The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-11
CHEAP ARTIFICIAL FUEL GAS.
A Visit 10 the Loomis Gas Generator
DI.,top,s Great Saw Works.

A Visit TO the LOOMS Gas Generator In
DIsston's Great Saw works.
The Baltimore Sun publishes lengthy
account Of 4 visit OF capitalists and manu-
fScturOrs from Baltimore and other cities
to Dlssson'u Saw Works, ct Tsconyr Phil
adelphis, to geo a new process Of Generat-
ing and applying cheap fuel gas.
In one Of the smaller buildings was
found the Loomis gas generator. Those
Who rad come with the idea Of seeing 8
complicated piece Of machinery were dis-
Rppointed, Here was simply rectangu'
lar iron furnace, about twenty feet long,
fifteen high and eight across, with its top
on level with the second floor. II was
divided into three equal compartments by
iron walls running across the eight-ioot
way. Each compartment had two traps
In the top, making six In all
One wan was slowly feeding tho fur.
nsces with iusl consisting oil 0 mixture Of
anthracite screenings and bituminous
slack, the process connistinR Of simply
covering every bright spot where the FIRE
had eaten upward through the macs with
a new uhoyellul OF fuel. All the traps
were open, and 40 heat was felt, though
the burning maes waB nine teet deep, ana
when one Of the party accidentally drop
ped pencil into tho furnace the tender
obligingly jumped in and recovered 1t,
The shortest way to explain tho opera
ton Of the LoomiB generator Is to say 1t Ia
the usual water gas generator TUNED up
side down, for insteEd OF using natural
inward draft or forcinga air upward through
tho msss Of coal to bring 1t to sbout'the
j, 900 degrees Of heat required for water
Gas, tie gas ia euck6d from the bottom OF
the furnace by blower working in re-
yerse. and is delivered wherever wanted,
whether to furnace or receiver. Thus
the one process OF carrying of the gas
produces the draft, that at Tscony, at
present, in the absence Of the gas holder,
being Immediately used in an annealing
furnace.
Downstairs were openings in the fur.
mace, where the ashes were raked out, and
small heap OF white ashes mingled with
small coke Cinders vas found.
The process by It's downward trend car
ricB every rssiduum through the fire,
burns the coal tar and smoke and cap.
lures every particle Of gas in any gas.
making material fed In from above. Holes
covered with mica in the furnace per.
mitted the visitors to see tho gas on Its
course to the main pipe.
Until the furnscs Ia sufficiently hot to
make water gas the gas produced is called
generator gas" This contains about
twenty.iour per cant Of csrbonic oxide,
sixty.fye OF nitrogen, six Of hydrogen and
some other gases. It 10 in all other pro.
cesses blown out Of high stacks in sheets
Of red and blue flame, together with smoke,
red. Tho Loomis system calls Il "fuaP
gas, and the plant Rt Disaton's was fur
nishing 1t steadily to furnace to heat
steel blooms for rolling into saw steel.
In the sides Of the gas furnace, striking
at three different depths into the fire, were
steam pipes leading from the Hazleton
boiler. When the heat ia anllicient the
top traps arc shut, the try steam ia admit
ted, Ia decomposed into water gas, and the
blower then draws out water gas instead
OF the less valuable generator gaE. The
engineers said the "Loomis" would "gsssi-
fy" from bltuminouB coal slack OF Culm,
anthracite coal, slack or screenings, dust
or coke, and that from q ton they were
getting rs, 900 feet Of water gas and 5000
feet Of generator gas.
The party we're next taken TO 6 rolling
mill. Under Its roof were the steel fur
mace, tho blower and tho engine that
works 1t, The furnace has three openinga.
The doors were lifted, showing an red
heat and number Of oblong blocks OF
steel, kept from the floor by resting upon
coke. At the end the gas was admitted
and evenly difused by passing through q
checker work of fire brick loosely cries
crossed for q height Of % inches. The
amokeless gas could be seen rapidly cir.
culating from ono end to the other, and
passing toward the chimney out Of which
the waste heat goes. The workmen rolled
out all the blooms into thin saw steel, and
the furnaces were then closed for twenty
minutea. At the expiration OF that time
they were opened Ind the entire furnace
was at Huch'a white heat that the eye
could only dwell upon It for o couple OF
seconds. The scientific men present ssid |
the heat was sufficient to easily melt
platinum. A valve was opened to allow
the escape Of the gas, which, in tho cool
air, formed Light gray vapor. In warm
weather It is said to DO less Visible.
The Messrs, Dlsston nsy they have besn |
using the SlemRn gas for three years, in
tending to displace coal II 1t worked well,
but they were not perfectly satisfied. They
have expended $l2,0O0in the LoomiB ex-
detrimental plant, and are more than
pleased. They aver that there Ia at least
3Sl per cant saving over coal, and that
they will build large plant as soon as
he contractors, who have already the oral
der, can erect 1t. That this will work q
revolution at Tacony can be seen by the
following: They have % boilers and q
engines, with atotal Of l 800 horse power,
besides snnealing furnaces. Last year
1900 tons OF anthracite and 7,440 toms Of
bituminous coal were uHed TO turn Il OPTIONS
OF steel, 2l0 tons OF iron and 100000 feet
Of lumber into 80, 600 circular SAWS, l,4O0,-
600 hand eaws, 10000 long SAWS, &c,
100000 dies, $1,000 brick trowels, be-
sides many other tools.
They ordered two gsaholders Of twenty
and thirty thousand feet capacity, respect
lively, which they have couniermanded
for one Of over one hundred thousand
feet, and they expect to furnish heat and
light to the settlement Of Tacony, besides
using the gas altogether in their factory.
Mr.. Baker, Of Baltimore, said he was
perfectly satisfied that the purity and
power Of the heat was all sufficient for bis |
Rlass-smelting, and after he had sstiaed |
himself beyond doubt OF It's Cheapness,
he would recommend its use at his firms |
works.
Mr.. Morton offered to give bonds guar.
anteeing q saving Of 80! per cent II Mr..
Baker would guarantee in turn to give |
him all the value Of the saving over that. |
A fountain Of universal knowlsdSs-AI