The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-06-16
JOUR NEW GAS LIGHTS.
Lexington Lighted by the Best
System of Water Gas
in the West.
LETTER FROM MIR. SUTHERLAND
A Gas Plant OF Which Any City Might
Well Feel TrOnd-13O Lights
of - Candle Power Each.

Lexington is to be lighted by the best
system OF water gas manufactured. a
plant that cost Sj0,000 has just been put
in, and If all signs do not fail we are Ia
have the best lighted city in the state.
With its 100 lights, with TWENTY-FIVE
candle power each, we will not he COM
PEELED to walk around in the dark by any
means.
The works have been put in under the
supervision of Mr.. Sutherland himself.
The following letter from him t. the
editor. explains his system. The letter
was not written for publication, vet for
the benefit of our readers we take the
liberty TO print it
LEXINGTON, Mo-, May 30, 1894.
To the Editor Of the Intelligence
DEAR SII:-As promised. ] will give
you a brief description of the process of
water gas making, as made by my
generator, the construction of which is
now going on at the works of the Gas
Light Company in this city.
This letter is not intended for publi-
cation, but as an attempt at aiding you
in case you wish at any time to describe
the process to your readers.
In describing my method of water gas
making, l must necessarily give you
some facts which are common to all
water gas production.
| do not claim originality in this field,
but that | have improved on the method
hitherto in use. This | claim to have
done, in simplicity, durability and
economy of operation, to an extent
never before attained.
The gas made by this apparatus is fairly
entitled to the name water gas" since
about two-thirds of its bulk Is obtained
from that element.
You are aware that water is composed
OF two parts hydrogen and one part
oxygen, two gases, either of which alone
is a strong supporter of combustion.
To the discovery Of the strong affinity
existing between carbon and oxygen we
are indebted for water gas.
A French scientist. several years ago.
drew attention to the possibilities of
profit in this direction, but an American,
MIR. Lowe, of Allentown. Pa, was the
first to put 1t on a commercial basis.
The first apparatus made for sepa-
rating the component gases of water.
and carbonating and purifying them for
light, was cumbersome and expensive,
and could be adopted by only wealthy
companies, and SO inventive skill has
been for some time at work to produce
the same results by ar apparatus so
simple that all gas companies could
avail themselves of its advantages
without drawing too heavily upon their
resources. Hence my Little Giant
water gas generator.
The form of this generator, as made
for small companies, is rectangular.
having within it several compartments.
One of these compartments, when i'm
operation, is filled with carbon, (either
anthracite coal or COKE the Others with
some refractory material, preferably
fire bricks.)
The carbon in the first chamber is
then brought to a high heat, almost To
iDcandescence, by a fan blower. The
products of combustion, while the car.
bon is being heated, are ignlted and
passed through the several passages
which contain the refractory material
This material is thus brought to a suit
able heat of about eighteen hundred
degrees Fahrenheit.
When the contents of the entire gene
rator are suitably heated, steam i:
passed through the carbon, which. in it:
r passage, is decomposed, the oxygei
uniting with the carbon and freeing thu
hydrogen.
We have then a mixture of carboniC
oxide and hydrogen gas. To these We
I add crude petroleum, or any of its dis
tillates, such as prepared gas oil. ordi
nary lamp kerosene or naptha, and pass
the entire mixture through the variOu:
heated passages until the oil i.
cracked" and expanded into a fixed
gas, and the whole thoroughly mixed
together.
We then pass it through a course OF
cooling, then of washing with water, and
lastly of purifying by lime or oxide
of iron, thence to the holder for dis
tributiOn and use.
Excuse the length of this as l have nj
time to abbreviate it.
Yours Truly,
A. M. SWITZERLAND.