Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-24
NATURAL Gas ON RAILROADS.
Is Will suppEsnt Goa, as Fuel for Locoma
Iiyes-A Locomotive Can Be Run for
about Twenty Gents Day.
Kansas City Times

Within the past Zine months more i'm.
provements have been made IN railroad
equipment than in any like period in the
history of the country. Perhaps the mos
daring one now being attempted is TIE
utilizing Of natural gas as fuel for engines
and TO furnish light and heat for the cars
Several master mechanics in the country
hold that this product can be confined
and used at will, and the Master
Mechanic OF the Fort Wayne, CinciL-
natl and Louisville Road has demon
strated his belief so plainly that the OF
icials Of that line have placed st / is COM
mand all the money, men and material
necessary to thorough test. The route
Of that road is through the heart of the
immense gas regions Of Indiana, many Of
the wells being OF great pressure, and
flowing from 5000, 900 to II 900, 900 cubic
feet every tWenty-four hours.
Several weeks ago the master mechanic
and superintendent had constructed q
wrought iron cylinder, eighteen feet long
and two feet IN diameter, with heavy
ends screwed in. The cylinder was
subjected to the most critical ana
scientific tests, and was provided
with gauges to register the pressure. II
was placed on b. ard 8 car and transported
to Montpelier, Ind, where there sre
located TWO strong gas wells. The cylin-
der WAS attached TO one of them, which
had q rock pressure Of $50 pounds to the
square inch. When the gas was turned
on the gauge showed that it was full in
less than one minute The tank was
then loaded on the cars and taken to
the shops at Fort Wayne. Here 1t
was attached to the usual natural gas
burning apparatus with Regulator"
thst controlled the enormous pr, ssure of
the gas so that /: flowed cut in steady,
regular current OF one and q half ounces
TO the square inch the pressure st which
natural gas Is burned. The gauge showed
that the gas had lost but little of its
pressure, and it supplied light in the
burners in the shops for several hours,
besides heating one large stove and one
forge.
So much of success was the first test
that others have been made with large
cylinders and the gas transported each
time distance of thirty Eight miles. The
officials and experts are so well satisfied
with the experiment that orders have
Oceu lssucd W cQulp tue IOHu enRlues
with tanks, and the workmen 10 the shops
are nov making the necessary changes.
Large steel tanks or cylinders somewhat
after the p:t'eTn of the Standard
Oil CompanJ's cars are being made,
ard these will be attached to the engine
in the rear of the tsnder. They will have
capacity equal to IS many thousand
cable feet of gas So will represent enou!h
of coal to make 8 trip over the rosd,
which Is about ITO miles In length. The
attachment to the fre-box CT the engine
and stoves In the cars will be by means
Of o pipe leading from the tank, and will
be regulated by hand screw.
The cost is exceedingly small, as an en-
CINE can &c supplied for about 20 cents
day.
The experiments made at Fort Wayne
have been watched BY expert mechanics
employed by the Erie and Pnnsylvsnia
companies, and these systems will slsas
commence the construction Of gas tahss
for the same purpose. In case the tests
made BY these companies are successful,
it will be only short time until the full
problem on railways is solved. e