APPLICATION OF THE GAS FROM COAL. Og 



The peculiar softness and clearness of this lii^ht, with its Its advantao 



ill a 1 

 tory. 



almost unvarying ii'tensity, have brought it into great fa- '" ^ "^^nufac 



vour with the work people. And its being free fron) the 



inconvenience and danger, resulting from the sparks and 



frequent snviffing of candles, is a circunjstance of material 



importance, as tending to diminish the hazard of lire, to 



which cotton mills are kuown to be much exposed. 



The above particulars, it is conceived, contain such infor- Orjm of the 



mation, ay may tend to illustrate the general advantages at- ^^|f" "'.' "^^^P- 



' •' _ ° '^ plication. 



tending the use of the gas hght ; but nevertheless the Royal 



Society may perhaps not deem it uninteresting, to be ap- 

 prised of the circumstances, which originally gave rise in my 

 mind to its application, as an economical substitute for oils 

 and tallow. 



It is now nearly sixteen years, since, in a course of expe- In 1792. 

 riments I vvas making at Redruth in Cornwall, upon the 

 quantities and qualities of the gasses produced by distillation 

 from different mineral and vegetable substances, I was in- 

 duced by some observations 1 had previously made •ipoii 

 the burning of coal, to try the combustible property of the 

 gasses produced from it, as well as from peat, wood, and 

 other inflammable substances. And being struck with the 

 great quantities of gas which they affo'-ded, as well as with 

 the brilliancy of the light, and the facility of its production, 

 1 instituted several experiments, with a view of ascertaining 

 the cost, at which it might be obtained, compared with that 

 of equal quantities of light yielded by oils and tallow. 



My appai-atus consisted of an iron retort, with tinned First experi- 

 copper and iron tubes, through which the gas was conducted ™^'^' 

 to a considerable distance; and there, as well as at inter- 

 mediate points, was burned through apertures of varied 

 forms and dimensions. The experiments were made upon 

 coal of different qualities, which I procured from distant 

 parts of the kingdom, for the purpose of ascertaining which 

 would give the most economical results. The gas was also 

 washed with water, and other means were employed to pu- 

 rify it. 



In the year 1798, I removed from Cornwall to Messrs. Practically ap- 

 Boulton, Watt, and Co's. works for the manufactory of P^'^"^ ^" ^^^^• 

 steam engines at the Soho foundry ; and there I constructed 

 H2 an 



