The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-05
-Igk FOR MATER, GIVEN GAS!!
Extsnguishes Combustion. the
Town II Supplied With q Com
bsstible - Excitement Prevails.

"NHE citizens u Ballard ask for
wafer an.s y i&5i1. i:sey are given
gas Taey want the elem .lt tnat
exisngIlsaes combustion and they
s:e g5ppl!e4 xlta a c3mbas tikle Ana uog
gall4r. liz blowing something akin II ma
-se.tA Sea BagD.e," iuIating Il x!th na.-
Era. gas The to~n is agog over the news
.ha. the gas Is flowing from one OF the
sytselsn wells Del9a glns 10 its water works
and the public pulse IL eli sutter At The
saxxess.oD Of tae Linit.sSs possibilities con-
ta.ssa III the discovery. Ballard feels that
/. stands upon the edge Of a wonderful
rzseous fu.ure, wherein Its streets shall b,
uxh.sd wita dazzling bTflliancy, its homes
heated 81 the scratch % match and Is
Golfers filed by the profits following to
esss!opFDeu: Of a great and hitherto IN
dreamed-of Ind AStry. Meanwhile, though
specaIst ton as % possibilities and proba-
Abilities Ia riotir.g. nobody has aaalyxexs
re gas 70 learn what il IS or whether /.
Il likely TO prove OF any comnsrcial I'm
porianee
The water consumed In Ballard has baen
supple; for long Zine chiefly by three
aris2aa wells operated BY q frst-ciass
yan.aag plant owned BY the town. The
water Is pumped 10 a Dig tank which. when
fsl. 10 rs feet. az The water surface. above
TIE pumping plant Ordinarily the pump
"a able 10 keep the tank 3uI. ana Yet rsmata
is!s fer from fouc to Elk hours q day
Prom tlrae 10 time, for q cause until now
unexplained. the pump. though running
nlght and day and vita the ne amount
G. water Ia the wells. has been unable to
Gil the tank. Lately the tank has been
empty. the pump only tnaiataining q col
umn u wafer ia the main to height OF
10 to 10 feet. or several blocks snort Of the
tank.
Complaints were coming In fast and the
engineers found II impossible 10 explain tho
condition of things. until, by an accident,
,Aey found that the water was :uIl Of gas.
Thsy had long noticed that during those
periods Of difficult operation there wag a
good deal CT what they took 10 be air pres
sure in the pipes, and thought that In some
way the pump must be sucking air. In
other words. fail!ag 20 create the vacuum
IN which Mater rises 10 a height OF twenty
eight fee. Now they know Il is gas pres
fsfe, and that pressure Is 50 strong when
TIE purp is urged 10 It's full capacity. that
II equal, the pressure Of the wafer There
fore not more than half "a much water as
usual can be forced through the main.
The gas was discovered In this way:
One day last week the engineers were
down III the pumping room, examining
the machinery In one more effort 10
learn what the matter could be One OF
them thrust lighted candle into a six
inoh pipe when both were startled by a
sudden blaze OF light which burn ed bril-
aantiy until the gas In the pipe was con-
sgmed
Eureka" exclaimed the chief and his
assistant in chorus We have found
H. and quickly wiping away the ashes
off their whiakers anc eyebrows they
came up Into the hotler-room and began
testing each opening N the pipes with a
hsnted match. getting astonishing re-
faits
Treat Is Diana OF the Ephesians"' ex-
GAINED the CHIEF engineer. 1T fs surely