Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-10

BILE OF making 500, 600 feet day, supplying
20 pudding furnaces, costs $4,000. 1t il
claimed that there is no condensation tc
make trouble in the pipes. Should the pro
cess win its way it will save much altera
tion of houses that have been fitted for the
burning of natural gas. 1t is also said al
the tank glass furnaces must be altered if &
r9turn is made to coal.
METHODS OF MAKING FUEL GAS.
Fuel gas is now made in Pullman, Ill,
by process by which oil is passed over
| water. 1t is pronounced success also.
| Following is report of prolonged test
| of the Rose process:
| The National Heat and Power Company
of Philadelphia, of which General Hastings
is President, has been making experiments
! during the last two years at the Bellefonte
Iron and Nail Company's mill, Bellefonte,
| Pa, in pudding iron with fuel gas made by
the Rose process, and has finally succeeded
in solving the problem satisfactorily Dur
| ing the week ending August % they puddled
| 4O,950 pounds of iron with consumption OF
| 359 545 feet of gas. This represents all the
gas burned during the week. including the
amount used in keeping the furnace hot be-
turn. This is an average of Is, eco feet to the
| ton of iron. Some remarkable work was
done duriug this run: For instance, one
heat, lSS Los pounds, vas Puddled
eral heats with less than 5000 feet
each The cost of gas per 1000 feet with
coal, 81 56, coke, So Is per ton and Oil ~
cents i per gallon Gc.S was e cents: With @ fuel
cents per 1000 feet; thus bringing the cost of
pudding down to 81 per ton. These figures
can be verified. Carnegie, Phipps & Co.,
Linn, sent T. r. Lee, mechanical engineer,
of Pittsburg, to make thorough investiga-
tion of the process. After making a test ex-
tending over period of five weeks, he made
this they have secured the right to use the
Rose process in all of their mills and have
ordered plant with a capacity of running
six pudding furnaces, erected in their
ThIrty-third street mill at once; upon the
completion of which they will give it a
thorough test in pudding and heating
furnaces with view of adopting it for use
in all their furnaces.
that can be piped any distance and with the
addition of one and half gallons of Lima
oil to the l,0G0 feet to make illuminating gas
of 20 candle-power.
A CHANCE FOR BooKwALTER'S PLAN.
Things small in themselves are often the
harbingers of an inspiration that changes
the face of the world, and people neither
dreamers nor enthusiasts, but hard-headed,
practical business men of this city take
kindly to the idea of Mr.. Bookwalter, of
Ohio, to alleviate the miseries of farm life
among the poorer part of the farmers and
they see the main step in the accomplish
ment of the project In the manufacture of
fuel gas. The rest will follow by itself and
in short time 1t is true wealthy and ex-
elusive farmer may choose to live isolated
on his broad domain as he can be independ
ent of friendly offices, but the village system,
which Mr.. Bookwalter is developing, is the
solution of the problem how to secure COM
fort in the country on moderate means. 1t
would astonish most people to hear the name
of one Pittsburger who is talking the matter
up. He is a man who makes money rapidly
and enjoys making it, but vet finds time for
the study of social dynamics.
1t has been q matter of comment for MANY
years that there is more insanity among the
farming population than any other of equal
size, and one who has spent any consider
able amount of time among the average
farming population of the United States will
readily divine the causes. Unremitting toll
often poorly cooked food and the almost en-
tire absence of mental pabulum are the
principal ones. The farmer who must work
himself, his wife and children almost to the
verge of their ability and then sell the
best of what Is raised has harder life than
the city hod-carrier. for the latter las at
best some interchange of ideas while hard
worked people on farms have next to none,
and if of a bilious temperament get to
brooding over their comfortless condition
and become insane.
With the village system and its fuel gas
plant farmers could have all the comforts of
city life without its discomforts. AS a COM
plete proof of the advantages of association
among the rural classes take the Western
Reserve in Ohio. There will be found more
rural comfort and general intelligence than
in any other section of equal size in the
United States, and the farmer-thinkers of
the Reserve give tone to the entire State
and are potent factors in turning it alter
nately to the control of the Republican or
Democratic party.
PICTURES FROM THE OTHER SIDE
Contrast it with the section known as the
Virginia. Military Reservation in the same
hat
as in Pennsylvania, and though it has pro-
duced some of the ablest and brightest
minds known in our history, yet the condi-
tion of the mass of the people in comfort
and intelligence is much below that of the
Reserve, though the soil of the latter is in
ferior to that of the former.
The townships on the Reserve are five
miles square, and the town center, where
are located the postoffice, stores, blacksmith
shops, mills, etc, Is but a fraction over
three and one-half miles from the residence
of the most distant inhabitant of the town.
ship. and the roads are laid out on town and
diagonal lines. In addition, farms are small
and usually long and narrow, and each
Farmers house Is on the road, the whole |
forming in effect a continuous village, with
board walk and shade trees along the roads. |
The people have circulating libraries, |
lyceums or debating clubs, and enjoy daily |
intercourse with each other. The result is |
that, as mass, they are the best informed |
and most cheerful and prosperous people in
the Union.
Some of the advantages of the Bookwalter
village scheme were demonstrated 40 years |
ago within two hours ride by rail of this |
city.
The ordinary farmer must find some /
alienation of his present ills. He gets but |
little of the great wealth resulting from the |
present years crop. Though hay in Pitts |
burg is g a ton higher than it was last year.
yet there is no money of consequence in it |
and it is the only crop raised bcreabouts eN- |
cept garden stuff, and but few make any |
extra money raising the latter. An acre OF |
good hay land is worth 500, and
two tons are more than an average |
crop. Two tons are worth de- |
livered, S2L. The cost of three men and a
team to harvest two tons is 50; baling, 81 5O
freight, 81: commission, 81 60; interest on in
vestment Sc: fertilizer, $40, which leaves the
farmer out of pocket 81 20 if he hire the work
done. He may raise three tons per acre
some years, but two are more than an aver
age crop one year with another.
INVESTMENTS DO NOT COUNT.
Thus it is easily seen that the farmers in
vestment must not count in the business at
all. 1t is true there are some farmers who
do make money, even in Allegheny county
but they are financiers and students as well. |
The village system would greatly ameliorate
this condition, and it viii come into vogue, |
Here is where Pittsburg will have her in
nings. The making of fuel gas Will mean |
plants for all present towns and prospective |
granger aggregations and the extension of |
the pe-making industry is one that can |
only be family conceived. This is predi- |