The Greeley tribune., 1907-09-19
M0DELPLANT
GREELEY GAS COMPANY NOW
FIXED UP RIGHT
Commenced Furnishing Gas From
New Factory Last Thursday
Morning-Process of
Gas Making

The new Greeley gas plant COM
menced furnishing gas to customers
last Thursday morning. For its
size the plant is as good and up-to-
date as any in the country. Its
present value is $4,000, the full
amount of the capital stock. 1t is
owned by Clarence S. Darrow, the
attorney who defended W. d. Hay
wood in the celebrated trial at Roise,
Ida, recently. The bonds, how
ever, are held by the old owners of
the plant in Greeley and other Gree
ley men.
The gas company was originally
promoted by George j.. Spear and the
small oil gas plant near the railroad
tracks on Eleventh street built.
The process of gas making was too
expensive, however, and the company
had a more or less precarious exist
ence until about two years ago when
the company was reorganized and put
on more firm financial basis. the
capital stock was increased from
s25, 600 to $50, 900 Paul Challis, an
experienced gas man, was given full
charge as manager and plans for a
new plant begun.
That in brief Is the business his
tory of the Greeley gas company up
to the time when Clarence Darrow
bought the stock of the company
and gave bonds for same.
The company already has eight
miles of mains laid in the streets
and have seven more miles mapped
out which are NOW being put In.
They are now going after new busI-
ness hard, something that could not
be done until the new plaIt was
ready for work, because they really
had no more gas to sell.
The plant, as stated, is model
one and in its present shape has
capacity for city Of 25,O inhabi-
tants. The mechanical process of
gas making is simple, when ex-
planned, as by Mr.. Challis. 1t con-
slsts simply of heating coal to such
degree that the gas is forced out of
it. 1t requires from l,500 to 1000
degrees of heat to accomplish this
and from four to six hours, according
to the degree of heat. The coal is
put into ''retorts, sort Of chambers
built Of brick right above the fire in
the furnace. There are ten such
retorts in the plant but only four of
them being used for the present sup
ply. From these retorts where the
gas is really made it is led of into
gas tight chamber and by passing
through water on its way out Is pre-
vented from being forced back and Is
also partly cooled. From here 1t is
pumped into other chambers through
which air and water circulate in
tubes and the gas thoroughly cooled.
From here it passes through scrub
her, as it is called, and is partly
cleaned with coke and water. Again
it passes through several chambers
with iron oxid where 1t is thoroughly
nuritied. From there 1t passes
through the big central meter and
into the big storage tank on the out
side. Again it is pumped into the
pressure tanks on the outside and
from there the heavy pressure is re-
duced by steps until it is right for
distribution to the homes OF the
city. At Ole point in the process OF
pressure reduction all Of the gas goes
through a two inch pipe, but with
such force that the capacity OF the
nine would be enough for city of
so, 900 people,
In its process of evolution the
coal has discharged its gas and itself
turned into coke while it has also
given off the bi-product OF coal tar,
two valuable ingredients.
This is not technical description
of gas making but simply as lay
man would see the plant in operation
and as he would remember the ex-
planation of the system. If anybody
wants to 90 into details in the mat
ter Paul Challis has larger tank OF
information on the subject than the
storage tank outside the main build
ing