Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-07-11
Fahnebjelm combs were in use. These are
made OF magf esium In the shape OF a comb,

With metal back, and suspended over the |
gas WREN lit, and when heated give out
III ir liIht by incandesosnce, They are |
very friatle and are worn awav by the hea'.
They will not lest over ITO hours, which |
merns practically that when much used
they require TO be changed about once q
week. AS to The character of the light,
there Is considerable difference OF opinion.
1t is almost perfectly white, with slight
b uish color, and looks dim when com
pared with the bright yellow tint given by
gas or tue Edison light. There IL no doubt,
however. that room can be lit more
cheapy In this way than by any other
means; but that 1t would be generally
pular amongst people who could
afflrd any light but the cheapest, csnnot
think. 1t Il true that was told Of one
we'll to-io gentleman who wfs Obliged to
put the burners all over his house after try.
ing them In room. because his famlly all
insisted on reading by them. j was also
shown some brilliantly Il animated rooms
In Chicago. but, personally, the light was
not an agreeable one. nor do think II
would be to many. The gas itself is made
from soft coal. which is put Into ordinary
retorts. and about three. quarters OF the
gas contained In 1t is distilled off al In the
common process OF coal gas manufacture,
the other quarter beiEg allowed to go to
waste. The coke is then drawn directly
into generator situated directly In front
of the floor, and is made into water gas
by alternately blowing 1t up TO active
| tucandescence and then deoomposng.
The bench Of retorts Is headed
with crude oil, which is more
than paid for by tho tar made during
the distllation OF gas, SO that all the coke
is left for the production of water gas. The
resultant compound would be made Ave.
| sixths OF pure wa or gas. aud one-stxth coal
gas to tue extent OF about SO. 900 fe't OF gas
| to q short ton OF coal. IC would contain
hydrogen. carbursted hydrogen and car
bonc oxide, and would have about 400 heat
units to a foot II properly made through
sufficiently daep bed of fuel. Sometimes
when this beeones too low, quantity of
earbonlc acid Is made which greatly inter-
feres with the heating power OF the gas,
| and eonse quently with the light given of
ny the burners. II is also found that II
larger proportion than oae.sixth OF coal
gas ia allowed to enter the mixture, there
IL a deposit formed upon the comb which
seriously inter eres with Its value.
1t will thus be seen that the business OF
supplying gaseous fuel is not absolutely
new, and that one civ i5 repeating the
advantages OF an experiment. 1t is also to
be introduced into Grand Rapids, Mich.
/ II the Waltham Gus CJmpany should se6
A TO undertake the work, am inclined to
believe that more convenient process
could be obtained, by the use of which both
wafer and producer gas could be made,
and the produoer gas used to displacs q
large amou of the coal now burned under
the boiler used for your electric plant. AT
the same time, so long as new method OF
doing any work Whatever has not yet
attained the psltion of earning dividends,
It can O ly be regarded In the light of an
exnerlment, and l cannot say that have
Sufficient faith myself in its continued
pecuuiary success Ia Waltham to warrant
me In advising you TO undertake the busi-
ness.
Views are different, aud IL your mpany
should undertake the enterprise, should
watch its progress with great interest, and
should be greatly pleased to find th Vt had
takan 100 conservative View Of the profits
likely to be raalizsd either In Jackson or 10
Wa!tham. Yours respectfully,
MALCOLM s. GREENoUaH
Mr.. Goodale continued by saying Will,
, there was no doubt Of the sucosss OF th'
, Loomis plan for isolated purposes, it hat
! rot, up to the pre- ent time, proved th.
| success that would warrant inv stors IL
spending their money to experiment witt
: it for places the size of Waltham. Mr.
Gross, counsel for the petitioners, hat
, said that the Waltham gas compan,
y could put in the plant 1000 cneapel
, than any other company, SO il any othe
. company was permitted 10 put it in, the.
3 would start with $500 water, whicl
. n,uat have interest and dividends paid oi
) it, aud who was to pay this but the con
sumers2 The directors OF the Walthan
compsny had been trying to get meet
ing with Mr.. Gross, so as to get facts ant
I: figures. but to no avail.
' SO far as securing location to prov
: the success al this Loomis gsa was con
= cerned, they had been granted the oppor
tunity at south Framiughsm, wher
: there is no other company to compete
i hut beyond getting charter to put Ii
i the plant and laying pipes, nothing ha
: been done but to issue stock and prin
i an elaborate pamphlet, and had prove
o that they were not sincere In what the
9 had proposed 10 do. Now the Bay Stat
y Gas Company that advertiser that the
~ propose to secure the Waltham Gas Ligh
o Company as part OF their combiuatior
i either mean to J1y tie p,Gat or else th'.
h do not man TO buy II, and there Is n
i better Way to 6nV a cpmDany's st0c
9 ch,nply taah 10 hans a TiUal c0mpaa
!, oisen pc, mission TO locate, and as ~,
"a Cro,s, c0uaaet for tho petitioners. is IL
q yiqht-hGHd nun Of .hr. Adatcks, ths hed
/ IF Me BGy State Gss Comp sny, 1T Gel
d ,ainly LOOKS as though the Rcneme for Of
e quiring the Waltuam Gas Compan
o stocks, was by those means.
3 A. L. Lyman, Esq explained that th
y Waltnam Company had done all ia il
"a jowsr to secure perfectly fair teslimon
L from the experts; fer il the Loomis pla
: was worthy o. introduction they wante
u 10 kno~ it. its company h1d secure
y important test,au ~ Il c2nslGGrab
= xpensa, and had cunu.udsd not 10 1--we
|, "A fuel gas at present.
/, Sherman Hoar, E-q., counsel for Il
j, Wa!tham Gls Company, read lett
i. which was in answer to qrestions pr,
| oounded By him relative to the Framtui
!, lam Compan, and the answer, whic
= Ras from prominent citizen OF Framir
a aam, was to ths effect that the Fuel Gi
4 Company had done nothing further ths
i, to secure their Smarter there, that havir
been granted aem on the 10th of IL
september. Bradshaw Tolman. one
" he petitioners for the Loomis plant, wi
was present, was asked 70 say somethiu
:, y favor OF tbs petition; but he state
/. hat hs had moth ng to say in it's favor
i, ,-ssent; hut upon being urged he sa
!: hat everything did not look right
, iim. He wanted to do all that VI
Y iromissd, but was afraid that he oaul
Y ot DO il, from tho fact that Mes4Ys. Jacl
I an and Whitney had withdrawn fro
= he petition simply from the fact tn
q hay thought that MIR. Loomis was n
', citing fairly in the matter; they all kne
i, ull we'll that Mr Gross was closely col
n | ,noted with tha Raw State Qua G1n nan