Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-28
GAS FOR FARM HOMES

Time was when to leave the city or
town and seek u country home meant
TO give up most of the comforts of
life and revert back to first principles
water from a spring or we'll and a
drink from a gourd. Heat came from
n fireplace or wood stove and cooking
also. Baths came from a washpan or
tub: light from candles or Kerosene
lamps. Cold halls and bedrooms in
winter and house full of flies in
summer were the rule. One by one
the most of these Inconvenience were
overcome, but there still remained two
things which the city dweller possess
ed that excited the envy of the farm
er-electric lights and city gas Prob
ably If nc could take his choice most
farmers would select city gas rather
than electricity OH account OF it's
wider usefulness. the beautiful white
mantle light OF gas being more rest
tul TO the eye than the electric light.
and there are few things that cleo
tricity has TO offer that city gas -
not also furnish y week or two ago
The Times Dispatch told of the adap-
iation OF electricity to farm purposes,
and NOW the announcement is made
that gas is also available TO tho farm
CT. Il is not n nakeshift gas that
viii light only. The up-to-datc South
ern farmer wants to go the whole
hog or none. Summer cooking by gas.
quick water heating for laundry and
bath and dairy purposes, the cheerful
Nl2z" OF the gas log to warm and dry
his feet after the hard days labor and
the Gas steam radiator to take the chill
of his bedroom. look rs attractive to
him = : TO anybody, and II is such gas
a. this that is referred to when we
Say TO the farmer and his wife, Your
emancipation Is at hand"
The gasoline gas machine is not a
s-G l. !, Il t,,.
e.al firms for nearly a half-century.
and IT the close of the last century
VAS the only gas available for light
ing and cooking in the absence of city
gas. I; mas. however. been SO serious
IS Handicapped for the past fifteen
ears hv the gasoline situation as to
ne nearly driven from the market.
Prior to the advent OF the gasoline en-
EiDc and tho automobile the problem
with coal oil producers was to find n
market for the gasoline which they
were compelled to make in refining
oil. one gallon being made for every
six gallons OF Kerosene but this was
speedily changed with the growing
demands of the motors. and the prob
lem became acute TO find gasoline to
meet the demand.
The higher grade of gasoline re-
qurcd by the gas machine was dropped
BY very many rcfincrs. and its high
cost and scarcity nearly proved fatal
to 1t. One of the largest mnnufac-
turcrs OF machines. which was backed
By the Standard oil Company. disap-
pcarcd from the market: but others
kept on fighting against adversely
carefully improving and pcrfcct!nE
their apparatus and biding their time
confident that tho time must come
when tho gasoline machine must come
again into favor.
This time is now at hand. Recent
improvements in the process OF rein
ing cruda oil have largely increased
the supply of gasoline. and n discovery
at the oil wells that they had annually
been wasting unknowinEly millions OF
gallons of gasoline, has made its un-
failing supply "a certainty as long rs
oil wells hold out. This discovery was
that the vapor called casing head gas
which constantly arises in the space
between tn" casing OF The GORE and III.
iron pipe through which the oil is
! brought to the surface, was saturated
! with gasoline vapor. Untold billions Of
feet Of this vapor had been allowed tC
waste for thirty years. All that wa.
| necessary was TO conin" the vapor un.
' dor pressure. pass it through coils OF