New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-27
THE GREAT RIVAL OF COAL
RESULTS OF USING NATURAL GAS.
THE WONDERFUL TRANSPORTATION ~ rIrTsBU
AND LIZ VICINITY


PIrTsBURG, Teb &C. This city has long been known
the Birmingham OF the New World, AMI it has bee,
justly proud OF tho title. place for CON abb
home however 1t for ncry not to he thought OF cr
q moment. Now presto, all is changed. One utterly
fails at FIRST a,procats the wolierfu TRANSFORMATION
that has taken place here during tac four or Two
years The sky Is longer obscurc1 by Of smoke
AMI coal SCOT, AMI it II necessary 10 light Tho
street lamps by or 3 O'Clock IN the afternoon Prom
the heights OF Mt Washington tic side ot tho
Ionongaiela River able to obtain an nxcclIent
biriseye vio@ yesterday OF both Pttsburg aud All,
gheny City and Of tbs hills beyond TIE atuosphcrs
was rs clear as that Of New York. AMI the large build
nss were distinctly Visible ~ those on the lower part
OF Manhattan Island fro TIg rRBUNa tower.
A Few years ago nothing would have been dsrcrnblo
hut black AMI smoky cloud oyerhangny an foinny in
like blanket the whole valley in which the ba.nsss
portion OF the Two cities Is located
This wonderful change IL due wholly 10 tho snh fIu
ton OF natural for the soft coal region "a
fuel both for domestic and for manaf
Through the courtesy OF Messrs. Jones Laugbn tae
senior member o.! whose firm is chlr An Of tho iepu,
lican National Committee. I have been able maze
thorough Inspection OF their system OF using nat
ural gus in heating their large furnaces boilers aul In
fact. everything else where needed Ike works
among the largest here. single three inch rs
pipe, the viyo OF which was Only about one eighth
open. Supplied the gas for large heating firnlcc:
other words. only about eighth OF tie capacity OF the
pipe was required 10 furnish the necessary anOdnt OF
heat. perfectly steady temperature Is m,ilt,inod
and by the proper In regulating tho amount OF air
admitted to the burning very little heat
the chimney. At the time it is possible rut
heavier charge AMI to bring ii oat In cb less timo
than by the former metnoi the gain in the Output tho
furnaces being estimated not less than per cent.
At the pm ldlng furnaces the feeding pipe only two
inches In diameter aud the valve controlling the 0ow OK
gas only onesXteenth open The large boilers for
producing steam used running the machinery
forty eight inches In diameter and thirty feet )ng. with
six ten inch hucs. boiler OF this kind Is fed by
inch pipe. the wave in which only about
half open this morning. WI n the boilers become hos
and the How OF gas has hecn adjusted they uIre little
further attention. gas aow being steady AMI
nous Thcrc is opening nor shutting OF doors.
blank spaces the bars for the entrance OF cold
air. shoveing OF coal carLg OF ashes. and
in fact. nothing for the attendant to do bat to keep
eye on tue gauge and regulate the flow OF gas
may be desired.
addition the heating furnaces referred to and no
used in the manufacture OF steel those
works have ninety pudding furnaces and seventy two
boilers. The employees number nearly 5000. and the
production Of the works for recent month. ta&en at
ranom to Indicate the output consisted Of pudde iron
$500 tons iron heated In ordinary and slemens
furnaces 1900 tons aud s'eel projection 1900 tons.
OF all this metal also re uced TO bars Plates
etc.. the steam to the heavy machinery being pro-
dncel In the boilers mention H. Before the Introduction
of the wotss consumed over 3OvOoO tons or coai
yearly; the whole establishment h ted by sinsle
gas pipe twenty inches In diameter the pressure IA
which is only about pound TO the square inca Tno
pressure the pipes while subject to control varies
somewhat din times. but or late greatly
excee mentioned. and the entire works have been
a pressure OF only three ounces TO the square
inch
The wonderful heat producing power OF this Is due
chiefly to the fact that large percenayen some
cases nearly 90 per ccntof IL is hydrogen the greater
caloric qualities OF which are well known gwen
weight OF hydrogen Will produce In burning. three
times much heat the weight of carbon. The
Value OF gas In establishment OF this Kind hs com
pared with COAL is dependent part OF course upon
the conditions under whic1 tho two FUELS be Oh
tanned Is estimated however. that there Is
. saving by tho OF gas Of Cd to rs per cens. %
naarly enehaf is represented by tie cost OF the
rurl and as much more by the csst or labor and
inatera,s. There ashes to he carted away. nd
raroad sidugs and trcstles for NOV NJ coal ear M
switching chag es. and tear OF wagons, carts,
etc nor is there small army OF empioyes 20 take
of the &c aajuncts the :rning OF coal, who.
@ Una time there Is very rabs increase In
IN, ,as s oros.et o. tue @is hicod: confidently
We're delivered to them free OF clarge. -
THe yo nn for ts reason IL SPECIALLY
VAN ,be in pudding furnaces, where the irou shows
ta ne, in tue fuel wherever gas used
usually large quantity n air Is required as compared
there IS no uUr o ana other heatns ra,"s
win he made facilities preserving te
Increased aod the Importance OF not wasti IL oecoes
more apparent. ,,--.,,
Ilos, making said to he Pttsburgs oldest Industry
aud the annual product OF its glass factories Is Iaced at
q N OOO $50 In value. The natural gas Is peculiarly
we'll adsptei tbs work. and the glass produced Is
superior in every Respect to that manu- actnrel IN tha
oli W ~ Rolh wiuloY glass and plate glass are made
OF a quality elal t. better than those Obtained from
Europe this especially true or plate glass, ana rs
the demand exceeds the supply Manrfaot
urrrs their directly To tho use OF nat
ural gas Not only the glass better, but II Is more
re than by the use or coal for fuel the
saving il claimed being equal 10 the cost 81 the gas
In tho Use OF gas for cooking AMI he tting dwelling
tha only modification OF the old range AMI ocr
CRATE built for burning coal. consists IN iDg mp tue
old fire boxes with broken stone, brick or 0tGer similar
material. Tho gas is admitted at the bottom OF the
crate extension or tho pipe which enters me
house AMI II rbutes itself through the open stoBo
work Tho heat Is intense The convr nence to house
keepers In starting aud maintaining res must be appar
ent .,,- ,,.
so 600 in about onehalf OF which natural gas is tao
only fuel now usei and the number Is constantly IN
cre9sing One gas company alone ded over 5000 cus-
toner, its list last There Is not single Mah
featuring esablshmcnt OF any Importance winch now
uses uythins but natural gas for fei In fsct
IL impossible for using coal to compel" sue
fully vita using Conservative esumatos
IN ,de by experts give the amount OF coal Iat l. now
being displaced in ritsburg and Allegheny CITY alone
Dy the n,e Of natural gas ut over oooOoO IONS an
nloy and IL account he taken OF tde SURROUNDING ais
| riot the quantity Is much larger.