The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-10-07
LIGHT FROM SEWER GAS.
New Method of Illuminating Streets
of Cities Discovered.

The sewers of cities are to light
the cities. The deadly sewer gas
which has caused so much trouble
has arisen to the dignity of beine
useful. 1t is not illumination gas
but power gas, and yet it is to light
the habitations of men, according tc
the Worcester Telegram. 1t turns
the wheels of engines and the en-
gines transform it into electricity
and there is the light, just as easy as
saying it. The superman of today
says to the sewers, LET there be
light and there is light.
! The inventor of the process shows
that the sewer gas from the drain
pipes of a city of 10000 people will
make $50 horsepower when properly
used, and that means enough to pro-
| duce all the electricity the place will
use for light and household power
and heating purposes at the present
rate of such use. He even goes so
far as to declare that the sewage
from the ordinary country estate of
the big family will provide the gas
to make power enough to light that
place and several others and furnish
power for household work beside.
That has been demonstrated in Aus
tralia.
In the ordinary plants for the puri-
fication of sewage before it is allowed
to run away to rivers or the ocean,
there are septic tanks in which the
sewage is allowed to settle for a con-
siderable time. The water, general
ly clear at the top; though by he
means as clean as it should be made
before it runs away, is drawn of at
the top and the heavy portion of the
sewage, of course, is left at the bot
tom. Sewer gas il generated in that
mass and rises to the surface in the
form Of bubbles. There is an un-
pleasant and dangerous odor coming
from these gases, and man mas been
afraid of it for generations. Now
man has come to be it's master in a
more positive way than giving it
plenty of room to pass away in the
atmosphere.
Now the septic tanks are made air
tight and the gas is allowed to es-
cape only Ato the fire box of the en-
CINE. where it is consumed as fuel,
and electricity results from a process
applied to an engine which creates
power into form to be controlled by
men. That is all there is to it for
the lay mind, for few of us bother
about the process of making elec-
tricity any more than about the rea-
son why corn grows. The supply
Of gas is so regular that the engines
run all night without attendance. 1t
has been figured that there is SO
much of saving in the cost of fuel
and attendance labor by this system
that an engine will make enough
money to replace itself every SIX
months. That is not necessary, be-
cause engines last for years, but 1t
shows that there is a tremendous
economy in using the sewer gas tor
power.
The first suggestion is for the mu-
nicipality to use the power to light
streets and public buildings and to
sell in the form of lighting or power
electricity. to the people for private
purposes. According to the calcula-
tions for city of 10000 inhabitants,
Worcester should be able to, generate
enough electricity at it's sewage purl-
fcation works to light all it's streets
and haul it's material for street work,
as we'll as doing the shoveling, to
drive all CHS uuulClpdI ouIoS, w " "'
ter or oil the streets and even to run
the trolley cars. And then there
might be enough electricity to light
the homes and business blocks and
provide light and power for shops
as we'll as homes.
That sewer gas is all going to
waste now and probably will for some
years to come, because it is hard to
convince community that waste
material is worth anything. But the
gas is there and the Tightening OF. the
septic tanks would show that it can
be turned into the fuel reservoirs OF
engines and put to work for import
ant results. The rough calculations
indicate that would be worth
many hundred thousand dollars a
year to the city of Worcester and it