The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-03-22
AT |TMGNTY.PIYH GEMS.
An Inysntion by Which Gas cal be FurnISh-
ed at This Price,

cd at This Price,
Chicago Tribune,
Gas at % cents a thousand!
The possibility Of such a thing is one
that few citizens Of Chicago would enter
tain fora moment. While the Gas Trust
lives and coal barons thrive, 1t has come
TO be regarded as the inevitable fate oil
suffering mankind TO bear upon itf
shoulders the double burden OF these
twin sold Men OF the Sea-" A cham
pion has arisen, however, in the person
OF an inventor who claims to be able 70
dislodgo the dual burden, and to supply
light and fuel at a price that the present
dispensers OF these commodities would
declare insufficient to pay their cigar
bill. The new invention found ready
support among Chicago capitalists when
first II was made known, and on the
principle OF Crying 1t on a dog a COM
pany was formed for the purpose OF test
ing It's praCticability at jackson, Mich.
CLAIMS or THE NEW PROCESS.
"Water fuel gas" is the name applied
to the Combusti6le manufactured by the
new process. Without going into u de-
tailed scientific description OF how the
gas Is made a comparison OF the results
may serve all practical purposes for the
present. By the system used by the
existing gas companies a ton Of soft coal
Is madefo yield abOut6,000 cubic feet OF
illuminating gas. The coal used In the
production OF this gus must DO OF Ger.
tain grade, and the ordinary Illinois
coal is hardly good enough for that pur-
pose. The gus manufacturers, therefore,
use principally Pittsburgh coal, which,
in Chicago, costs about 81 a ton. BY the
new process slack coal, such us any OF
the Illinois mines yield, can be used,
and instead Of 5000 feet one ton OF coal
will yield 10000 feet. The highest price
for coal slack Is not over 70 cents a ton.
This reduces the cost OF the raw mate
rial to about o~ne.sixth, which the extra
yield reduces still further to one-fortieth
Of the cost OF the present gas,
With such u statement before 1t the
Chicago company which has taken up
the manufacture OF water fuel gas com.
menced operations in Jackson In Decem.
Der, 1887. Their works were completed
last October, since which time they have
been supplying Jackson with gas for fuel
and lighting purposes. Prior to the I'D.
vent Of the Water Fuel Gus Company at
Jackson, the old company had been
charging from s. to 50 80 u thousand for
gas, Of which their largest daily output
never exceeded about $4,000 feet. The
new company cut the price Of gas to
forty cents for lighting purposes and
thirty cents for fuel, and Instead Of 50,.
900 feet per day is now selling 100000
feet. Already they have laid thirty
miles Of steel pipe conduits through the
streets, and tho winter season alone pre-.
vented their extending this system still
further. II is expected that during the
next few months the daily output will
be at the rate Of 100000 to 100000 feet
OF gas. The old company, which for.
merly extorted 90 a thousand from its
customers, has now reduced It's price to
81 and is not yet gone out OF business.
The rates charged Tor Jackson are some.
what higher than would be charged in
Chicago, where coal slack, instead OF
being worth 81 so a ton, costs only IS
cents.