1823.] Gas Light tistahlishments. 415 



in allowing this lime water to run into the sewers, by which a 

 very offensive smell was produced in the neighbourhood, and a 

 very deleterious matter conveyed into the Thames. 



This mode of disposing of the lime water was first introduced 

 by the superintendant of the Brick-lane station, and will I doubt 

 not be very generally adopted, as this water is prohibited from 

 passing into the sewers after the 15th February, in consequence 

 of a prosecution carried on by the City of London against the 

 Dorset-street Company. 



Another mode of getting rid of this lime water has been expe- 

 rimented ; viz. the purification of the gas by dry lime, which is 

 about to be adopted in Dorset-street, in preference to the com- 

 mon mode of passing it through lime water. 



Considerable improvements have also been made during this 

 year in the quantity of gas produced from a given quantity of 

 coal, which, as far as it tends to reduce the cost of the gas, not 

 only renders a benefit to the public, but an increased advantage 

 to the companies, in whose well-doing the public cannot but be 

 interested, since this mode of lighting the town has now become 

 so general, and is unquestionably attended with so many advan- 

 tages to the metropolis, not only as relates to the convenience 

 of the inhabitants, but to their security as a matter of police. 

 This increased produce of gas has been accomplished by various 

 means, such as the improvements in the mode of setting the 

 retorts, in the use of a better coal, in the application of a certain 

 quantity of the coal tar mixed with the coal in the retort. 



A new description of retort, called the Graftonian retort, from 

 the name of its inventor, has also been introduced, with the hope 

 of further economy by the increased production of gas. This 

 retort is made of fire brick instead of iron, and it is supposed 

 that it will be found much more durable than the iron retort, and 

 capable also of sustaining a greater intensity of heat, so as to 

 render the distillation of the coal more perfect. 



Other experiments have been made with a view to this same 

 object, by the engineer of the Imperial Company, who has 

 invented a retort, which is to be gradually fed with the coal from 

 a hopper, so as to make the destruction of the material to be 

 carbonized still more complete. Mr. Clegg seems to anticipate, 

 from the experiments which he has tried, that he should be 

 enabled by this means to destroy both the tar and ammoniacal 

 liquor produced in the ordinary modes. He also calculates, that 

 by these means the quantity of gas produced will be increased 

 to 16,000 or 18,000 cubic feet per chaldron, and that it will more- 

 over be of a superior quality, so as to give considerably more 

 light in proportion to the quantity burned. It would certainly 

 be very desirable to get rid, as much as possible, of the different 

 products resulting in the distillation, excepting the coke, as 

 some of them do not pay for their removal, and are liable, there- 



