Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-05-15

BILE stands, so that they can be placed in
the wings. In fact, SO light and so
easily handled is the apparatus that it
can be taken almost anywhere about
the stage.
.'How are the gases obtained ?" is
probably the readers next question.
Easily answered. Some managers have
them made in their theaters and some
buy them. The old-fashioned way of
transporting the gases was in rubber
bags, as described Il little way back. At
present the method n vogue is to force
them into boiler-iron cylinders.
These cylinders are very strong
ly made, and hold much more
gas han would be supposed by
the uninltiated. One 5 feet in height
and l foot in diameter will contain 60
cubic feet OF gas forced in at a pressure
of % pounds. Manufacturers charge
2Oc a foot for the oxygen, throw in"
the hydrogen free of cost, and pay the
carriage. From 7 feet to II feet an hour
are consumed, according to the size of
the burners. When q theater is unpro-
vided with facilities for manufacture,
and the stage is not piped for calcium
lights, it is easy for the manager to OBJ
tain a stock of gases as he needs
them, and use them direct from the
cylinders. Or, if the stage is piped, and
there are gasometers in the house, and
the manage does not care to bother
about manufacturing, he can buy by the
cylinder, and transfer the gases to the
gasometers. The number of calciums
to be used is always specified in the
contract between q star or combination
and the manager of a theater in which
they are to appear. Sometimes the
combination brings it's own gases in CYL
| 1ndQrG. SOnnfInaC If S11nr1Iiap 0n1u a
portion; more frequently, however, the
theater provides the whole, and charges
accordingly. The average charge is 50
per light for each performance, which
Just about covers the cost.
Did somebody ask how the gases are
manu- actured? Let us go to the Boston
Theater and ask George Sevey, the vet
eran gas engineer; if he cannot tell us
nobody can.
He receives us cordially and escorts
us to the cellar. Opening a closet, he
points to a row OF heavy cast-iron ves-
sells, about the size and very much the
shape of a big iron teakettle, except
that they nave no "noses," and the COW
ers are arranged to screw down air.
tight; from each W protrudes an up
right pipe. These" says Mr.. Sevev,
ARE the retorts. When l want to make
oxygen, / put into one of them 10
pounds of chlorate of potash and 3
pounds of black oxide of manganese; one
pound OF this mixture makes about Al
feet of gas, so hat from each charge is
evolved about go feet. / then set the
charged retort we this gas stove, con-
meet the pipe from it with this pipe
here, and light up"
This pipe here,' which Mr.. Sevey
points out, is some six feet long and
runs in a horizontal direction. Several
feet of it pass through a box full of wa
ter, the use of which, it is explained, is
to cool the gas as it leaves the retort.
The further end of this horizontal pipe
curves down and runs almost to the bot
tom of an alright iron tank, filed near
~ to the top with water. The gas, as it
bio VS. through the retort, Mr.. Sevey ex-
plains, is expelled from the end of the
pipe under water and rises to the top,
getting a thorough washing on the way.
From the owe of the tank it escapes
passes into the gasometer. Simple
enough, isn't it?
But how do you manufacture hydro
GEM" we ask Mr.. Sevey.
"Oh, we don't bother to make it," he
replied; I'VE use the common illuminat-
ing gas, which is good enough for all
practical purposes. If it were neces-
sary, however, it is easy to manufacture
hydrogen from sulphuric acid and iron
scales"
We take a good look atthe gasometers,
which are four in number-two for
oxygen and two for hydrogen-and
have u capacity of 100 cubic teet each.
They are so arranged with weights and
counter weights that it is the work of a
moment only to obtain the pressure
requisite to run" the calciums in all
parts Of the stage.
"We need z to s inches water pres
sure" remarks Mr.. Sevey, 'to send the
gases to the burners just right"
There are few places about the stage
where connection can not be made with
the calcium light pipes. Mr.. Sevey Is
inventive and practical at the same time,
and the piping system was devised by
him and carried out under his super
vision. Had not this article already
reached great length, it would be a
pleasure to describe in it the admirable
system Of lighting the theater, the intri-
cate network of innumerable pipes
which spread out from the tour goo feet
gas meters, and the beautiful marble and
silver "gas table" at the prompt stand.
AS it is, we must hurry away. pausing
only to glance at the bits Of lime which
play SO important a part in calcium
llght1ng. Mr. SeVey makes them IN the
theater, buying hard lump" lime by
the barrel, saving the big pieces into
small strips, and finally finishing them
up with knife and file, until they as
sumo the form of cylinders, two inches
long and three-quarters of an inch In
diameter, when they are packed away
ready tor nse in glass jars tightly stopped
to prevent air Stacking.
An Unexplained Occurrence.