The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-27

If one should tell a mechanical engi-
neer that gas for power and heating
purposes could be produced at cost
so small as to be insignificant the en-
gineer would doubtless receive the as
sertion with incredulity, and, If it was
asserted that the cost was hardly
worth computing, your engineer would
say the informant didn't know what
he was talking about. 1t is fact.
nevertheless, that gas for power ana
heating purposes can be made for al
most nothing from the anthracite culm
which abounds in this region and 1t Is
a comforting truth that scranton
man originated the scheme and that 1t
bids fair to attract considerable atten-
tion from manufacturers, capitalists
and others who give thoughts to such
things.
]. Gardner Sanderson. son Of the late
George Sanderson, and brother of the
present George Sanderson, president OF
the select council is the man who, with
a few business spirits and capitalists
of note, possesses the patent. AS long
as five years ago he conceived the idea
and three years ago he began working
and studying to devise the mechanical
contrivance which is destined-so men
the cost of power and heating almost
to zero. Mr.. Sanderson's study of the
subject was not primarily suggested by
the thought of financial gain, but the
possibilities developed sucn wide
prospective field that large re.nunera-
tion for his foresight came into view
and now there are others associated
with him.
Today there will appear legal an
nouncements of the forthcoming appli-
cation for a charter for the "Anthra-
cite Gas Producer Company" The
board of directors will be: DR.. ]. NJ.
treasurer; ]. Gardner Sanderson. the
inventor, secretary. and +. L. Sturges.
The plans for introducing the prOduc-
ers have not been fully decided upon.
1t is likely, however, that the rights to
manufacture will be sold and that but
comparatively few producers will be
made in this city. 1t is probable that
plants will soon be established here for
piping the gas short distances, the eX-
act number of miles depending on
franchises and the high or low cost of
freightage on culm.
EXPERIMENTING PLANT
Near the Columbus colliery, on North
Washington avenue, Is the expert
menting plant which has developed
things beyond what the mechanics call
the experiment" stage. There Is To-
Gated the contrivances of iron and the
like which illustrate and prove the in
ventors idea. 1t is simple even to the
ordinary mind. There is furnace
like arrangement, to produce the gas,
a holder to receive and store it: boilers,
beneath which It is burned TO pro-
duce steam: stoves on which 1t makes
cooking an easy thing, and jets out Of
which its light is shed. What the pos
sibilities are for the invention are va
rious, but 1t Is not visionary to i'm
agine that a few generating plants
could furnish sufficient gas to run the
engines of all the power plants In the
city and at small cost to each. Even
tually the gas producers will be manu.
factured and sold, and it is not i'm
probable that the gas Will be piped
to large manufacturing centers.
The producer, or furnace, in which
the gas is generated is simple; it can
be understood by others than mechan-
les. There are several systems wnere-
by coal may be utilized. but it remained
for Scrantonian to perfect the appli-
ance permitting the use Of culm. His
producer Is constructed on the princi-
pie of a self-feeding stove. 1t con-
tains cone-shaped CRATE which sup
ports a mass of fuel several feet thick.
The culm is fed through a hopper
which extends to the mass OF turning
material and feeds it automatically.
The burning culm never extends to the
surface, as. in that case the gas gen.
Grated would be ignited and consumed
by the living Goals.
STEAM AND AIR USED.
A jet of steam and air. the one for
decomposition and the other for conf
bustion, is forced into the fire-bed by
a specially made McClave blower. The
pressure is heavy and the distribution
equal in and through the culm which
lies three and four feet in depth on the
cone crate. The steam and air does
not create miniature volcanoes frorn
the surface; that would create q union
of the gas and flame. Frequent shak.
ings of the crate cause the fine ashes
to fall from all points along the base
of the CRATE. From the top of the
producer the gas in conducted by
large pipe through a filter of water.
which cleanses and purifies it, into
holder" A "holder" is the technical
name for tank, the same as Is used
for storing gas at gas works.
From the holder the gas is piped be-
meath almost any kind of boilers where
it is ignited, and in it's burning creates
steam. 1t may. however, be piped into
any of the many styles of gas engines
and there furnish a direct power. All
these engines differ but slightly in their
constructive principles, the gas in the
cylinders being ignited and driving the
pistons by a series of Intermittent cv-
plosions. The latter is the main idea
cherished by those interested in Mr..
Gardner's patent, though the gas may
be used for heating. cooking and light
ing purposes. In the latter case it may
be used in it's crude form in Jets of the
Welsbach type and in the ordinary jet
II enriched with petroleum and the
other compounds generally used in il
Illuminating gas plants.
POSSIBILITIES LIMITLESS.
But the uses to which the gas may
be put is a matter for the consumer;
the Gardner patents produce the gas
from culm, and the methods of con-
sumption are limitless according only
to the plants and facilities of the con-
sumers.
One ton of culm which costs all the
way from nothing to not over 25 cents.
will produce 100000 cubic feet of gas, or
power enough to run 100 horse power
engine "a hours. So the cost really in
wolves only the labor of tending the
producer and the cost of the two. Two
thousandths Of cent per cubic foot
for gas is an outlay that would hardly
be worth considering in connection
with almost any kind Of producing
plant.