Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-12-06
ABOUT WATER-GAS.
THE QUESTION or INTRODUCING IT
AS ANAD TO THE PRESENT PLANT.
The Experience OF n Practical Expert
Consolidation OF the Aquatic Article
with That from Coal.


A question which is now being given
much consideration IN this city Is the in
PRODUCTION Of water-gas as an auxiliary to
the present coal-gAs plant.
The proposed plan has met with some
opposition. though TIE experience Of a
practical expert indicates the possibility
Of consolidating the water and coal gases
to great advantage.
At theannual meeting Of the Association
OF American Gas Engineers, held IN the
city Of New York October 2lst 70 2ith IN
elusive, President John Z. HARRISON, OF
the Hartford Conn Gas-Iight Company,
who uD 20 eighteen months ago was pro-
nounced coal-gas man. presented his views
20 the association IN the following Ian
guage:
KNEW NOTHING lBOUT wATEP-oAs.
There are two or three things that |
would like TO say 70 you. The members OF
this association will bear mo witness that
since It's organization, or very soon after,
when became a member. until year ago
in Louisville, no member of the associa-
ton IN association meetings ever heard me
say a word that was particularly favorable
to water-gas. ! had been conscientious in
my views. / knew what | was doing with
coal-gas. Water-zas 60 me was theory and
somebody els2s results. Practically L
know nothing about IL.
At the Louisville meeting it became
known that | had recently, or a little
while before that time, put in water
Gas plant. had only started 1t ten days
before / went to that meeting. l could
not give any results, aud | was hardly
ready TO tell why ] bad done IT, but
promised the ASSOCIATION then that If
lived until the meeting and attended 1t |
would give you my reasons and general re-
rults. and like when / make promise
TO keep it.
GREAT FOR EEw THINGS.
I'VE have in our city, as many Of you
have some of you owning IT yourselves
and some of you competing with 1t, the
plant being owned by other parties), cleo
tnc-light plants. The American people
are great for new things, and when the
electric light came around they went for
il, and went for It pretty strong. The gas
companies suffered in consequence. We
did TO q considerable extent. We lost our
entire street lighting. We have not
street lamp left, and bRve not had one for
two or more wears. 4 large number Of prl-
yate consumers introduced the electric
lights and put out gas. 1t became neces-
sary to meet that competition. Economy
was introduced at every point where 1t
fONll nc lI INC man ulhIbiilb ohA AioAAAbA-
ton Of Gas. The very best results that
could be obtained we tried to get, and we
thought we were doing well but with
new electric lamps they would Outshine
the gas that we could make from coal.
INTRODUCTION OF NAPTHA.
Il introduced naptha as an cnricher in
stead of camel coal to whiten the light. l
was not able 90 get above 1S-candie power
without smoke. az against IS or 30-candle
power incandcscent iIght. Gas would not
comuete. They put In their lights by COM
tract. the prices being the price gas was sold
mt the previous year, and people could use
il all they wanted. We lost large number
of our consumers. 1t became evident to me
that something must be done. had
had various parties with me urging
that put in q water-gas plant. One dis
t;uguished man in the business called
on me and urged me, as he had done sew
cral times before. to Introduce It, but did
not succeed, my statement 20 him being
When you can demonstrate TO me the
saving OF ten cents per thousand feet,
with the receipts for dividends fled II the
safe (for that IS whore my expenses end IN
making and distributing gas) better than
can DO with coal gas / am ready 20 con-
slider contract with YOU Ihat gentle
man has not been in Hartford Stree, and
that was six or seven years ago. lput III
stack of RegCneTatlve Brushes, which you
all know Of, for have told you OF this be-
fore. ] got good results from them, and
they are doing well.
PRACTICAL EXAMISATIoN.
"A representative Of a large concern en-
gagged IN the Introduction OF water-gas
called 1pon me in the line of BUSINESS,
and wanted to call my attention to Their
sys. EN- of making water gas. lie stopped
at my uptown Office and talked with me
there. ! said 10 him: Before we talk
busncss come down with me TO the gas
works and see what we have got there and
what we are doing. and see our books.
Let me show you what IL costs to deliver
our gas. what results we are getting,
what our candle-power IS, and then
tell US what you can do with
your system. He did so. He is a member
of this association, and is IN the room to-
dav. Heis second to no other member IN IN
tellipence and activity. When be had eX-
amined the work carefully, he SAID l
will return TO my superior othcer ana tell
him that there is no business for him III
Hartford / continued my Investigation
with regard TO what was being done with
water-gas. and became satisfied that we
could make an Improvement in our Ousl-
ness by the introduction of plant not
hy anv means disseminating cOal-Pas, but
to make a mixture Of the two gases.
TIE wATER-GAs PLANT.
a year ago last spring we made con-
tract for plant having a capacity OF 5OO,-
600 cubic feet guaranteed, We are making
TO-DAY and every day more than 321,OOJ
cubic feet in twenty-four hours with one
half of that apparatus IN use. we nave
made and used that gas every day since
obout the lst of October a year ago. We
make the two gases. IA the water gas
Gomez in crude state from the
relief. holder il passes through sta
ton meter which we bought Tor
the purpose Of measuring what we were
ueinc. and connected IT with the tHke-Oh
pipe from the hydraulic main at distance
of forty feet from the hydraulic man, and
here unite the two gases before they reaen
the eXhaustor. We have wlntered that gas
and have summered It. We have change
of 40 degrees of temperature IN twenty
four hours We have increased the can
dle-poWer % per cent. over what we were
doing with coal and naptha gas, using
nantha IN the retort, and ! have not seen
the gas in my Office (half mile from the
works in a Jones photometer below ~
candles III a year, varying IN from y To- 3'4
cundlepOwer. -
cases makes a gas and a light that IS SUI
ucrior TO either coal. or water-gas alone,
and increases the light without making q
smoke, and think that any company de-
klring TO furnish the very best light 10 its
CONSUMERS cannot do better than TO put IN
q water-gas plant to DO used IN connection
with their coal-gas and use the two TO-
oetber | believe they will find it proita-
Bic to themselves and greatly beneficial to
their consumers"
MANCHESTER AND VICINITY.
~. -. nr,, priJ@e-Mr NeWeil's In