West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-03-28

cry among consumers Oh na1ulAA
gas that the company from which
they secure their supply Is pump
| ing air into their main, when the
gas pressure Is low that some at
tention should be given the subject
And the most peculiar feature OF
this change Is that men of ordinary
common sense and many with Q
rudlmentary education In chemis-
ltry make these. charges. II firms.
supplying natural gas were to
pump air into their mains they
would within I'd hours asphyxiate
or blow up seven ighths OF their
consumers and the consequent
damage suits would ruin such
Icoucern beyond all hope for recov-
cry zz1r
The simplest illustration to show
that air cannot be forced through a
gas main and made to light, even
for On instant, Is that of a new In
|stallation In a building. After the
plumber or pipe filter completes his
work and the gas pressure Is per-
mitted to enter the pipes any at.
ltempts at lighting burner will be
frustrated. A pressure of air will
be forced from the pipe sometimes
strong enough TO blow out lighted
match, bat 1t will not burn. This
Is because the pipes are filled with
air, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon di-
oxide and a certain amount of va
por. This will not burn, although
1t Is necessary to aid combustion of
gas and other infammable sub
stance. What results In new pipe
or where air fills pipe would also
result If a pressure Of air was
forced into a gas main to force the
gas more quickly through the
mains or to enrich the gas or even
Ito make a gas meter work more
rapidly as the charge Is frequently
made.
It has been maintained that the
air pressure forced into the gas
main assimilates with the gas and
Iimpoverishes 1t. IF this Is true,
why did not the air In the gas pipe
left there after plumber pipe filter
has completed his work assimilate
with the gas? That 1t does not
every one has observed who has
ever tried to light a burner at the
end of a newly laid pipe.
Many companies supplying nat
urat gas maintain large pumping
stations along their mains between
the gas wells and the point Of con-
sumption. These are located In
isolated places usually, and the
public merely learns that such
pumping stations are maintained,
but few attempts are made to In
vestigate the working of these
pumps and why they are necessary.
When natural gas was first made
use of as a fuel it was wasted In
every possible manner. Within a
/ few years the pressure from natures
. storage tanks began to diminish.
!. | There was still plenty Of gas with
. In the bowels of the earth, but 1t
could not issue forth in sufficient
volume to supply the demand.
What more natural than to have
!; pumps erected and pump il out of
the earth to the consumers? This
LIS exactly what is being done.
Some cities have rivers passing
through their confines. others have
lakes nearby from which the water
supply Is secured. The water does
not run into the homes of citizens.
1t Is pumped into reservoirs or
stand pipes, or 1t Is pumped direct
In some places to the consumer.
Do the pumps supply air instead of
water? Not any more than the nat
ural amount that mingles with
the water In Its passage.
The pumping OF natural gas Is ex'
actly the same proposition. The
only air that Is mixed with the gas
I Is that which comes from the gas
chambers below, and every one
who has given the su' iect any at
tention knows that gas will ascend
above the air because 1t Is lighter,
volume for volume.
If air was pumped into the gas
mains the people would have gust
of air, then small supply of gas
. between the strokes of pumping.
1t would require continuous ig'
inter at the place OF burning tc
: start blaze every time the rush Of
air extinguished the blaze. The
truth Is that some gas Is so poor
$ that it will not develop the proper
:, heat. In most cases, however, the
VI Ijc~o~oo~a of fha MIR ~, her and the