Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-04
ADVANTAGES OF GAS.
HOW THE NEW FUEL WORKS OVER AT THB
STANDARD MILL.
A Gain Of Two Hours Time in Making Five Heat
The Effects on Rollers Wasas-A Glance at
the Ciys Future,

ofthe ST. Louis Age of Steel, his chief topic
being natural gas, just now exciting keen
interest on the part ofevery citizen OF the
community. Below we reprint such
paragraphs as refer particularly to Wheel
| ing and her citizens:
The Standard Mill company leads the
van among the VIII ceiling mills in the use
of natural gas; they were the first to intro
duce it, and they have now hadit IN use
in all departments about ten days. Their
experience has been largely more salts
factory than was anticipated, and | avail
ed myself of an invitation from Mr.. Ora
ham, the secretary, to make a personal
inspection and report for the benefit OF
your readers. The entire establishment,
with an equipment of nine pudding
furnaces. seven heating and sheet furnaces,
three annealing furnaces and one battery
of boilers, is run with seven ounces pres
sure of gas. At the steam boilers one
ounce pressure runs five steam engines and
two pumps. John Hallet, the engineer,
informed me that with coal, starting with
green fire and cold water, it ordinarily
required two and One-half hours to raise
steam. With gas it is done in one hour
and a quarter. To raise the pressure from
800 to i0O0 with coal required an half
hours time with gas it can be done safely
in five minutes. The change in appearan-
ces about the furnace front is wonderful,
the absence of muck, coal dirt, dust and
Crime, and ordinary debris, Is marked
Improvement over the old style, every
thing is bright, clean and pleasant TO look
upon.
C.. Kaufman, the roller, vice-PreSident
of the Amalgamated Association, louhu
enthusiastic in his appreciation OF the I'M
provements affected. He claims that the
steel slab rolls 80 per cent. easieT ana
smoother, and that the wages are bettered
by 20 per cent. His daily average hereto
fore has been $50, now with gas 1t Is
SOLO. While was present he took $50
mound slab, rolled it out l3 feet, then
doubled it over and drew it into two sheets
"A feet long, l-I6 inch thick, 80 inches
wide. in fifteen minutes. Under the Old
servant, coal, thirty minutes were cOnsam-
ed in heating a 15O-pOund slab, now with
gas twelve minutes will do the work, and
while formerly he was required to
wait, now the slabs are furnished last
er than one roller can handle them.
The Gas heat don't rash the slabs and no
scale forms, consequently the loss Is de
cidedlv minimized. When flggot
wrapped with i-inch round strap was
heated with coal, the strap would loosen
and disappear, with gas it comes out IN,
tact. In making five heat two hours
time is gained. In the pudding furnaces
TWENTY-FIVE minutes are gained. These
are practical results which possess interest
to the iron master and the iron worker
The managers speak in the strongest terms
of the advantages and economies gained,
and in general way estimate them ut
about SO per cent. would suggest to the
users of this natural gas that as the steam
boilers are the only precarious point,
it would he well to provide them
with an automatic gas regulator
that is, TO make the steam pressure regulate
the gas pressure, and avoid sudden ana
dangerous elevations Oftemperature under
the boilers. The general appearance OF the
Standard Mill is thoroughly improved.
Smoke, dust, SCOT, CRIME, ashes and coal
are all gone, and one can walk all through
hands or linen. If the Hebrew aphorlSm
be true that cleanliness is next to godl-
ness" the use of this natural gas Is not
only IN inestimable advantage, but closely
allied to the virtues. As to the actual
saving gained over coal in cost of prod nc
ton Mr.. Graham was not prepared to state
and this being home question | did not
press it. Three months hence ! will give
you some figures.
The mills about Wheeling arc all put
ting III the gas equipment. The Top mill
has it already in for use, but slight nus
hap has caused them to shut down Tor
few days past. 1t has been aScertaned
that Irregularities in the supply of gas to
the mills in PittSburg has been caused by
inability of the mains to convey 1t, hence
pipe of larger inside diameter will have to
be used. The Board of Underwriters
highly approve the gas and consider that
the risks are leSsened by its use and they
recommend it under certain rules. They
issue permits to parties assured, when their
secretary inspects and approves the equip
ment, without cost OF any kind. The gas
has been introduced into n great many
private residences, and general satisfaction
is expressed.
A little generalization on causes and re-
suits will be useful to theWheeling people
at this iuncture, on their failure to appre-
ciate opportunities. They have been sup
piled with thorough gas equipment by
two foreign companies At IN aggregate cost
of about $500, 600; three year contracts
amounting to over $50 q, 900 per year have
been made with these cOmpanies-and all
this gOeS..to Pittsburgh. But for the stultlt-
ed stubborness OF their city government this
biz interest could have been kept ut home.
Now rs to the future. Capital will come
and expect liberal treatment. Sites are
plenty, but an incorporate elevation OF
property and ground rent will drive invest
orS across the river.
Sam'l Laughlin, President of the june
ton Iron Company and of the laughlln
and Junction Steel works, was stricken
with sudden death last Sunday, while on
a visit to the GOgebic ore fields in Wiscon-
sin. Mr.. Laughlin was not only an enter
prising man, but his enterprise was OF an
enlightened and liberal character. He has
been for the past thirty years one OF Wheel
ing's most prominent citizens and bus
mess men, and she could i'll atfOrt to spare
him. Death has been dealing harshly
with Wheeling the last two years, but,
there is no armOr against fate; Death
lays his icy hands on kings"
Wheeling is very little disturbed just
now by printers strike, and this moves
some of the neighbOring papers to decry
her position as one possessing supereml-
nent advantages as location for manufac-
turing ent ,rprises. Wheeling has had
her share of labor troubles, but not to a
greater extent than other industrial CEN
tres. She has also manifested grit and
nerve enough to overcome them when
they were ill-advised and tyrannical. Her
manufacturers, finding peaceful, cOncilia-
tory measures of no avail, manfully
asserted their rights as Americans
and sagacious business men and, 10
use ahomely phrase, "butted the bull Ofrthe
bridge" ana preserved their independence,
Labor is better paid in Wheeling and
Pittsburg than at any eastern iron steel
producing center, and labor has in both
cities certain aids and auxiliaries which
l;,btoya ifS hurIanS p,iFhn,,t laSSa,,inCr itc