Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-11-14
MAKING GAS.
AFew Notes Of Interest About the
Augusta Gas Plant.
!, was Erected in 1853 and Has Had Pros.
porus Business.

intendent W. H. Aiiaii' VI 'iio IAchie-
hoe Light & Heat Co. to Journal man,
Yesterday.
The firm was then known as the Au-
onsta Gas Light Company. Hon. j. W.
Nortb was treasurer, Judge Rice the
first nresident and for long time one
of the able members of the board of
directors. The first superintendent was
Mr. Winslow, who was in charge of the
building of the plant.
Tn company with Mr.. Williams, the
nresent superintendent "a Journal reporter
made a tour of the departments, yesterday
and took a few notes. We first en-
tered the office, where the first
,rbifr of the gas was easily notice
able, Here NJ W. Eugley, chief gas
maker. holds forth. 1t isSa pleasant
room. well lighted, comfortably heated,
and upon the wall are several large franz
cd pictures. The next feature of the es-
tablishment was the process of manu-
featuring gas, which will probably interest
the reader Briefly it is made of water, coal
Gas and oil. First is the large perpen-
dicular furnace in which is very hot
fire: this we saw at the basement and
coming to the first floor we could look
down to bed of hot Goals. Upon the
floor near the top of the opening through
which we bcheld the fire, was 1900 lbs. of
coal, which was dumped into the
furnace to make another run Of gas.
In the corner was the blower
which is run by little engine and
causes this coal to burn rapidly. Con
nected with this furnace in which this
coal is burning, is force draft generator
and through which Il spray of steam is
forced through the hot Goals. BY this
process a water gas is formed and then it
passes into the super heater, which is an
apparatus built like stand pipe. Inside are
bricks placed checker board fashion, with
spaces between, and when this gas passes
through this it is rc-heated. When the
aas is in this super heater oil is added.
Just over the brow of the hill is a large
storage tank in which the naphtha is
kept, and from it pipe is run to another
storage tank, of smaller dimensions, To-
Gated outside the doors. Pipes are con
nccted from this to the machine called
the oil injector, and the oil is forced
through the pipes by u little engine OF
400 lbs. power BY this oil injector a
slight spray of oil is forced into the super
heater to be mixed with the water gas.
They unite in the mixing chamber and
pass up through these heated bricks ana
then form into fixed gas
From the super-heater this fixed
gas passes into the condenser,
which is similar in form to the super
heater In this large upright cylinder Is
running water, which cools the gas and
shrinks it. At the bottom of this ma
chine you will see water flowing out OF a
dirty color, owing to its having had IA
purifying effect upon the gas. Passing
from the condenser it enters the scrubber
by pipes, and in this machine it is cleared
of its tar The next passage through
pipes is into another department, where 1t
flows into three large iron boxes, each
nearly as large as a small bedroom
T.. Al. - tt,..N OH a IlVpT
of oxide of iron, mixed with sawdust, and
alayer of Stacked lime on the top to pui-
ify the gas From the boxes it passes td
the holders ready for use. These holders
are tanks, sealed gas tight and one Is
located at the south and one at the north
of the building Around the outside Is
water to form seal for these tanks
Built around them is a frame and wheels
are attached to the side of the holder Sc
that when filled they will elevate severa
feet One of these holders is 35 years ole
and will hold 20. 900 cubic feet of gas
The other was built six years ago
1t is 40 feet across it and Is feet deep
The capacity is 5000 cubic fee
of gas, so the combined capac
ny of the two tanks Y
$1,000, A new top is being placed ON tn
last named holder. 1t means dozens Q
pieces Of sheet iron and thousands OF riv
cts to do this The work is being don
by Davis 4 Farnham of Waltham, Mass
new coal shed was built this fall am
the coal used in making gas is obtalne
from Lchigh Valley, Pa. The old machir
cry used by the former company lies doi
mant, and was much different from tn
Present equipments, The oil used i
making gas is transported from the rail-
road in peculiar way. A pipe is laid I
the spur of the Maine Central and the o
runs through that to the tank, distanc
of several hundred feet. All the equip
ments about the establishment are con
veniently arranged and consist of every
thing that would be found about first
class plant of this character.
In 1856 Hon. G. p. Wescott, Hon. j.
Manley and Hon. J. r. Bodwell, wit
Others, formed IA company and purchase