Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-07

| lHe SViVldtoI, anu the super nedteT.
'How often do you have to change the
brick in the super heater, and the gener-
ator?'
| About once In two years. and that is
the only time the fire ever goes out. Dur
ing that period we make pure coal gas in
the old plant in the other room. AS soon
as the iire goes out in the generator, we
turn on the blower, and in "a hours we
can get the super heater cooled enough so
that man can get inside it,"
How do you tell how much gas YOU
are making?'
'One way that we know is by that
tell tale on the wall that shows how
much has entered the holder outside.
Another way is by the station meter
through which the gas passes before
! entering the holder
! out in the room where the four nuri-
! fiers are kept, the odor is doublv dis
! agreeable, owing to the presence of
sulphur and the other gases. 1t is so
arranged that three of the four ma
chimes are kept al work all of the time
While the fourth one is being shoyelled
out and refilled. Then by Quarter of
a turn on a large valve in the center of
| the room another purifier is shut off
and the one that has been idle is set at
| work
How long Will one of the purifiers
| run without changing"
| "a bout 50 days. Then we take the
oxide all out and spread it upon tn.
| floor in the little shed Now it is all
black. bur later as soon as the air has
worked upon it. all the impurities Will
burn out. and it is light colored. ready
to use again The only loss in the run
is the lime, new lime having to DO
added each time it is filled
When We wish to test purifier to
see if it is doing its work properly, We
take piece Of paper and sprinkle over
il a little sugar of lead. BY holding
this over Il little valve through which
we let a little gas pass, il is easy to see
II The gas is pure or not. II it is pure
there VIII he no change in the condi-
tion of the chemical or the paper. ami
we know that the purifier is doing it,
work properly. II the work is rot be-
ing done properly the impure gas COM
ing in contact with the paper will causa
black sediment To collect in the sugar
Of leal. Hy using the purifiers as n"
do We always have one that is sure To
be clean, and will do good work
The next step is the holder which is
sometimes designated as the gasometer.
though Incorrectly. since it does not in
any way measure gas. but simpl.;
stores il for consumption. The holder
consists Of two portions, tank and
holder. The tank is cylindrical pit
surrounding a central core, which -
usually covered with concrete at the
TOP. and has its sides built of masonry
or brick work The tank is water tight
and is filled to a high level With water.
above which projects two pipes, the in
let and the outlet pipes, the latter lead
ing to the main governor
The holder is made of sheet iron.
naturally air tight, that as the gas
enters and later leaves them, rise ana
fall. their course being guided by guide
rods around the tank When the hold
er,is empty its top Will rest on the core
of the tank. as one cup will fit over
another. and never is there enough gas
allowed to enter the holder to allow i
to rise far enough to bring the bottom
of its sides out of the water in the
tank.
During the winter great care has to
be taken that this water does not freeze
and steam pipes are kept at work all
the time, for the freezing of this water
would mean no gas for the city until
the ice was thawed.
The large holder will hold about $1,000
cubic feet of gas. The old holder that
is used for day consumption is. mucn
smaller, and is to'be torn down in the
summer after so many years of ser
vice. to give way to much larger and
more improved one, that arrangements
have already been made to have built.
Before the consumer can have the
gas it must pass from the holder to d
governor that regulates the pressure.
Uncomfortable spressure may supply
certain levels in a proper manner. but
on the high levels pressure would be
excessive so it must be passed through
governor that by the gas own pres
sure. regulates the flow In the day
time the pressure is set at - tenths,
while in the evening it is set at 30
tenths, the highest possible pressure
being Sc tenths.
These tcnths are but the gasmen's
mode of reconing. They arrange the
weight of the holder so that if the pipes
were filled with water it would throw
it a certain distance out of the jet
Then they divide the inches into tenths