New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-01
FROM GAS WELL TO CONSUMER
HOW THE NATURAL GAS Is SUPPLIED

burg slow to adopt natural gas - q fuel In
! the first place, they In doubt to the extent
of tho gs fields and the permanent charzetsr Of the
supply: besides. there inexhaustbe supply Of
good coal at their very DOORS which cooid Do had
cheaply, and they generally disposed to let
well enough alone and not to be iod awav bv what
they regarded a. strange gods. II Is true that as
carly 1874, firm doing business the city be-
gan piping gas from Butler County but all knowledge
as to the advantages which the frm thus obtained
over their competitors closely guarded and the
Impression was created generally that 1t was enjoying
an expensive luxury In having changed from coal to
gas 1t was not until the Of natural gas bee anne
more general that its superior advantages, both as
regards economy and the character of the materials
produced, were fully appreciated. In fact, msny
mann faatnrers still 10th admit all may DO
said In It's favor, their reticence being due to desire
not to encourage further competition by inviting
establishments located in other parts Of the country
to This vicinity.
In the early history of piping from the HICKORY
Murraysville and other Districts large nnmter OF
companies were formed which were subsequently con-
solIdated into what Is known the Philadelphia
Company. Fer a long time there appeared to DO no
practical way Of CONTROLLING the gas and hence It vas
turned directly from the LII OF the we'll into mains
which were Laid from the districts 10 the city or
course. the pressure these mains vefy great
and much twenty cable feet Of gas were con-
solidated into one foe;. Tho result heavy fric
By the time the reached the city, the pressure on
tho pipes very mneh reduced. To some extent
this IS the condition OF affairs to day but b. pls Ing
heavy beams weighted down to the ground in proper
position 1t has been possible to shirt in the gas at the
mouth OF the we'll aud to permit It's escape In such
volume only desired
In order to regulate the pressure before tho gas
tered tho city limits, stations were established where
the gas passed through valves, which regulated
tho flow. At the time, the size Of the pipe into
which it was rerutted to escape and by which the
city was supplied was materially incre sed ms
the Jones & Laughlin WORKS, to winch referred
the other day tho high pressure main pipe was only
twelve inches in diameter and at the time that
visited the works it carrying pressure OF about
ten pounds to the square inch the pipe VIII Oh
ceived the gas for the wors, was twelve ;hes In
diameter, but carried only ono pound TO the square
inch, the reduction pressure being cherted In part
by the expansion PERMITTED by the use OF the lrger
pipe and partly by holding back the gas In the high
pressure main. The movement Of the valves Is
automatic, Keeping tho pressure IN tho city pipes
steady. Th ese reducing stations, they are called
less needed than formerly because 1t Is pos
sble to regulate the of gas that leaves the
gas district, about twenty miles away AT other sta
lions which l have Wis tod, the flow was 50 well reg
ulaed In this way thai the press In the pes, as
they ensered the csy greater than tAai IeedeI
for consum pton- and hence tho waves were loft open
The CHARTERS Valley Gas Company was organized
In 1s63 by manufa turers OF PttSoure, for the
purpose of supplying Their own mills and other esfao
shments with natural 1t has since extended us
lines however. to many Dwellings in byth Ptstuls
and Allegheny CITY ia al ion & Other MANI actur-
ing esrabns hmens to-day the capacity Of It's hines
Is equal to that of thu Phl~d-lphl emp ny. This
has been secured In part by the improved cOnstluc
ton OF its pipe lines tie $40 Of tbs pIge b~ln5 IL
creased it approaches the CITY. thus aiding La a
gradual reduction in the gas pressure and reducing tEe
friction. Tho company his tas Ia ge's v'o-sh~ireh
pipe In the word, leading from 70, wells a. Aarlss-
vine to P.ttsburg the hrst ghs ml5s, she nne
IS sixteen inches in diameter; the neNS STA niles have
diameter OF twenty IN. hos aud Vnus Is succeeded by
a pie twenty llGnos IN aiAai~ Ler
ror some It was mo. gal IN. heavy pressure
in tho ppes sHpEls ms tho StS To tue Ia Torres was
t was practice 20 ca ry Che pr sure Hv.i Hell
to twenty ave pound, to ths s4I~rG lneA H. - now
conceded however, that the best res..ts MAY BE- ob-
alncd with preSsiur. a Few Ouners. he inventive
re .l.Js OF tbs community has btea taxed Ia d5Ntse
passn, rhruugn il. The ordinary gas meter does not
serve he purpose. In the a-unse of any Satisfactory
appliance. 1t has been the Lr-erice u tn Gas com
! pan.e, 10 chargO a gwen sum per ton of i4On nan
Ilactured or In the OF Willing houses, fixed
sum per month for the whole hoas,. Ibis Guide
svSteIn is TO b.s abandoned as It l. believed a or
has devised which viii answer ali the purposes
! desired.
