Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-04
FUEL OF THE FUTURE.
Pittsburg to Be Supplied With Manu-
factured Gas for Heating.
COSTS MORE THAN NATURES FUEL
Some of the Difficulties and Dangers Yet
to Be Overcome.
TWO POPULAR FALLACIES EXPOSED


when the calamity occurs, for Pittsburger!
to return entirely to the use of coal, unless
| they want to. Gas can be made from oil
| and coal in sufficient quantities for domestic
! consumption, but the rates, to be sure, will
be little higher than at present, unless
the process of producing fuel gas should be
greatly improved and cheapened. Manu-
featured gas is now being used to some e1.
tent in Buffalo and New York with consid-
erable success
The attention of Pittsburgers is drawn to
the fuel gas question at this time by the
statement of Fred E. Saward before the
New York Senatorial Committee that manu-
factured gas is now being mixed and forced
into the pipes in Pittsburg with the natural
fluid from the earth. If this is true, it
would be a great surprise, but it was
promptly denied by officials of the Philadel-
phia Company, who laughed at the idea
Mr.. Westinghouse, with his Southside
plant, demonstrated that fuel gas could be
msde, but its economic consumption is far
from being solved. The greatest difficulty
experienced was in trying to pipe the stuff.
Fuel Gas Produced From Lima OIL.
However, Philadelphia Company official
some time ago threw out the hint that as a
last resort they had in view scheme to
produce gas out OF Lima oil. The Standard
Oil Company claims this filthy fluid will
make an excellent fuel.
j. r. Mckinley, of the Allegheny Heat
ing Company, was yesterday shown the
statement made by MI. Seward before the
New York committee. 'sIt is queer" said
Mr. Mckinley, "what funny ideas people
have about gas. Why, this is as absurd as
the story that air is sometimes forced into
know that such an operation would be very
dangerous, and would end in the town being
blown up. To begin with. manufactured gas
costs 81 per 1000 feet while natural gas can
amount. 1t wouldn't be good business
policy.to mix them when enough natural
cas- at 20 cents can be obtained. But 1t Is
The first requires from to parts of air to
burn it, but the natural gas must have from
- TO Is parts. You take on the natural gas
the gas will burn, but supply it with the
necessary amount OF air, and 1t will fare up
and be intensely acttve. Again. the natural
gas pressure in PfttsburT ranges from three
ounces up to three pounds and more in
places.
Impossible to MIX the Two.
cover in Allegheny the average pressure
is from three to four ounces, but the press
ure on artificial gas is only a half ounce and
the makers have hard work to get up this
much force. Now what would be the result
if we tried toynix the two gases The natural
fluid would push the lighter gas bac k into
the holders with rush. 1t would be i'm
possible to get the parts together. 1t think
this explanation will convince any man that
Mr.. Saward has been misinformed about
Pittsburg gas.
"Where the fuel gas is made and used on
the spot, the result is satisfactory, but it is
not as cheap as natural gas. Calvin
Wells and other mill owners use
isn't one Of them who would not prefer nat
ural gas if they could get it. The problem
with the fuel gas is to pipe it. Pressure is
needed. Mr. Westinghouse laid line from
his plant on the Southside TO A. NJ. Byers'
mill. The gas was made and Mr.. Byers used
IT. but it was an expensive fuel in compari-
son with natural gas. and he abandoned it.
The plant supplied Atterbury's glass fac
tory near by for a long time. but it didn't
pay to run the works for Mr.. Atterbury's
benefit when he could get all the natural
gas he wanted for s4o0 per month. The pipe
some kind of a strong machinery was neces-
sary to force the artificial gas through the
pipes. The time is coming, to be sure, when
we will use manufactured gas in Pittsburg,
but 1t will be made and distributed on an
extensive scale. Engine houses like power
houses will be built to produce the necessary
pressure.
Too Much Like Poor Whisky.
"PeopleN come to me and show me how
they can make 81, ,oc0 feet of gas out of ton
of coal. 1t can be done, but what kind of
stuff is it made of. 1t is like making three
barrels of whisky out of a busheI of grain.
1t would be mighty poor and weak drink.
The same is true of artificial gas. 1t
hasn't the ingredients Arsficial ddd gas as. can be
proper kind of burner little will go long
way. By placing the stove in the center of
a room l can heat it with q small quantity of
gas. Stoves are made to burn from to 10
feet of gas per hour. A great many of them
are used in Atlantic City, and the people
burn the illuminating gas. heated my cot
tage there for my family all last winter in
this way, and my gas bill wasn't more than
$40 per month.
"People must use economic burners. Too
much of the fuel is wasted and goes up the
ers is all wrong, but improvements are
being made constantly to lessen the cost and
You know that natural gas in
Cured in piping 1t. When the natural gas
fails. the Philadelphia Company will have
an excellent plant for piping manufactured
gas. The pipes are SO large.
Evils of Artificial Fuel Gas.
Considerable money is used up, also, in
refining artificial gas. All the tar and nox-
1OuS ingredients must De taken out, or In q
short time the pipes will be cholzed up with
the deposits. Besides, unrefined manu-
factured gas is very poisonous,
and would be injurious to health. Still it is
true we will be using artificial gas in the
future, but will not be as cheap or as satfs-
factory as the gas God has given us in the
earth. However, we don't burn gas because
IL is cheap. use illuminating gas in my
house. but kerosene lamps or tallow candles
would do the work and cost less. Con-
and lack of dirt are items that
must not be overlooked.
81 am not one of those who believe that |
natural gas is about exhausted. I think We
will have it for some years to come. Where |
the oil operations are SO extern |
sive and successful, there is sure
to be gas. The other day |
asked Superintendent George Brown, of the |
Philadelphia Company, how many wells he |
had drilled in wfld-catting during the year. |
He replied very few. He said he found it |
cheaper to sit around and buy them from oil |
men. The company has bought wells from
]. NJ. GUffey and other operators. Gas has |
been discovered near Verona back OF ALLIE |
gheny, down in Cofaopolis and in other
fields. The location of the wells shows there |
Is plenty of gas in the territory, and the
Philadelphia Company is now drilling,
knowing that they are sure to strike it."
Child Run Down on Forbes Street.
Sadie Samuels aged wears, was knocked