Daily inter mountain., 1899-12-05
improvements Recently Made
by the Gas Company.
A $4,000 EXPENDITURE
A New President Chosen Yesterday
Cheaper Gas is a PrOba-
bility.

Inc directors or the Butte LAS LlSHl
and Coke company met yesterday after
noon at the company's new office, No.
202 North Main street, and accepted the
resignation of President A. d. Hopper.
James S. Watson, a Chicago capitalist.
who has only recently become heavily
interested in the company, was elected
president TO succeed Mr. Hopper. There
were no other changes in the directory.
The past year has been busy one for
the gas company, and many radical
changes and improvements have been
made. Over $4,000 have been expended
quite recently in the erection of new
and commodious buildings in which are
housed a new and up-to-date equipment
of gas-making machinery, and the plant
is now one of the most complete in the
west. 1t has a daily gas manufacturing
capacity of a quarter of a million cubic
feet, and is big enough to supply
the city with gas when 1t reaches
the popula ton mark of 100000.
This spirit of improvement is largely
due to the enterprise of r. S. Feurtado,
manager of the company. The business
of the company has grown tremendous
ly and with it the faith of the stockhold-
ers of the concern in the pernanency and
future of Butte.
Mr.. Feurtado intimated to an Inter
Mountain reporter that the extensive inn
provements which will lessen the cost
of manufacturing gas would cheaper the
rate in the near future. "As we are en-
abled by modern methods to cheaper the
cost of manufacturing gas, it is our in
tentiOn to give our patrons share OF the
benefit" said he.
With the recent completion of the two
new brick buildings of the gas company,
water gas plant-the latest wrinkle in
gas making-was installed. 'The new
water plant" said Mr.. Feurtado. 'con-
sists of four vertical cylinders. The first is
a generator. 1t is filled with coke. and by
means Of a large blower the coke pro-
duces very high degree Of heat. Steam
is then injected below the fire bars. AS
the steam passes through the hot bed of
coke the oxygen is consumed and hydro
gen gas is thrown off. This passes to the
second apparatus which, like the third,
is lined with fire brick, and again sub
iected to high degree of heat in the
same manner. The hydrogen gas thrown
off by the generator passes through the
second apparatus, or carburetter, and in
so doing assimilates with crude petro-
lem, injected for the purpose of giving
the hydrogen gas light power. This mix
turv passes into the third apparatus,
known as the suDerheater where all
matter deleterious to the light power of
the gas. is pidctlcdliS anu uC-
composition completed
THE fourth apparatus is called a con-
denser and scrubber. 1t is filled with
hard. dry coke and a stream of water is
kept continually running through the
condenser for the purpose of extract
ing tar. which is thrown off from the gas
during the state of condensation. The
gas then takes one channel and is run
into relief holder, from which it is
forced into the main holder, which feeds
the gas mains supplying the city, by
means of an cXhauster. The tar follows
another channel and is caught and put
into barrels. This tar, being the product
of crude petroleum. is one of the best
known mineral paints.
I'm addition to this the company is op-
Grating it's coal gas plant, which is To-
Gated in the old building, the retort house.
We are using about three carloads of coal
week in the running of this plant We
consume about 5000 gallons of crude pc
troleum monthly.
in the new building to the north of
the old retort house are located the eX-
hauster, condensers. scrubbers and crush
ers. as we'll as purifying boxes used for
removing tar, ammonia and all other
bi-products from coal gas, which tend
to make gas offensive by reason of the
odors. These appliances are of the latest
design and make and were put in of a
sufficient capacity to supply city of 2OO,-
O00 In the small frame building at the
entrance of the works is located sta
ton meter. which is used for measuring
the gas as it passes from the works to the
holder. Like the machinery in the other
buildings, these appliances are modern
and of equal capacity"
The gas company has recently opened
new and commodious offices at No 2O2
North Main. which are now being fitted
up with bank fixtures, and will present a
very modern appearance when COM
nln fa1