Modern Gasworks Practice

 MODERN GASWORKS PRACTICE INTRODUCTION The modern gas engineer, beyond realizing that William Murdoch. was the first individual to turn coal gas to some practical use, has in many cases a somewhat restricted knowledge of the general historical facts connected with the inception and development of the immense industry to which he belongs. Perhaps, how-ever, this is not surprising when consideration is taken of the multifarious duties and accomplishments now demanded of such toil-worn. officials, who, in Order to excel, must combine the qualities of engineer, scientist, and administrator, in addition to possessing a specialized knowledge of their primary subject. Under the circumstances it has been thouglit advisable to trace out briefly the more important links connecting the discovery of destructive distillation with. the orderly scientific procedure known to us to-day, in the hope that the reader with a taste for historical incident may find this volume of some small interest and assistance. The word “ Gas ” is of somewhat uncertain origin, but in all probability it is derived from the Dutch ” geist,” meaning “ spirit,” although some etymologists state good reasons for supposing that the term was initially connected with “ chaos.” The existence of fire-damp,” which is more or less closely allied to coal gas, appears to have been discovered at a comparatively early date, for Thomas Shirley in 1667 pu.blish.ed an extended account of his researches in connection with a burning spring near igan. After this there were many similar observations of the pro-duction of gas by the decomposition of vegetable matter; but credit for the discovery of destructive distillation most probably lies between the famous Boyle and the Rev. John Clayton, who corresponded in the neigh.bourh.ood of the year 1690 on the existence of this phenoinenon. It was not, however, until nearly a hundred years after this that serious thought was given to the possibility of utilizing gas as an illuminant. Who was the actual originator of the idea is still a matter for dispute, for Several persons seem to have independently conceived the notion at the same time. There was the Belgian, Minckelers ; the Frencliman, Pliillippe Lebon, and, in this country, Lord Dundonald and Murdoch.; but entire credit is usually given to the last-named, who commenced experiments at Redruth, in Cornwall, in 1792. In the same year he distilled a variety of carbonaceous substances, including coal, wood, and peat, and made calculations comparing the cost of light so obtained with that given by the prevailing illuminants at that time, namely 1 B