The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-01
LOCAL GAS WORKS
ARE now REBUILT
A NEW PLANT HAS
BEEN CONSTRUCTED.
The Capacity Is Enough to Take Care
of All Demands for Years to Come.
New Devices Are Of Thoroly Modern
Construction and Will Save: Much
Labor.

Changes which facilitate the making
Of gas and which contribute to the COM
fort of employees have been in progress
all summer at the plant of the Mime
apolis Gas Light company, foot OF Four
teenth avenue S. In short, the COM
panY has been bringing its plant up to
Labor-saving devices and the latest type
of gas machines have been installed and
are In use, while, for emergency's sake,
some of the displaced machinery has
these devices it was first necessary to
put up. several fireproof buildings, which
have increased the size of the plant
to an appreciate degree.
| The unique feature, Of the extensive
plan for creature comfort was the build
red,hot coke drawn from the retorts is
quenched, instead of on the brick floor.
has been bringing it's plant up to date.
used to fill the lower floor Of the retort-
room and made life miserable for en-
ployees, a current Of air is drawn thru
the conduit by 72-inch fan.
The principal labor saving device is
coal unloader, built in an abandoned
quarry which the company, bought for
the purpose. This has displaced wheel
c,oalears are run out on high trestle.
A clam steel bucket operated by To-
comotive crane picks up this coal, a ton
at a time, and drops it into a 450-ton
, bin beneath. From this the coal passes
thru a breaker and is elevated by a
coEveyor bridge, with steel flights, into
a 25O-ton hopper in the retorthouse,
ready for use. Another labor-saving de-
vice is a hydraulic system to operate
lifts, valves, etc.
Two Lowe sets of water gas machines,
which work independently or together,
FL 10 TO IN ind
TO carry off the steam and gases which
have replaced old apparatus. They are
| stills over the old quarry. The build.
ing contains two generators, two car
J hburetters, and two superheaters, or fix
. ing chambers, and scrubber, with space
produce the same grade of water gas
: as the old machines, but by modern
method. insignificant as they look,
j these two machines will produce in
, tWenty-tour hours double the amount Of
t gas, that can be made in the old coal
; gashouse with it's twenty-five benches of
! nine retOrts each.
The, new machines are not only for the
6 manutacture OF water gas by itself, but
,, are used also to- enrich the coal gas so
l as to make it Of the required standard
set by the city. Sixteen candlepower
is about the limit of coal gas, while the
! so-cailed water gas, enriched with oil,
can be brought up, very high. How
ei sfso+ TOO high candlepower IS as unsat-
and the mixture is used to produce the
g right result. The gas used in Mime.
!, apolls is made from coal, steam and OIL
: For oil storage a 5000 barrel capacity
il tank has been built in the quarry. The
S on IS drovenl with new pump and sew
$ eenty- gallons every four minutes is
: forced thru each superheater.
: -, The introduction of steam and oil in
the Lowe machines reduces the temper
: ature. therefore stop is made every
u four minutes to blow up the fires. Fol
r and engineroom has been built. A new
: ?5-horsepower Corliss engine has beer
: installed to: help out the two old en-
4 gines. :
Il . Another freproof building, eight,
e feet square and three stories high has
n bene built to hold the exhausters anC
- station meters. The two new exhaust
ers are propelled by 75-horsepower Cor
liss engines. These machines take tn,
gas away from the works and pump up
tonW into the holders.
The sixteen,,foot meter which is build
ing as twin to the old one, would scar
the life out Of consumer. An averag
record of 100000 feet a day for each
would paralyze an average pocketboo]
to hquldate the bill. But these meter
- are ar very useful articles, they registe
n by deducting the, total registration O
the consumers meter readings, leaks O
discrepancies can be easily detected. VI
stairs is the laboratory, and downstai1
the e, main pipes and valves. =, ..
& 1 TO the equipment has been added
wards, when the "peak of the 1oad'
son of the year, one-third the gas mao
q In twenty four hours, goes out for col
sumption. The pusher, with it's 15o-hors
~
pressure deficiency. The company h;
added machinery to it's condensing an
scrubbing room, where the tar and ar
monla are removed.
But tar and ammonia are not the on
81 rubbish in the crude gas. Sulphur h
to be eliminated, and it does not b
= come commercial product like Il
. other two impurities which are remove
n The purifying rooms for taking out ST
n phqr, are famous as the place whe
n estimates and neutrality-suspicious. go
N business has Increased so with ii
n growth of the city and the larger use
II gas for domestic purposes, that it
II the purpose to. bui1 d another purifyi1
II house. The four boxes used now a
III not enough.
Retaining walls along the edge of t
- new land have been built and consider
BILE expenditure has been made in ge
eral Improvement 5of the property. Sy
chronous with the plant additions W
~ the erection Of the new holder at Ly
~ dale and Aldrich avenues n, with
capacity of 100000 cubic feet of o,
To reach this big holder long systt
OF fourt inch pipe was laid
The changes made by the Minneapo
n Gas Light company have resulted in
- practical rebuilding Of the plant. a
- have brought it's capacity ahead Of t
demand for some years to come. n
new holder has resulted in an equali;
ton of pressure in the city. The n
gas apparatus make it possible to tn
out the best grade Of gas easily and t
Ii exhausting machinery and nIishar ~