The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-03
A HOME INDUSTRY.
Splendid Progress of the San Francisco
GasIight Company.


inspire the San Francisco Gas Company
with particle of fear. Or shake their faith
in the permanent utility Of gas. For evil
dence of this. and much more, the citizen
who takes prde'in the industrial growth of
his city is invited to spend a few hours at
the foot of Buchanan street, where the COM
pany has about completed the expenditure
OF million dollars in the construction of an
entirely new and magnificent gas plant No
one can begin torealze what has been going
on in that bleak and Isolated locality during
the past six months without beholding with
his own eyes, and even then lie will be in-
clined to doubt his senses.
Heretofore the gasight company have had
their main works at the Potrero, and from
that point came the greater portion of the
clty's enormous daily consumption. 1t has
been deemed best however, to change the
central base OF operations To the Bay-street
property, and hence the extensive Improve
ments that are now about reaching compile
ton.
Last June the only evidence of industrial
activity behind the mountainous sand dune
at Bay and Buchanan streets was few lit
tie old dingy buildings a fourth-rate gas
holder, several big piles of coal aud a bleak,
fOrbdding cloud of smoke that hung
like pail over the bleak surroundings
The transformation within six months
seems almost Incredible. remembering that
this is the day Of human achievements ana
not the day of genii. There now towers
above the dunes two monstrOus brick
structures of pleasing architectural de-.
sign, that cover, all tod. nearly a
whole block In area. Aside from
the massive foundations on which they
stand and the other large quantities Of ma
terial Incidental TO their construction, they
i11r IA Gf In
work has been done since the first OF last
July. The buildings themselves, the sight
OF which IrSt greetS and please; the visitor,
are OF course an important part Of what has
been going on. yet convey no sort OF idea
of the true magnitude Of ali that has been
done within that time. They contain all the
vast and complicated machinery necessary
TO the manufacture of 100000 feet of gas
daily, and it is worth any ones time for a
half day just to 90 from end to end of the
mighty establishment and see what Is re-
qulred and what 1t costs TO light great
metropolis.
These buildings are rectangular in shape
and lie at right angles with each other. The
larger of the two, though not so extensive
on the ground. is 164X6f feet, and contains
the principal part of the machinery 1t is
divided into four apartments, commencing
with the bOier-r0om, then the engine-rOom,
next large apartment for the generators,
the cOndeasers and scrubbers. The boiler
room contains two large boilers of $50 horse
power each, of the very best make, and de-
signed especially for the uSe that will be
made of them. The engines 40 not form by
any means the sole feature of the engine
room. They are two compact little ma
chimes, ly ng side by aide. but completely
Outstripping them IN bulk aud stature are
the two immense blowers, near by, propelled
by them and that feed the generators. In
the basement Of this apartment is the ma
chlnery that runs large elevator accumu-
lator, which furnishes hosting power for
the entire works. Both the boiler and en-
CINE rooms are finished off in elegant style
and workmanship. Rare California woods
have been used for panels, castings and other
wood Work, and the machinery fairly glis-
tens with nrwness and OrnamentatOu.
The large apartment in which are con-
structed the two huge generators is alone
worth long journey 10 visit. These gen
orators resemble upright boilers of heavy
iron, twenty-five or thirty feet high and
twelve feet in diameter 1t Is into these the
coal is put and the intense fires turned on
Around them, outside and IN. is a perfect
maze of machinery, every little inch of
which. no matter how apparently nsignf-
cant, plays its essential part in converting
the coal, crude petroleum ana water into
the erratc gas that drives the gloom Of
night from 90. 600 homes.
1t would seem that the visitor has gone
far ana has finally reached the climax of
gaS-making ingenuity and invention. In
Truth he has just commenced. To follow
the unsubstantlal stuff through all its other
vici,situdes would be bewldering chase,
and II described In technical phraSeolOgy
would leave the reader as much in the dark
as though tying to burn the water before it
was separated into its elementary parts.
The liberated gases go from the generators
into cOndensers, thence into ScrubberS, both
similar III construction 10 the generators,
thence through the purifiers into the holder,
and all along this devious way are subjected
to multitude Of chemical influences neces-
sary to give the proper standard of illumin-
ating power. If it were not for this curl
ously complicated process San Francisco
might still burn gas, but il would be much
more brilliantly lighted if it resorted to the
old tallow dip OF half century ago.
The other large structure covers an area
of 195x76 feet, and though not as interesting
to the visitor is ye; equally essential with
all the other parts to the whole. 1t is di-
vided into two apartments, the lime-roOm
aud purifying-rOOm, both of which in their
nature speak for themselves. The mechan-
zeal construction OF all the several parts is
as absolutely perfect as the inventive genius
of the gas engineer is capable of making it,
and If the quality of gas supplied is not the
very best 1t Will be no fault of the appliances.
At present the company are using the old
and very inferior holder, the capacity Of
which is but 200, 900 feet, but it is only tenn
porary. Excavations have been made for a
holder OF 100000 capacity, and its construc-
ton will be pushed ahead to completion
with the same energy that has characterized
the work of the last six months. BY that
time the Bay-Street establishment will be
the main works of the company, and on
these premises they will make such adj
ditiona Improvements from time to time as
emergency may demand.
The merit OF this grand enterprise must
be placed where it belongs before the de-
scription of it is complete At the head of
the company, as their moving inspiration, is
j. b. Crockett, President and Engineer. to
whom is due the credit and honor of having
conceived nearly all the plans and carried
them successfully into effect. Mr.. Crockett
has been in the service OF the company since
1869, and the high order of ability he has
developed from year to year, both rs an en-
gneer and man of remarkable executive
force, has been rewarded by putting him at
the head OF the company and lntruStlng TO
him with absolute confidence all their pro-
gressive schemes and enterprises. Mr..
Crockett has brOadened his knowledge by
extensive travel and observation, so that
when the company decided to enlarge their
operations he was prepared to engineer 1t
from beginning to end with degree oil skill
and success that was not to be had else
WUeTb at any DTlct. IUuttu, duu III SuOIl,
the phenomenal success OF the company Is
due above all else to the wise and skillful
management of the President and Engineer.
Mr.. Crockett is ably assisted by the as
sistant engineer. E. c. Jones, young man
of thorough experience and splendid abil-
ity. Mr.. Jones has had fifteen years expe-
rience in the manufacture of gas in Boston,
Mass, and came to his present position in
May last, supported by the highest recon-
mendations and credentials as a skilled gas
engineer.
But there is one other point in connection
with this cOmpany's ENTERPRISE that ought
to commend them 10 the warmest consider
alton of all true San Franeiscans. and that
is their loyalty to home Institutions Sur
veyIng their extensive improvements from
the sand 80 the weather-vane and there is
not one single article not OF home pr0duc-
tor. The brick. tile, slate, lime and con-
crete were of California make; the huge
iron framework of the domes, the iron