Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-25
GAS AT 20 CENTS.
Philadelphia to Have Gas at
Nominal Price.
Froa The Pkt1adelpAia Record.


From the Philadelphia Record.
The Excelsior Gas Light Company, Of
New York, offers to put in the gas-holder
for the city of Philadelphia ''pure. bril-
liant, smoking gas OF as high as
thirty-candle power" at cost OF from
zoe. to 25c. per 1000 feet, depending upon
tue price paid for fuel and labor. 1t is
also proposed to make an experimental
test under conditions that would be pecu-
llarly favorable TO the city. The plant
for the new process would be constructed
at the expense of the company. and il not
satisfactory to consumers would be re-
moved without expense to the city. 70
adapt the works to the new process
would not cost 100000, including every
thing.
Such an offer seems almost incredible
to those in Philadelphia who have been
paying gas bills at rates ranging from 81
to 81 60 per LOCO feet; yet in this age OF
Invention and progress many successful
processes have been introduced by which
gas can be made at a cost much less than
even that named by the New York COM
pany.
During the brief period OF ten years the
| manufacture OF illuminating gas has been
wonderfully cheapened. The cOmpeti-
ton of oil and water gases with coal gas
has resulted in many ingenious advances.
The inuoduction of electric lights and
the development of the territory adjOin-
! ing the natural gas areas have spurred
! investigators and opened new lines of
| research to them in the manufacture of
| coal gas. The yield of a retort per day
| has within few years been increased two
or three-fold, aud the production per la
| borer has made similar progress. There
| has been an economy of from one-half to
two-thirds in the amount of fuel consumed
| per ton of coal caroOniZed; there has been
an increase of from 10 to 20 per cent. in
the yield of gas per ton of coal carbonized;
! there has been an improvement in candle
| power, reduction IN the wear and tear
! account, and dimlnutiOn of the leakage
| from 20 per cent. of the whole amount to
less than per cent. AS result OF these
! improvements there has been a reduction
| OF 90 per cent. in the cost of making gas.
! But the field for exploration and de-
velOpment has as yet been barely touched.
In England Illuminating gas Is made and
delivered at a cost of 30c. per 1000 feet.
| The President of the American Gas Light
| Association Tor the year 1888, Mr.. Theo-
bold FOrstall, is authority for the state
| ment that Notwithstanding uupurlted
| water gas produced from the cheaper in
| ferior Goals could be out into holders
at 15c. per 1000 feet" A prominent
/
Gently asserted that Illuminating gas
could be made from oil for IA cents per
| 1000 feet. These assertions would be re-
garded with suspicion did they not come
! from reliable sources. They are supple
mented too, by substantial proof Sic
mems held that the time would come when
coal would be converted into gas at the
mines at the rate of 10000 cubic
feet per ton and would be pumped
| to manufacturing centres, thus doing
away with the expensive system of rail-
road transportation of coal now in vogue.
In New York city there is a gas company
! which obtains from one ton of anthracite
| coal 10000 feet Of a gas that is atterward
enriched with naptna.
| 1t view of these facts it is not unrea-
sonable to expect that the time is not far
distant when gas can be supplied to con-
sumers in Philadelphia at from SOC. to Acc.
| per 900 feet.