GAS AND OIL ENGINES 



In this connection it will be interesting to quote the 

 report of the Special Agent of the Twelfth Census of 

 the United States, as showing the status of gas engines 

 and steam engines in the year 1902. 



"The decade between 1890 and 1900," he says, 

 "was a period of marked development in the use of gas 

 engines, using that term to denote all forms of internal 

 combustible engines, in which the propelling force is 

 the explosion of gaseous or vaporous fuel in direct con- 

 tact with a piston within a closed cylinder. This group 

 embraces those engines using ordinary illuminating gas, 

 natural gas, and gas made in special producers in- 

 stalled as a part of the power plant, and also vaporised 

 gasoline or kerosene. This form of power for the first 

 time is an item of consequence in the returns of the 

 present census, and the very large increase in the 

 horse-power in 1900 as compared with 1890 indi- 

 cates the growing popularity of this class of motive 

 power. 



"In 1890 the number of gas engines in use in manufac- 

 turing plants was not reported, but their total power 

 amounted to only 8,930 horse-power, or one-tenth of one 

 per cent of the total power utilized in manufacturing 

 operations. In 1900, however, 14,884 gas engines were 

 reported, with a total of 143,850 horse-power, or 1.3 

 per cent of the total power used for manufacturing pur- 

 poses. This increase from 8,930 horse-power to 143, 

 850 horse-power, a gain of 134,920 horse-power, is pro- 

 portionately the largest increase in any form of primary 

 power shown by a comparison of the figures of the 



