Telegram-herald., 1890-10-05
ERA OF CHEAP GAS
For uluninafi <, Heating and for
Fsael Purposes.
IL ACCOUNT OF HON II Is DosE
sale. Dssirsbis. Chs&P-nhat the AUtaAi
tasi tsss CossR R2us. ~ Shte2xs, -
Dsinx CAP 50 SsaSs Per
Ah0asa4S fset

AAt-Aha Tx ~htN-At+t III t4-t ti-tA-tte g. fstt-
sndi of the Mutual Fuel 02s Company.
Of Chicago. from the Graphic. Wa Be
ii interest.
Holders OF gas securities n Chicago
must have rubbed ther ewes 10 amaze
ment on reading that the Mutusl fue.
1as Company, with is S4o0 900 plaai,
forty-lwo miles Of mains and produc-
lng capacity OF 900 900 foet per day.
wss resdy to supply iis customers with
hfly-cent gas Compared with the
inonslrous exacuons of the gas trust.
capitalized at S25, ,eoo, 900, and whose
capacity Is checked only by the terfors
II The violated law. the HYDE Park fuel
gas is cheaper than daylight The
Mutual Fnel Gas Company has effec-
tually solved the problem Of cheap gas.
II i can supply is 5000 customers IA
Hyde Park with hfy-cent gas al a
profit 10 the corporation. what, save
inertia in the common council, shall
prevent is meeting the entire demands
OF Chicago ats living profit by suita-
bic expansion OF Is works.
Ii means much more than this. The
time is at hand when gaseous fuel Is 10
replace solid fuel wherever the condi-
tons Will permit. For domestic pur-
poses, both heating and cooking. It's
advantages and Importance csn scarcely
be oyerrated. BESIDES producing the
-. oil aFsff
ness and Us safety place Il beyond com
par son. To the housekeeper and the
artistic cook, not less than the scientific
chemist and the political economist,
its introduction will be hailed with
delight.
Since the days of Watt and Fulton,
been the mode of firing steam boilers has
unchanged, bat henceforth the case
Gus fuel will replace sold fuel on ocean
steamships as well as locomotives, dis
penslng with the superbumsn toll of
firemen. at an immense saving of cost
for fuel, and for handling and trans
porting coal.
Not the least important OF all viii be
the sanitary effect Of the exchange OF
solid for gaseous fuel. as effecung the
complete abolition of the smoke NUS
ance. The fuel gas is thoroughly
smokeless. 1t disperses fog, consumes
all impurities of the atmosphere and
thus adds the essential advantages OF
sanitation TO considerations of comfort.
cleanliness, safety and economy. Visit
ors to the worlds fair Will find that call
the clouds that lowered about our
house" have passed away forever.
The site of the Hyde Park fuel gas
works is at Grand Crossing, occupying
a frontage of 1000 feet on South Chi
cago-ave., at the intersection of Seventy
third-st. For thoroughly equipped
plant there is nothing in the country
more complete. al the modern devices
for saving labor and cost and all the
new machinery for producing gas that
have been found valuable are included
IN the investment. The system of ele-
vators and conyevors is so complete
that one man. 10y the use of their labor
saving appliances, can perform the
work OF seven under the conditions that
prevail in ordinary gas houses. The
credit of the structural work is assigned
&C. II. Evans, the chief engineer, who
unltes in a remarkable degree the skill
of the educated mechanic with the
| supervision of the minutest detail of the
work is attributed the perfection of It's
execution IN every part.
The works face on South Chicago
ave. Tne capacity of the works a now
completed is ,000,000 feet day. The
coal shed holds 1000 tons. and the cars
unload into this by elevators direct
from the track. The gas holders have
capacity of 375 900 feety
The product of these works is what is
| known rs water gas, and IL is made
/ from bituminous coal and steam. III
the process used the coal is fed into the
top of a retort 80 feet high, and IN pass
ing down IL is subjected 10 an ar blast
! which heats 1t To incsndescence. In
this process all the coal tar, sulphur,
and other impurities of the coal arc ex-
PEELED and burned, contributing hy
their combustion 10 the coking pro
cess. When the coal in tho retort has
become coked the blast is turned of
and steam turned on. The extreme
! heat decomposes the steam. the oxygen
! uniting with the carbon 10 form car
| homie oxide, leaving the hydrogen free.
| 1t is these two gases mixed that con.
| stltute the water gas that a drawn OH
| into the holders, and after being
| scrubbed and purified passes into the
| mains. The process of "scruhtiug'
consists in passing it through a body OF
/ coke. The coke takes up anv coal tar
/ dust, or other solid impurities that i
may contain. From the "scruhbers" 4
"a passed 10 the "purificrs. These con
sist of vast watts filled with lathe ch.V'
! impregnsted with lime and copperas
| The lime takes up any carbonic acid
\ there NAV be in the gas. forming car
honate of lime. The copperas takes uT
the sulphur and sulphur gases, thu
1 leaving the fuel gas A pure mixture o'
/ hydrogen and carbonic oxide csses. j
IS tins composition that gives 8 its OK
cellent qualities as n fuel gas. Ia com
bustiOn the carbonic oxide is changed
/ to carbonic acid and the hydrogen 70
uuites with oxygen, forming water. II
I this way there - perfect combustion.
such are the chemical processes o'
the manufacture OF water gas Bat
! ga of tins exact composition Is odor
less. or. rather. 4 has only the odor o
/ csrhonlc oxide, a sort of sweefsh o7oi
not readily recognized as the odor ol
gas. IN order % give the gas 81 odor
( a little oil Is fOrCed into the retort ius
before the gas i drawn of. The IA,
tho effect Of giving the gas readily
disunguishsble otor. but there is 10
/ enough oil used 90 materially alter ~
Composiu0n or cause the smoky 20
I pearance when burning thst 'carbur
cited" gases have.
These works were Commenced lss
/ March and have been rushed wth 81
[ thu v7crr that csrftal arsd GOOD ura0acr