114 On the Application of the Gas from Coal. 



a particular description of the apparatus employed for pro** 

 d'ucing the gas ; but I may observe generally, that the -coal 

 is distilled in large iron retorts, which during the winter 

 season are kept constantly at work, except during the in- 

 tervals of charging ; and that the gas, as it rises from them, 

 is conveyed by iron pipes into large reservoirs, or gasome- 

 terS) where it is washed and purified, previous to its being 

 conveyed through other pipes, called mains, to the mill. 

 These mains branch off into a variety of ramifications (form- 

 ing a total length of several miles), and diminish in size, as 

 the quantity of gas required to be passed through them be- 

 comes less. The burners, where the gas is consumed, are 

 connected with the above mains, by short tubes, each of 

 which is furnished with a cock to regulate the admission of 

 the gas to each burner, and to shut it totally off when re- 

 quisite. This latter operation may likewise be instantane- 

 ously performed, throughout the whole of the burners in 

 each room, by turning a cock, with which each main is 

 provided, near its entrance into the room. 



The burners are of two kinds ; the one is upon the prin- 

 ciple of the Argand lamp, and resembles it in appearance; 

 the other is a small curved tube with a conical end, having 

 three circular apertures or perforations, of about a thirtieth 

 of an inch in diameter, one at the point of the cone, and 

 two lateral ones, through which the gas issues, forming 

 three divergent jets of flame, somewhat like a fleur-de-lis. 

 The shape and general appearance of this tube has pro- 

 cured it, among the workmen, the name of the cockspur 

 burner. 



The number of burners employed in all the buildings- 

 amounts to 271 Argands, and 633 cockspurs ; each of the 

 former giving a light equal to that of four candles of the de- 

 scription above mentioned ; and each of the latter, a light 

 equal to two and a quarter of the same candles; making 

 therefore the total of the gas light a little more than equal 

 to that of 2500 candles. When thus regulated, the whole 

 of the above burners require an hourly supply of 1 250 cubic 

 feet of the gas produced from canael coal; the superior 



quality 



