The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-10
A LONDON FOG.
1t is a Very Costly Affair to the Inhab-
fiants of the Metropolis.

1t is a Very Costly Affair to the Inhab-
itants of the Metropolis.
A London fog is not merely a cherries
and disagreeable but also very
costly affair. Some years az after
a day Of regular fog in the month
Of January, the following statement
was issued by the Gaslight and Coke
Company: Ninety million cubic feet Of
gas were sent out during the twenty-four
hours ending at midnight. This quantity
was an Increase on that Of the correspond
ing day in the previous year (Which may be
taken as an ordinary January day of 81
per cent or over 5000, 0O0 cubic feet"
The pTi, e at that time was s. per 1000 Gu
bic feet, so that the public had to pay this
one company $3.50 extra on account of the
fog. No less than $500 tons of coal were
carbonized during the twenty-four hours to
produce 100000 cubic feet Of gas-the
largest amount ever sent out in a day by the
Gaslight and Coke Company.
Let it be remembered that this was the
quantity ascer,ained ana declared by onIv
one of the companies supplying gas TO the
public; others having also an enormous pro-
duction, such as The South Metropolitan Gas
Company, the strike at the works of which
at Lambeth last year caused 80 much diff
fcuty and annoyance. What was tho
total amount over the average due to that
January days fog. there are no statistics 10
show: but 1t is evident that the cost TO the
public Tor additional light must be very
great
Nor is it by gas bills only that the cost of
n fog is to reckOned in the matter of artif-
cal light. Gas meters aud the records of
gas companies afford some apprpximata
statistics. bnt how can we reckon the total
expense to the multitudes who use candles
and lamps OF every kind
Many readers Will remember the famous
Economical Project" as he called il of
Benjamin Franklin. He thus introduced
his plan TO the people of Paris:
/ was the other evening in grand COM
pany where the new lamp of NJ LANCE was
exhibited and much admired for its splen-
dor. But inquiry was made whether tha
oil it consumed was not in proportion In Inc
light 1t afforded, in which case there would
be no saving In the use OF it. No one pres
ent could satisfy US on that point, but was
pleased to see the general concern for econ
Omy, iOr l love economy exceedingly"
few days after Franklin published his
project, which was no other than a recon
mendatiOn TO use sunlight more and artificial
light less. The paper is in Franklin's hest
style, iull Of sound sense and genial humor
but our reference to 1t is only on account Of
the calculation he makes as to the cost M
candle light. Suppose, he says. there arc
100000 families in Paris and that these
ldiuiiito CououiAS III tHt ulBHI nail q DOun0
OF bougles, or candles per hour Taking
one family with another, this he thought n
moderate estimate.
In the next six months between March
10th aud September Goth there are 1873 niphts
during seven hours OF which candles ara
burned; in all 1881 hours. These honrs
multiplied by 100000 give the total of 12s :
100000 hours. At the current price of way
ana tallOw, he demonstrated that the Civ
OF Paris could save 96,075,000 livres in the
haII year by early rising and using sunlight.
There would be also considerable sayin1
in the other six months, though the DAYS are
shorter. 1t is pleasant to recall this len
d'esprt OF Franklin, as it sets up thinking
what must be the actual cost of candle lighf
and lamplight in the hundreds OF thousands
OF homes and work-rooms, shops and offices
Hour