Modern Gasworks Practice

2 INTRODUCTION oil and tallow. Five years later lie lighted his own premises at Old Cumnock, Ayr-shire; whilst in 1802, in celebration of the Peace of Amiens, he arranged for tlie brilliant illumination of the Soho Works of Boulton & Watt, whicli firm lie had joined. Attention must now be turned from Murdocb. to a man named Winsor, who was attracted by the striking experiments which Lebon. was conducting in Paris. Winsor crossed over to France, endeavoured to strike a bargain with Lebon, but failed, and finally returned to England with. a füll determination to fatliom the why and wherefore of the whole business. He studied the subject, mastered it more or less imperfectly, and exploited his invention in Germany. Subsequently he returned to London, and in 1804 gave a series of leetures and exhibitions at the Lyceum Theatre, incidentally raising nearly £50,000 for carrying out his projects. In 1809 he lighted a portion of Pall Mali with gas, this being the first Street so dealt with. From then. onwards the reputation of the new illuminant was assured, altliougli undertakings existing for its manufacture and distribution had many uphill fights before being established on the road to success. In the same year Murdocb and Winsor came into collision, which. resulted in the enterprising plans of the latter being held in abeyance for a time; but 1813 saw the Inauguration of the London, and' Westminster Gas Light and Coke Company, wliicli two years later possessed three manufacturing stations and fifteen miles of Street mains. The business of supplying gas progressed with such, rapidity that by 1830 more tlian 200 Companies existed tli.rough.ouf, the kingdom. Westminster Bridge was first lighted with gas in December 1813, and in the following year the parish of St. Margaret, Westminster. As was only to be expected, the misgivings of the public were at first difficult to quell, whilst profits were non-existent, and the Outlook for tlie future extremely questionable. Soon afterwards the Company dispensed with the services of Winsor, who, it is recorded, after his dismissal passed to “ the blackness of the tomb in the cemetery of Pére la Chaise, at the age of sixty-seven years.” Tlie history of gas lighting for the next few years is largely the liistory of this original Company, the now famous Gas Light & Coke Company. The pioneer Clegg (who had left the service of the Company on a question of salary) invented the gasmeter in 1815, although it was not turned to any extensive practical use until ten years later. Meanwhile, the influen.ee of competition was beginning to make itself felt, and it would seem that tliere was some occasion for it when it is remembered that the price of gas at this time was 15s. per 1,000 cubic feet. About 1820 the possi-bilities of oil gas began to be recognized, and a stout and costly resistance was put up by tlie London Companies to a Bill for the promotion of an oil-gas concern. The Bill was ultimately defeated, but in 1823 Bristol was lit by this product under a special Act. In the same year Sir William Congreve (the Home Office inspector of metropolitan. gasworks) issued a report showing that tlie annual production of gas from tlie three works of the Gas Light & Coke Company was 248 million cubic feet, whilst they possessed 122 miles of Street mains. As years went on a bitter rivalry sprang up between the various manufacturing concerns, and serious consideration was given to a scheine for the amalgamation of interests. At first