Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-12-28
FUEL OF THE FUTURE.
Pittsburgh Passing Through a Won
derfui Transformation.
Natural Gas Rapidly Taking the
Place OF Coal.
Twenty Million Cubic Feet Burned
Every Day.
The Various Sources of Sup
ply.

passing through transformation wonder
full almost as the tales of the Arabian
Nights. For months past gradually, and
now almost swiftly, it is changing from q
city of smoke and CRIME to one of the fair.
est and cleanest cities in the land. Day
BY day it less and less deserves its world.
renowned title: THE Smoky City"
The agency in bringing about this remark
able change is natural gas, and it has COM
pletely revolutionized some OF its manufac-
turing methods. The general use of natu-
raj gas for fuel, instead of coal, will be Of
great advantage to Pittsburg. The city will
be vastly cleaner; no more coal; no more
coal dust to blacken its streets; no more
smoke and SCOT to begrime the buildings
and dsrken the sky; no more Sulphurous
fumes to blight the trees, kill the grass and
prevent flowers from blooming Instead,
its manufacturers will burn an odorless,
colorless and inofensive gas, that will pro-
duce no smoke or SCOT, but, in place thereof,
two-and- three-quarter ounces of pure water
for every pound of gas consumed.
a Wonderful Phenomenon
is exhibited in the burning of natural gas
1t is fiery fountain from which water flows
pure, impid water, fresher than that
which rushes down the mountain slope or
gurgles from the spring. 1t is the liquid
ashes resultant from the combustion of by
drozen. When Pitts5urg aud the vicinity
is fully supplied with gas, it will then pro-
duce from twelve TO fifteen tons Of water
per day. Thus water will 60 from furnace
stack as steam into the air, moisten the at
mosphere, and fall as gentle dew to freshen
and fructify every living thing.
Within single year great strides have
been taken here in the natural gas indus
try. In the city alone not less than S.,
100000 are invested in practically applying
the gas. Add to that its introduction as
fuel in surrounding towns and the villages
OF adjoining counties, and it will make an
additional 100000 or a grand total Of
SlO,00O,O00 invested in an industry in
Western Pennsylvania that was
Practically Unknown
few. years ago. This sum embraces the
cost OF boring wells, labor and machinery
requisite for the work, purchase Of the land
on which wells are located, purchase Of
right of way for pipe lines, increase in ma
cbinery Of pipe mills for the manufacture Of
thousands of tons Of pipes the cost Of these
iron pipes, freight bills on the delivery Of
pipes, the wages of thousands of laborers in
lay1fF pips lines, plumbing and pipe. fitting
IN mills, factories and dwellings, changes
necessary for the adaptation Of furnaces
and stoves for the use Of natural gas, and
the Manufacture Of gas-fttings, gauges aud
meters. A year ago the subject was insig
nifcant. To-day 1t ranks in Importance
with the iron, steel, glass and coal interests
of Western Pennsylvania. Each and every
one of them has become dependant on the
resources Of the new fuel
That the gas for heating purposes will
eventually drive all other combustibles ont
of the field in Pittsburgh is inevitable. Al.
ready the consum ption Of gas, instead Of
coal, is enormous 1t is estimated that from
l5,OOO,OO to 2O,OOOOO cubic feet of gas is
Burned Each Day
in Pittsburgh as fuel Already ten iron and
steel mills in the city, and six in other parts
Of Western Pennsylvania, are using it in
their pudding furnaces and under their
boilers. Within three months dozen more
mills will have il in operation, and every
other manufacturing firm is eagerly await
ing the completion Of the various pipe lines.
Six glass factories in the city, and seven in
near towns are using it. Every brewery in
the city uses it instead of coal. There has
not yet been enough gas to spare for domes-
tic purposes, and only few dwellings, COM
paratiyely speaking, have been able to get
it for their stoves and CRATES. Two Of the
larges, hotels use it entirely in their kitch-
ems. Safety inventions have been made
and much of its dangerous possibilities
averted AS result householders are
Anxiously Awaiting More Gas.
Within an area of fifty miles about Pitts
burg at least dozen small towns have dis
carded coal entirely and every dwelling
house has gas in its cook stove pszlor CRATE
and bedroom fireplace. Among these places
are Butler, Freeport, Clarion, Tarentuu,
Kittanning, Oil City, Wellsburg, Apollo aud
Murraysville. There are no ashes to re.
move, no sooty freplaces to kindie in the
morning. A thumb valve regulates the
flame, brick bats in the crate distribute and
retain the heat, and it may be kept burning
low all night to have the house warm N the
morning.
Sources OF Supply.
At the present time the Consolidated Fuel
Gas and Penn Fuel Companies are the only
ones delivering gas in the cities Of Pitts.
burg and Allegheny. They have in opera
ton four lines Of pipe from their wells at
MHrraysville, to Pittsburg, a distance OF
twenty miles, making in all eighty miles of
pipes. Experiments were made with one
line and it delivered gas into holder In the
city at the rate OF 100000 cubic feet per
twenty-four hours, with 100 pounds pressure
at the well. Taking into consideration the
relative size of each pipe line their COM
bined capacity viii be l0.000000 cubic feet
per day, delivered in Pittsburg. To these
lines one of ten inches in diameter is being
added, which viii increase the capacity TO
between 100000 and 1900, 900 feet per
day.
The Washington Oil Company has in oP-
Grafton a pipe line twenty miles in length,
from the famous Michigan well in Wash
ipgton county to Pittsbarg, through which
they are supplying mills on she South Side
at an enormous rate To this they are
building an additional eightinch pipe line
which viii give them a capacity Of ., 900, 900
feet per day.
The Philadelphia Company, Westiug-
houses wealthy syndicate, is busily con;
structing three gigantic pipe lines, one from
Murraysyille, twenty miles distant; another
from Tarentum, twenty-one miles distant,
which will BE extended to the Butler Geld
in the future ten miles farther away. and
the third from the famous Westiug-
house wells at Homewood, within the city
limits, but four miles from the iron mills.
These pipe lines are all of large size, and
will have a combined capacity Of between
Is, 1000, 200 and 35,OO0,000 cnbic feet per
day.
The Carpenter Company is nov laying
an eightineh main, sixteen miles in length,
from Murraysville to the city, which win de-
liver. when completed, 4,0ao. 600 feet a day.
The Chambers Company is putting down
an eiehtineh line from the Washington
6eid IN town with suace enough for 1000.