built in con-
! formity to the new structure. This addition
| will increase the present capacity
gas every twenty-four hours. As will be
| seen by the following figures, this addition
was badly needed: The total number OF
! cubic feet of gas consumed in 1850 was
| IS 226, 600, and in 1881 81, $50, 600 making an
| increase of 1865, 0C0 cubic feet in one year;
The consumption for lest month compared
with the same month OF 1881 shows an in
crease of $500 cubic feet every day. Or
ders are received at the gas Office to have
gas placed in private dwellings etc.
The expenses of running these additional
retorts are comparatively small. The main
retort house contains fifty retOrts which are
divided into benches of six each. This build
ing has Just received new iron roof and
the face has been torn down and moved
out about four feet so that the men may
have room TO work, and is furnished with
doors that instead of opening, will be placed
on pulleys and drawn up entirely out OF
the way. The plan was drawn by
the Superintendent, and is con-
sidered fine improvement: Each
retort is nine feet long and is heated
before the coal is placed in it; the small
opening is then sealed up, and lie Smoke
arising from this coal is forced into n.y.
draulic main, which is immediately over
the retorts and which is kept abous half
full Of tar, with waste pipe attachment
which allows 1t only to keep so full, acting
as a stopper or plug to the pipe, when the
retorts are opened to take the coke out
The gas is then carried distance of about
seventy feet under ground to the exhaus-
ter and from there through a pipe dis
lance of about forty feet to the purifying
house where it passes through condenser
and scrubber and thence to the purifying
boxes These boxes are l0Xl2 feet, and con.
tain three distinct sets of trays, each OF
which is covered with abont four inches OF
lime, through which the gas is forced and
is carried through the large meter for meas
urement ard thence to the large tanks.
The reporter was shown by the polite and
aiiable Supt. Dillon the greatest improve
ment that is in progress at this industry;
that is the new brick structure, l25xi5
feet, which is in progress of erection on
the site of what formerly was the Superin-
tendent's office and residence. This build
ing runs from the street back to the alley
and is situated on the extreme eastern por-
ton of the company's grounds. 1t will
contain the boiler house, exhauSting room,
large meter, scrubber, and condensing,
purifying and lime houses. 1t will be a
Two story on the street, the lower story
Is feet and the upper story 10 feet.
The new scrubbing maching is great
improvement OH the one now in uSe as 1t
will make a saving TO the city of about |
81, 600 a year. In using the old one the
ammOniacal liquor was wasted, but this |
defect has been remedied in the new
patent scrubber, and Mr. Isaiah Warren |,
has contracted for all of this liquor. The |
iron work that will be put in this building /
will cost $4,000 and the brick structure |
and slate Ioof will cost about S. 5000. The |
new retort house on the west side will cost, !
when completed, in the neighborhood OF |
81 900, and the improvements already made |
at the main retOrt house cost 1854, making !
a grand total of SIS, 0G70. When this sun
has been fully expended it will make our
gas works as complete a. any in the West
The holding capacity is about $4,000 !
cubic feet, which in very short time will
have to be increased at least 100000 cubic
feet The coke and tar made at these works
finds ready market at Cleveland and
Chicago.
Mr.. J. NJ. Dillon. the Superintendent,
drew the plans for these Improvements,
which are pronounced by experts the most
complete in the country. The buildings
are being erected by Mr.. George Woods. OF
this city, and Superintended by Mr.. Dillon.
There are at present only 81 retorts in
operation, the other SIS being idle, as there
is not much gas consumed during the sum-
mer only about l55, 900 feet in twenty-four
hours. Another improvement was noted,
which is great saving of labor and money: |
formerly the tar ran into a large well near
the purifying house, and was pumped out |
by band into barrels and then rolled about
fifty yards to another tank situated on the
creek bank and dumped into it. Mr.. Dillon |
has done away with this great labor by |
having steam syphon put in, and three /
inch pipe runs to the other well on the !
creek bank, and by this means he can empty !
the well of tar personally at any !
time he wishes. 1t also saves about |
six or seven hundred barrels of tar every .
year which was wasted in the operation of .
barrelng. They employ at these works |
steadily only seventeen men. Mr.. VIM.
Gar diner has been engaged TO put up the |
new machinery, and will arrive here about .
the 18th of next month The entire i'm.
provement will he completed about the LIST ,
day of November, and be Immediately put !
into operation as at that season OF the year !
the greatest demand is made for gas The /
grounds around these buildings are kept !
very neat and clean. A visitor can now |
visit these works and inspect the large /
tanks without wading through weeds up to |
their waist. The superintendent is kept !
on the go all the time attending to the diff |
ferent wants of his men.