The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-03-07
USING NATURAL GAS.
An Inspection of an Extensive PlttsburE
Establishment That Uses Gas.

An Inspection of an Extensive Plttsburg
EstabIishment That Uses Gas.
The works of Messrs. Jones & Laughlin
are among the largest here. A single three
inch gas pipe, the valve of which was only
about one.eight open, supplied the gas for
q large heating furnace, in other words,
only about one eight OF the capacity OF the
pipe was required to furnish the necessary
amount of heat. A perfectly steady tenn
peIature is maintained, and, by the proper
care in regulating the amount of air ad-
mitted to the burning gas, very little heat
escapes up the chimney. At the same time
it is possible to put in heavier charge and
to bring 1t out in much less time than by
the former method, the gain in the output
of the furnaces being estimated at not less
than 10 per cent. At the pudding furnaces
the feeding pipe is only two inches in di.
ameter, and the valve controlling the flow
of gas was only one-sixteenth open. The
large boilers for producing steam used in
running the machinery are forty eight
inches in diameter and thirty feet long,
with six ten inch hues. A boiler Of this
kind is fed by a two inch gas pipe, the
valve in which was only about one-half
open this morning. When the boilers be.
come hot and the flow OF gas adjusted they
require little further attention, the gas
flow being steady and continuous. There
is no opening and shutting of doors, no
blank spaces on the CRATE bars for the en-.
trance of cold air, no shovelling of coal nor
cartiDg away of ashes, and, In fact, nothing
for the attendant to do but to keep an eye
on the steam gauge and regulate the Sow
Of gas as may be desired.
In addition to TIE heating furnaces re-
ferIed to and the Siemens heaters used In
the manufacture of steel, these works have
ninety pudding furnaces and seventy-two
boilers. The employees number nearly
5000. and the production of the works for
a recent month, taken at random to indi-
cate the output, consisted of puddled iron,
$500 tons; iron heated in ordinary and
Siemens furnaces Is, 600 tons, and steel
production, 73 90 tons. OF course all this
metal was also reduced to bars, plates. etc,
the steam to run the heavy machinery be-
ing produced in the boilers mentioned.
Before the introduction of gas the works
consumed ever 300, 900 tons of coal yearly;
the whole establishment is now fed by
single gas pipe twenty inches in diameter
the pressure in which Is only about one
pound to the square inch. The pressure
in the pipes, while subject to control, varies
somewhat at different times. but never, of
late, greatly exceeds that mentioned, and
the entire works have been run on a pres.
sure Of only three ounces to the square
il ch.
The wonderful heat producing power Of
this gas lie due chiefly to the fact that
very large percentage-in some cases near.
ly 90 per cent-of it is hydrogen, the great
er calorifc qualities of which are well
known. A given weight of hydrogen will
produce In burning, three times as much
heat as the same weight of carbon. The
value of gas in an establishment of this
kind, as compared with coal. is dependent
in part, OF course, upon the conditions un-
der which the two fuels can be obtained.
It Is estimated, however, that there is an
average saving by the use of gas of go to 75
per cent, OF which nearly one half is repre-
sented by the cost of the fuel and as much
more by the cost of labor aud materials.
There are no ashes to be caIted away, no
railroad sidings and trestles Tor moving
coal cars, no switching charges, no wear
and tear OF wagons, carts, etc, nor is there
q small army of employees to take charge of
these adjuncts to the burning of coal, while,
at the same time, there is a very considera-
able increase in the products OF the mills.
Indeed, it is confidently asserted that the
mills could not afford to use coal If 1t were
delivered to them free of charge.