The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-11
CASPLANTSo OF l
 U. s. LIKELY 10
 BE TAKEN OVER
Nation Dependent Upon Them for Derivatives for
 High Power Shells.

Reading, Pa., April 11.-That the War Department may undertake the direction of the operations of the aountry's gas plants and by product 1pks plants as was done in England ras the conclusion reached by gas men at the convention of the Penn sylvania Gas Association, which open ed hero to-day, after listening to an address by Capt. J. Fl. Burns, or the Ordnance Department, U. s. A.. on the ssrelattono uf the gas and by-pro- duct coke Industries to the military needs of the nation
 Three-fourths of all tho ammuni- don used in modern warfare consists If high explosives which are made of picrio acid, or one of its derivatives, and trinitrotoluol. both produced ex- clusively from the distillation of coal as hy-products in the manufacture of coke and illuminating gas Also the Government must look for good part of it supply of nitric acid, which, in ehis case, Is obtained from arnmon- ium sulphate, also a by-product Of gas manufacture
 Those who light their homes by gas in the oid-fashioned open flame burn ar-of which there are stin many in use-wiu live. until measures are ta- ksn to remedy tho condition almost , in total darknesss as. stripped of the constituents the Government requires tho nnme illuminating gas will be very much of . misnomer. They can over como this condition, however, by adopting tho incandescent-com ly known as the Welsbach- mantle, which depends entirely for tho light 1t xtvss forth upon the heating value of tho Eas, and not in anywise upon it's luminosity. This will prove a blessing in disguise. as using this man ue tho amount of gas consumed will be greatly reduced and the amount of illumination furnished per lamp in creased several times
 Those who use gaS for cooking and heating will hardly notice the chang sd conditions
 Asked as to how the gas industry in this country was prepared to meet the additional responsibilities that will be thrust upon it, many gas men refer red to the American Gas Engineering Journal. which. stating that obvious ly an increased production of deri- t&AlVC0 ANCSSSoAsesScO OS SaAO SeAAAAO SAAAAS an increased production of gas, and lhe finding market for It," goes on to point out that, on account of the mforced general adoption of the in kcandesceqt mantle, the industry can not expect an increase in volume sold for lighting purposes In fact, 1t must expect . diminution.
 Tho solution lies in displacing coal and crude fuel in the industries. What may be expected along these lines Is indicated by the experience of Eng land. The gas furnaces for manufac- turing purposes made by one company alone in that country during tho past two years, running at full blast, would consume 1,6OO,00O cu- it. of gas per hour-an amount equal to the total monthly consumption of 800 domestic consumers.
 The gas industry in this country, this journal points out, has been pro- ducing the necessary derivators in inn mense quantities since the European war commenced, to meet the needs of those manufacturing munitions for the Allied Countries and for export purposes. The additional demand means merely a further extension of effort to supply a need that has long been expected by the American gas industry, and which it has already laid thA foundations tO meet