LAYING OUT THE DESIGN OF WORKS. 39 



cubic feet, not only may the number in the bed, but the 

 size, be varied with advantage. The 9-feet by 1 6-inch 

 retort is too big a unit, and some of the retorts, at any rate, 

 may be smaller, say, 8 feet by 14 inches. The 1 4-inch 

 retort is going out of fashion now, but some good work was 

 done with it. A combination such as three beds of three 

 in each cannot be worked to so good advantage as a set of 

 two, three and four. It does not afford sufficient variation, 

 and, therefore, involves a lot of idle time. The particular 

 conditions of working should be considered as regards both 

 the retort unit and the furnace unit. 



It is very poor economy to cut down the number ot 

 retorts to that represented by the bare maximum require- 

 ment. Not only is it wise to have at least one bed in excess 

 of actual requirement, as a provision against emergencies, 

 which are more apt to occur in the small than in the large 

 works, but there is otherwise no margin for variation accord- 

 ing to the demand, and the beds cannot be fully worked 

 out. Often a bed that is good for three months' work is 

 cut out and renewed because it is not safe to go through the 

 winter. 



Another reason why the retorts should be small is because 

 the labour is inferior. The 6 foot 2 inch Irishman with the 

 long reach goes off to the colliery or the ironworks district, 

 and the available labour for the gasworks may be both weak 

 and elderly. The charging will be done by hand (the 

 charging machine is not yet an entire success with the gang 

 of one), and, therefore, special care should be taken not to 

 set the retorts too high. Given a Q-foot retort, having the 

 bottom 5 feet 6 inches above the ground, and an elderly 

 and none too robust stoker not exceeding 5 feet 3 inches 

 in stature, the prospects are not in favour of that prompt 

 and even laying in of the charge that is indispensable to a 



