Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-07
By ROGER w. BABsON.
BABSON PARK, Mass. August

BABSON PARK, Mass, August q.
Last year aggregate sales of
manufactured gas for all purposes
amounted to over 421 ,000, 900, 900 cubic
feet or almost 912 times the amount
sold in 1890. when the use of gas
for lighting was at it's height. Only
about 20 per cent of the total output
of gas is now used for lighting pur-
poses, whereas years ago this was
practically its sole use. About 30 per
cent of the total output is now being
used in industrial plants.
The use of gas for cooking and
water heating. as well as for air
beating in domestic homes and in
public establishments has grown ire
inendously. 1t is estimated that there
are today almost 10.000,000 gas stoves,
$500. 900 gas water heaters and 1900.
900 gas space heaters in use In the
United States. Last year alone there
were sold 100000 new gas ranges,
$50 900 gas water heaters and 100000
gas space heaters. Installation of
house heating systems is a new devel-
cpment and is proceeding at the rate
of about 100000 a year. The new
heating load developed by all these
uses far exceeds the old lighting load
lost to the electric companies.
Advantages of Gas.
: The reason for this tremendous
growth in the use of gas is not hard
to understand. Gas heat, like electri-
cal heat, is a clean, convenient and
comfortable heat. Although not quite
so flexible as electrical heat. it is far
more so than that derived from coal
or oil. AS compared with coal its use
eliminates the expense and nuisances
of coal storage and handling and of
ash removal. At rates prevalent dur
Ing the past it has been more eXpen-
sive than coal, but not SO expensive
as electricity. On an equivalent heat
basis gas is said to be about one-sixth
as expensive as electricity. / under
stand that an efficient gas manufac-
turing system extracts up to 50 per
cent of the possible heat in coal, while
in the generation of electricity not
more than Is per cent is made avail
able.
The advantages of gas for indus
trial heating purposes are very
marked. 1t has been adapted to lit
orally thousands of industrial proc
esses and this number is growing con-
stantly. Manufacturers find that in
processes where gas has been subSti-
tuted for coal. products of better
quality are produced because the gas
beat can be perfectly controlled. Fur
thermore, 1t has been found that
there is generally possible a marked
Increase in production. An industrial
heating load is of especial value to
Eas companies in that it is an aH-the-
year-round load. Many companies
are making strenuous efforts to en-
large industrial uses.
! Big Future i'm Domestic Heating.
; The use of gas by means of special
" constructed gas furnaces for the
heating Of homes promises to become
luSty competitor to coal and oil. 1t
has many obvious advantages over
both. Most of the things that are in
our homes are there. not for economy,
but for comfort. Certainly the av-
erage householder finds no comfort
in feeding the furnace and carrying
out ashes. A cleaner and more com
Portable method of heating is destined
TO become popular. Oil has been
hailed as the way to get rid of coal.
but--apart from the question of
prlce-gas is even better than oil.
No storage. no electric motors, no
pumps or other devices used by oil
heating systems are required when
gas is used. Devices now on the mar
ket for the burning Of gas are fully
as safe as oil heating equipment. The
chief drawback to the immediate and
widespread installation of gas is cost.
Where natural gas is obtainable
in quantity. gas is generally cheaper
than anthracite coal. Manufactured
gas, however. is in most communities
selling at rates which make its use
for house heating much more eXpen-
sive than coal. This is to be changed.
Gas companies throughout the coun-
try are becoming alive to the tremen-
dous possibilities of heating homes
with gas. Several of the large COM
panies, like the Peoples Gas Light