heretofore the active competition that has existed
between thu Philadelphia I'D ths CharLsrs sa.Ly
OF natural Gas to an extrym ly low hg~re whcn IN
turn has led to great vase GA th pa" on iasha4't
urcr, aud others. Thu cost to them has eccn the
same whether they used mich or HLtIe. aad Ia May
cases the furnaces have been SO imperfeetly CON
great the amount Consumed In J-nu~ry last
contract enered Into bcwecn the Two companies
which rins for y period OF nsry NH yeas an hlSn
places the working OF both con- Lanes hnder Que nan
agement Tor al traSt.c@o,e par soes sas w. COLI
fcriay reducing tho operating expenses, ana at me
nle giving tho soRtrSi Oh pta,tca.ls an t4e "a
that comes to Ptsburg and IT'S vicinity mo me hdnds
,de before tho consoda ion all extir, on April I.
lfobf frta
and from TINS source alone largo revenue ID eA,
pee ed in the future The net profits are 10 be divided
which their respective capitals bear to th' combined
The capacity Of the pipe lines reaching this city is
about 5OOOOO 600 cubic feet every twenty four hours
Dnrinr the winter sersou all this gas Is ed,
while in the summer there is a surplus II Is n
orally believed that the saving In the waste OF gas ny
the lnirouclon vi viii erabIe the comranes 10
charge in proportion to the amount actually consumed
will be fully equal to any Increase la eohsanlpeoh
ing -horses which VIII probably change from ceal 70
be attracted account OF the great economy in
the use the fuel to be obta ned The supply could
bn increased somewhat at present without drilling any
new wells both companies having rive Of several
wells in the Mnrraysvlle and Hickory districts which
shut down until needed but which can be turned
on the main line al any moment
II this conclusion proves to De correct the ntther
sinking of gas wells In this vicinity VII D. med d
haristed Professor c. A. Ashburner. of the United
Coal staflstlcs has expressed the beef that not to
exceed . per of the known gas territory has yet
been brought into renulStOn to supnlV cons inrfs
Other exparts tell that the Of tested terri
tory is ten times as large all the petroleum. REDS
that have been developed That capitalists have faith
I'm tho practical nexhaustibilty OF the supply, Is
demonstrated by the enormous e. a. Is hments that
are being constructed the gaS fields Al Crane
ellie class works will be erectgd this summer which
are to cover thlrtysiX ares. end which VIII cost
over 20 900 900. They will he located directly over
the gas lad vet ons we'll will more than sunrlv all
the fuel needed They will be the largest WORKS m
the country. having a c9ppitv Of mo-" tran al the
sbn -tDrO mart NJ Ia
manufacture OF window glass % winch me sncss
Of the new works will be confined The CarnegiH
Works al Rrssemer will also oh ain their g,- snuIy
from Grapeville and a CORPORATION has bern loruci
hv Philaialphis carftapsfs ro co7strnct large