The Washington herald., 1909-02-01

Mr.. Taylor-Where is your home?
Ar. ForstaIl-Montclair, y. J.. but N
once IS IN New York City. Do you car
for my experience?
Nr. Taylor-In minute. yes. You com
before the committee at whose sugges
tion2
8Ir. ForstaIl-At the invitation Of tn
Washington Gaslight Company.
Alr. Moore-Are you connected with an
gasiight company
Mr. Forstall-One very small one Il
Mauch Chunk. Pa
Mr.. Taylor-You might give Us a uttl
resume OF your experience
Mr. FOTstall-TO a certain extent I wa
brought uD in the gas works 8Iy fathe
was general superintendent Of the Nev
Orleans Gsslight Company from the tim,
7 vas i've years old, and 7 was trained
especially for the gas business. L wa,
understood that I was 70 20 into It
Part Of that training was course Il
mechanical engineering IA Lehigh Uni
versity. At Bethlehem, Pa, followed By
q postgraduate year IN chemistry. Aftel
leaving college went right 20 work fol
the Chicago Gaslight and Coke Company
az Chicago H., stayed with them for SIX
stayed with that company for seven
years, then went 20 the small company
n MaUch Chunk, which was afterward
absorbed by the Newark company, and
when that absorption came 7 started n,
in 1875. as e consulting engineer
It seems 70 me rather 3 curious Thing
about this whole hearing that this cues
ton Of the amount Of carbon monoxide
IN the gas, and as TO whether It was wise
10 DO L. was precipitated. as II il was
something entirely new, by an accident
which did not depend at all upon the
amount Of carbon monOxide IN the gss
Any gas, natural gas burned under
those conditions. would have caused that
accident Just as quickly as gas contain
ing 100 per cent OF carbon monoxide
Mr. Moore-You refer 20 the Bremer-
man family?
ar Forstall-Yes. TO the Bremerman
family Commissioner Barker referred
this morning TO the sale OF carburetted
water gas. In spite OF the explanations
that have been given. I do not think
that the nature OF caTburetted water
gas has really been made clear. Il has
been spoken OF as water gas mixed with
OIL but Il IS not Il IS water gas mixed
with oil gas The gas does not become
carburetted water gas until the oil IS
changed into Gil gas. and that IS the rea-
son Why the percentage Of carbon mo-
noxide IN carburetted water gas varies
with the candle power. A low candle
power water gas IS a mixture say. Of
% Per cent water gas and 80 Der cent OF
Oil gas The oil gas has no carbon no
nOXloe in II or practically none. tha
water gas has 8 or possibly 10 per
cent OF carbon m0nOxIde- The high
candle power carburetted water gas Is a
mixture OF, say, 50 per cent water gas
with - per cent OF oil gas. Naturally
the high candle power water gas has
less carbon monoxide in il than the low
candle power carburetted water gas I
couid see i was not perfectly clear. Il IS
very common part Of my business is the
carrying on OF a correspondence class in
gas engineering II IS a phuanthrople
thing, not on ny part, but the students
are not expected to pay anything for
lnelr education Il IS gotten up By the
gas companies OF the United states and
-he gas men, who contribute about 5000 4
or 5000 a year.
Mr. AOore-The oil product is made as
: separate product and then II Is naixed2 i
Mr. Forstall-It can be made that way.
bat IN the ordinary process OF makf1g,
'ar5uretted water gas there are three
-essels. three shells, wrought-iron shells f
med with fire brick One OF them Is filed +
WITH anthracite coal OF coke, an. carbo-
laceous fuel The other two are filed
sith brick hlied in on edge, with spaces 4
2 between. The water gas is made IN
ne vessel that IS filed with the coal the
III gas IS made in the vessel filed with
ne checkered brick and the oil gas is
mixed with the water gas Just as soon as
IS made. There are certain manufactur-
ng reasons Why It IS better 10 mako II
nat way than il is to make Il in two
eDsrate plants. The gas plant OF which
Jr- Love spoke 10 you made its wafer
rs and OF gas in two separate opera
ions Ihe water gas was made first. mt
q holder. and then taken out Of thai /
-o-der and the naphtha vapors added 10
Z ana then the Oh gas ard the naphtha /
apor passed through a retort.
Ar- Sins-In other words. the water gas
mixed with oil gas and you make
liked gas2
Alr. ForStau Exactly, and until very
gently there were any number OF nlanrs
Brooklyn. in which the two were made
S an entirely separate proposition. The
u gas was made in one plant. the wafer |
as IN another, and they were mixed
fter each left its apparatus.
M SlInS-ln making this water gas and
BE on gas, where does the coal gas come I
in that same product?
M Forstall-That is made as an en- {
rely separate proposition.
DIR. SIms-When Is It mixed with the s
her? !
Mr. FOrstaIl-That depends. In some 1
ANTS II ls mixed at the inlet to the &
older after TIE entire manufactvrinr I Z
eatnent has been given to the gas. IN {
her plants Il IS mixed in the other part 2
the plant known as the purifier o
ny. Sims-What is the object in mixing b
e coal gas with carburetted water $50 2
Mr.. Forstali-I should rather saw # vras / o
5ually considered the other way. You Y
TX the ceTburetted water gas with the 4
al gas 70 enrich IL Il
Mr. sims-Enrich the coal gas? c
NT- FOrstalI-Yes.
Mr. Sims-Take it here. Il has been Il
sted that 50 per cent Of carburst+eli 2
aJer gas is mixed with % per cent OF {,
al gas What IS the benefit OF that? a
M torstal-You get the benefit OF y
eapenlng the manufacture. II II was G,
Z Tor She coal gas, you would have 10 Il
" al the fuel necessary to mako tbs q,
an you can furnish your own coke for IS
d having the apparatus 10 produce the r.
al gas, Il is a great deal cheaper n p,
e Il 10 make coke and use that IN the r.
ter gas than il would be to let Il re
nd Idle and make Il all water gas. Y
lr Sims-It IS an economy in the man pl
acture? :,
lr. Forstall-Yes. OF course, when vou v
to that proportion, It IS simply a case b
using apparatus that you have. You Re
obably would not design a new works ST
start out with that proportion be- OF
cen the two gases.
IT. slns-In other words. then, the OBJ pa
Z Of mixing Is 8 benefit to manufsctura II
-hOut any special reference 70 tba - w
Z IS prodUced2 cll
II. Forstail-Yes. It Is a benefit 70 fu
manufacture, and in these present T.
Is Of regulation Il cannot benefit rbe hs