The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-28
GAS YEARS AGO AND NOW.
Electric Lighting Increases the Com
SusunfiOn

Electric lighting Increases the Con-
sumption.
In spite of the active competition of cleo
trio lighting, the gas business not only
continues to flourish, but increases year
by year. In more ways than one the
competition of the electric light companies
has been of benefit to the consumers of
gas. 1t has made the gas companies more
active in keeping up with every new i'm
provement and in maintaining their plants
in first-class condition. The customers
of the gas companies get better treatment,
too, than formerly and the gas companies
no longer keep deaf clerks to listen to the
complaints of consumers.
Any one who doubts that the gas bust
ness is in a fiourishing condition can be
convinced to the contrary by a visit to
the works of the Mutual Gas Light Cons
pany at the foot Of Bay street. east of
East Broad, where improvements of ex-
tensive character are now nearing compile
ton. A Morning News reporter made this
trip yesterday in company with MIR. John
w. Golden, manager of the Mutual Gas
Light Company.
on account of it's increased business, the
company has found it necessary to tear
out a portion Of it's old plant and to put
in new machinery of greater capacity. A
complete new plant for the manufacture
orator, superheater, carburetter purifiers
and gas holder. All are completed and in
use, except the last, which is in course
of erection.
The manufacture of gas is an intricate
process, the details of which the con-
sumers are hardly interested in. The gas
now being used by Savannah consumers,
and which has been used by them for the
last ten or twelve years, is known as
water gas. The old coal gas plant was
abandoned twelve years ago, but is still
standing in the yard of the gas company.
The present gas is manufactured from
selected COAL steam and oil. The coal is
heated to an immense heat in large cyln-
drical furnaces and steam is driven over
this heated mass together with a spray
OF oil. The gas thus created is driven in
to another chamber, known as the super
heater, from which it passes TO other com
partments, where it is not only purified
by the oxide process but actually scrub
bed and washed before being forced into
the big gas drums to be sent out to con-
sumers. The new set of machinery is
much larger than the one it has displaced,
and can. do twice as much work. One OBJ
5ect of this is to enable the company to
manufacture sufficient gas to have on
hand at all times a large supply, so that
In case of any stoppage of the works there
will be supply on hand sufficient to last
the consumers until the works can be got
ten in operation again.
The use of gas has increased rapidly in
the last few years." said Mr.. Golden.
This is mainly due to two causes, the in
PRODUCTION of the Welsbach burners and
the increasing use of gas for fuel purposes.
Few persons have any idea how the latter
has increased our business. Gas is now
used for almost every purpose for which
coal, oil, or wood can be used. 1t not
only lights the house, but cooks the din
ner and heats the parlor as well At the
rate the use of gas for fuel purposes is in
creasing it will not be many years before
1t will suppiant both the cooking stove
and the fireplace.
The electric lights we're making the pace
hot for us until the Welsbach burner came
into use. The improved Wesbach is only
four or five years old, but it is coming rap
idly into use. We have about 5000 now in
use here and the number Is increasing ev-
cry day. 1t burns less gas in proportion
TO the amount Of light given than the old
gas jet and makes a magnificent light. We
claim, Of course, that it is
far better light than the cleo
trio light, and our customers seem
to think so, too As a matter of fact the
gas business has made more progress in
the last seven years in the use of new APP
phances than almost any other industry"
Manager Golden made an offer to the
city three years ago to make use of the
Welsbach burners for lighting the streets
ana lanes, and the proposition will doubt
less be renewed. He now has a Wells
bach burner in the rear of the gas Of
nee In Congress street lane which lights
up the lane for whole block. One OF
these lights to each block would be suf-
hcent and the city's dark lanes could be
gotten rid of for a comparatively small
cost. He also advocates the use of these
tights for street lighting, and especially
!ol lighting the squares. Several OF these
lights scattered through the squares, he
holds, would give a much better distri-
button of light than the present system,
and at a much lower cost.
A practical illustration Of the advance
ment in the use of gas for cooking pur-
poses will be given next month. A room
VIII be fitted up on Bull street, with all
the latest apparatus for this purpose. and
placed in charge of Miss Andrews, al
ready favorably known here In this con-
hecton, who will give free cooking les
sons TO all interested in the subject Of the
use of gas for cooking purposes.
--s-S~ s-
Abbott's East India Corn Paint cures