Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-25
NOW IT'S FUEL GAS
A Company With So, 900, 900
Capital Organized
TO MAKE IT IN GRAND RAPIDS
Coal Bills VIII be Discounted as Per Cent.
The Works Now Being Built.
How IL Is Produced.

Grand Rapids has new industry. IL
10 the only one OF the kind IN the state,
and unless all indications are false. IT 10
destined 10 play an important part in
the future manufacturing interests OF
the city.
Several weeks ago the Grand Rapids
Electric Light and Power company ap-
pied 10 the common council for per-
mission 10 build tanks in the West sid.
canal, To be used US reservoirs for stos-
ing petroleum, the supposltion being
that thc company intended to use
crude oil instead of coal in the produc-
ton OF steam.
The common council granted the
company the privilege, and nothing
more was thought OF 1t. Since that
time building has been IN the course
of construction near the electric light
plant. IT was supposed to be an addi-
ton TO the electric light company's
| building.
Asa matter of fact this building is
being iuilt by the Michigan Fuel Gas
company, corporation composed
principally of Chicago capitalists and
organized TO do business IN tins state.
The object of this company is TO manu-
facture fuel gas for Industrial purposes.
The company has capital stock OF 81,
000, 900 and will probably get it's plant
in running order at the end of three
weeks.
To Start on n small Scale.
The plant will start in on a rather
small scale and the object of using the
Grand Rapids Electric Light company's
plant is to make a test OF the economi-
cal value of the gas in order tnat the
manufacturers of the city may have an
opportunity to investigate the matter
thoroughly. The Electric Light CON-
pany will produce their steam by
means of it, and 1t will also supply
various smaller Institutions In the near
neighborhood, SO soon as practicable,
the city will be piped and the gas sup
Piled to all who wish to use 1t If per-
mission can be secured from the CON-
mon council.
The plant at first will produce 3,000.-
600 cubic feet of fuel gas per day. This
will represent an equivalent to 5000
horse power of energy.
The gas will be made by the Hall pro-
cess, u recent invention. 1t can be pro-
duced either from soft coal or petrol
cum. At first coal will be- used in the
plant here; but IT is probable that coal
oil will be used as soon as the business
gets fully to operating.
But One other in Existence.
There is but one other plant of this
kind IN existence. 1t IS located in
| ~ A.. hx,f t>n Iota fsos
and Fuel company. 1t is now located
at the Chicago Wheel works where it
has been undergoing a course of ex-
pcrimental tests for the past siy
months. All experiments have proved
highly satisfactory and tomorrow the
company expects TO begin active opera
tons. Ii was intended to have It's plant
ready and start both at the same time,
but the cold weather of the past month
has dc layed the work so much that this
plant is not ready for use.
Ievartt Armden of Chicago, is presi-
dent of the company, and j. +. Dwyer
of the same place is stockhelder. Many
of the stockholders are prominent
Grand Rapids business men. Messrs.
Armden and Dwyer expect to make
| this city their homo as soon as the
plant is in running order. The Mchi-
gan offices Of the company have been
established in this city in room No, 20
| of the Powers opera house block. AS
soon as possible after this plant gets
under ope alton, measures will be
taken to establish branchesln the other
large cities of the state.
IL VIII be Economical
II is claimed by the company that
ca.. ho v>ratro..t i,- tho Hall
process for less than thirty cents per
thousand cubic feet. IL - further
claimed that at leas. 90 per cent of the
energy of the coal may be utilized by
| the process. According TO the present
methods of burning coal for the pro-
duction of steam, not over 20 or IS per
cent is utilized and unless
all the mechanical appliances
of tho furnace are in perfect working
condit ition not more than fifteen or
| eighteen per cent can be obtained. No
expensive changes will have TO be made
10 the furnaces IN order TO use 1t. 1t
can be used in essentially the same
way rs natural gas.
| At first the company will not meter
the gas but will offer to discount the
! cosi bills of the manufacturing estab-
1 lishmcnt using II. 1t ~ Thought that
/ on the start coal bills can be discounted
at least twenty-five per cent. and per-
haps more. When one considers the
amount paid for coal by the factories
OK the city, tie amount claimed TO be
saved by this process becomes enor-
nous.
For time yet the company does not
| intend TO store the gas, but viii manu-
fact'fre { a. 10 is used. forcing it TO the
| different establishments directly from
/ the machines. As soon as the business
/ increases, storage tas.ks will be built IN
| sltutc scitatIa taratffv