The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-03
HOT WATER FROM LAMP POSTS.
An Invention For Utilizing Waste
Heat-Uses to Which 1t May He Put.
From the London Telegraph.

heat-Oses TO Wh1ch 1t way He tut.
From the London Telegraph
The developments Of the "penny-in- the
slot" system have been many and diverse,
but none has appealed to quite so practical
a demand as one shown recently to an in
vited company at the Crystal Palace
which, if realizing one-quarter even of
the claims put forth on it's behalf will eff
feet little short of a revolution in work
ing-class domestic economy. In the few
est possible words, the problem has been
worked out of utilizing the heat generated
by the ordinary gas lamp of the streets
for the purpose of warming water to boil
ing point, and an influential syndicate has
been formed to turn to useful account a
discovery of so many possibilities. Calcu-
latioHs show that a sum of ESQ coo is eX-
pended annually on the gas illumina tons
of the London streets, and it is urged that
IL the heat of only one-tenth of the lamps
in use were turned to account, no less than
120, 100000 gallons of boiling water could
be made available at a commercial profit
at a cost of halbpenny a gallon to the
public.
The idea, it should be explained, has
been carried far beyond the merely theo-
retical stage. For the past four months
there has been in full working order at
the Crystal Palace an exact model of an
ordinary street refuge lamp Of six gas
jets, which has supplied as much as 125
gallons daily of boiling water to the stall
holders and frugal eXcursionists glad 10
| be able to make their own tea. The idea
has been brought not only to the notice of
| and adoption by various important pro-
vincial Vestries as those of Liverpool and
Nottingham but to that of St. Martin-in-
the-Fields, London, who have made con-
cessions to the syndicate by which they
anticipate that quite half the present cost
OF illumination will be saved TO the rate
payers Among the numerous visitors
who have inspected the system are the
chairmen of several public and sanitary
bodies in this country, as we'll as the di-
rector of the municipal council of Naples
Considerable altera ton and adaptation
will be necessary to. turn existing lamps
to account, but 1t was emphatcally prom
isel that within the next eight weeks one
would be in full working order on Trafal-
gar Square, and before Christmas at least
a dozen would be available in London. 1t
is intended to place side by side with them
automatic machines for the delivery of
half-penny and penny packets of tea, cof-
fee, cocoa, sugar. and meat extract, SO
that the working man or woman to whom
even farthings are important, or whose
duties call them out late at night or in the
early morning. may always be able to OBJ
tain a cup of warm and comforting susie
nance.
The system is to be known as the
Pluto waste-heat 'economizer and the
particular scientific claim to attention that
ii can put forward is that il has over
come the difficulty of transferring the
heat at the top of the lamp to the bot
by a simple automatic device, by which
cold water is fed into a spiral coil and
experimenting chamber placed about foot
above the flame. In this the water is
converted into steam, which is expelled
by it's own expansive force through an
ordinary lightweight safety valve, down
or up pipe, to the base of the column,
or, in a house, to the floor above, where,
through coils of iron pipes, il heats the
water contained in the reservoir. This
reservoir, in the case of an outdoor lamp,
is connected with the water main of the
street, and, by a further clever application
of the automatic principle, as soon as a
gallon is drawn off the boiler fills again.
Due provision has been made against ex-
plosion, and after cold water has been in
troduced there is q boldly printed Their
mometer to show the would-be purchaser
of the next half penny worth the exact
tempera ture within, and the moment that
fun boiling point is reached. AS a rough
estimate of what each lamp thus trans
formed may be expected to achieve, every
cubic foot of gas burned should heat one
gallon of water per hour, without IN the
least detracbng from the Illuminating
power of the light, Of which, indeed, The
heating process is wholly independent.
Moreover, in appearance the lamps remain
practically unchanged. The experimenting
chamber is con tanned In dome no more
assertive than that in present use, while
all the effect of the reservoir below is to
suggest that the lamp stands upon a mas
sive square pedestal. An effective design
Of a neurological head when the water
flows, tiny trough to catch and carry off
the waste, an enameled drinking cup
chained and a small handle released by
the introduction of the coin complete the
httin2s
The principle is applicable to domestic
gasburners. and in fats, small households,
or sick rooms it win probably find wide
acceptance. In blocks, however, Of "model
dwellings it is likely 20 meet a special
want of humble housekeepers who now
buy so largely OF shop bread" timed
provisions, margarine, and jam, and who.
coming home late and tired after the
DAYS toll, will welcome a boon that will
save the lighting of the fire and waiting
for the kettle to boil. The only point not
made quite clear in the recent exhaustive
demonstra tions is as TO the retention Of
heat. or how suppcsing the gas to be
turned off al the main at on a summers
morning, the workng-class mother might
depend upon the street lamp 20 make the
tea for breakfast and supply hot water
to wash the baby az, say, 8 O'clock 1t
would ruin the scheme In a fortnight to
permit poor people 10 put in their half
pence and receive in return a supply of
merely tep.d water