The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-09-17
LIGHT FROM SEWER GAS.


The sewers of cities are to light the
cities. The deadly seven gas which
has caused so much trouble has arisen
to the dignity of being useful. 1t is
not illumination gas, but power gas,
and yet it is to light the habitations of
men. 1t turns the wheels of engines
and the engines transform it into cleo
tricity, 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 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 besides. That has
| been demonstrated in Australia.
In the ordinary plants for the puri-
| hcation 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, generally
clear at the top, though by no means
as clean as it should be made before
it runs away, is drawn off at the top
and the heavy portion of the sewage
of course, is left at the bottom. Sew
er gas is generated in that mass and
rises to the surface in the form of
bubbles. There is an unpleasant and
dangerous odor coming from these
gases, and man has been afraid of it
for generations. Now man has come
to be its master in 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 escape
only into the hrebox of the engine,
where it is consumed as fuel, and cleo
ITCHY 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 electricity any more than
about the reason why corn grows. The
supply of gas is so regular that the
engines run right along as though they
were made to live on air, as we do
They run all night without attendance.
1t has been figured that there is so
much 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, because engines last
for years, but it shows that there is
tremendous economy in using the
sewer gas for power.
The first suggestion is for the NUM-
cipality to use the power to light its
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-
tons for city of 10000 inhabitants,
Worcester should be able to generate
enough electricity at its sewage puri-
hcation works to light all its streets
and haul all its material for street
work as we'll as doing the shovelling,
to drive all the municipal autos, to wa
ter or oil the streets and even to run
the trolley cars. And then there may
be enough electricity to light the
homes and business blocks and pro-
vide 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 important results. The
rough calculations indicate that it
would be worth many hundred thous-
and dollars year to the city of Wor-
cester, and it might incidentally, in
time, make Milbury smell better.
Baby's Bunny Rabbits.