440 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION RB. 
The Uses of Gas. By Professor Wini1am A. Bone, D.Sc., F.R.S. 
1. Gas Fires. 
Mr. Yates, in his account of the scientific development of the modern gas 
fire, has referred to the work carried out in my laboratories at Leeds University, 
under the auspices of the Joint Committee appointed by the University and the 
Institution of Gas Engineers in 1998, and I may, perhaps, be allowed to add a 
few supplementary notes to his statements. The work chiefly consisted in the 
determination of heat balances of gas fires, during the course of which the 
method for the determination of ‘ radiant efficiencies’ was devised. 
The fires were investigated in a room of about 1,000 cubic feet capacity, 
specially constructed for the purpose, and the flue draught was controlled by 
means of an electrically driven fan. In view of the prejudice which still exists 
in the public mind against gas fires, I think it only right to say that very careful 
tests made on modern fires, of the type described by Mr. Yates, and of different 
firms’ manufacture, gave no positive indication of the presence of any carbonic 
oxide in the flue products; in one or two of the tests there were suspicions 
(but no certain proof) of either carbon monoxide or possibly formaldehyde in 
the flue gases, but in no case did any ever escape from under the canopy into 
the room. There is no doubt but that the Leeds investigations greatly 
stimulated the scientific development of the gas fire by the manufacturers them- 
selves; in this Mr. Yates has taken a leading part, and other manufacturers are 
following his lead in the matter. 
In my opinion, no gas fire should ever be used in a living room except it 
be connected with as effective a chimney draught as would be required by a 
coal fire, but provided that this condition is fulfilled, the gas fire is both per- 
fectly hygienic and has a comparatively high radiant efficiency. 
With regard to what Mr. Yates has said about gas fires and ventilation I 
entirely agree. If used with an efficient chimney draught, a gas fire will draw 
up the chimney a considerable amount of excess air over and above that required 
for the complete combustion of the gas; thus the percentage of carbon dioxide 
in the flue products of a gas fire operating with an efficient draught need not be 
more than about 0°8 to 1°3 per cent., whereas without any ‘excess air’ the pro- 
portion would be about 11 per cent. This ventilating effect can be got without 
material sacrifice of radiant efficiency provided that the design of the fire avoids 
the obvious cooling effect of drawing the ‘excess air’ over the top of the 
radiants; unless this precaution is taken, however, ventilating effect is only 
produced at a needless sacrifice of radiant efficiency. 
With what Mr. Yates has said about the necessity of preserving an adequate 
distance between the bottom of the canopy and the top of the radiant I also 
entirely agree, and I can confirm the figures which he has given at the end of 
his paper by the results of my own independent tests. The conclusions which 
he has drawn from them concerning the connection between proper design and 
ventilation are, I think, grounded upon a firm experimental basis, and, although 
they have been recently controverted in the technical press, they are, I think, 
unshakable. 
2. Industrial Applications of Coal Gas. 
Turning now to the industrial applications of gaseous fuels it is obvious that 
the cost of ordinary town’s gas must limit its use to comparatively small scale 
operations, which, however, in the aggregate constitute a large and ever expand- 
ing field. In this matter Birmingham with its splendid system of high-pressure 
gas distribution throughout its industrial areas is showing a lead which other 
cities might with advantage follow. Gas is supplied through special mains at a 
pressure of 12 lb. per square inch, and at a price ranging between 1s. and 
1s. 4d. per 1,000 cubic feet, according to the amount consumed per quarter.! By 
* The prices are :— 
For more than 4 million cubic feet per quarter ls. per 1,000 
», between 3 and 4 ,, - a lissld: &. 
>» between 2 and 3 ,, = 5 ls. 2d. ,, less 5 per cent. 
>, between 1 and 2 ,, 4 35 [sd0.. 5 tgs 
s, less than 1 i 53 5 ls. 4d. , 
The quantity of gas sold for manufacturing purposes and motive power during 
