OE, PLAIN TEACHING. 



77 



and enters the purifier, 9a, where 

 it is cleansed by being passed 



326. 



through lime-water, which absorbs 

 any impurities . # From the puri- 

 fier it travels through the pipe, 9, 

 and enters the gasometer, 10, 

 where it again passes through 

 water, with which the lower vessel 

 is nearly filled, into the upper 

 and floating- chamber, 11, which 

 rises with the volume of gas that 

 enters, and the pressure of which 

 upon the gas when entering, or 

 leaving the gasometer, for the pur- 

 pose of being burnt, is regulated 

 by weights placed either upon the 

 top or suspended at the sides, 12. 



13 



327. 



The gasometer, 13, communi- 

 cates with the distributing-pipes 



* There are various other methods of purifying gas. 

 'Jii-gas requires but little purifying. 



by the principal main, 14, which 

 rises above the water-level, so as 

 to present its open orifice to the 

 volume of gas. The weights, 15, 

 being reduced, the cast-iron gas- 

 ometer, 16, presses heavily upon 

 the contained gas, and forces it 

 into the mains, 17, distributed 

 underground through the streets ; 

 from these the service-pipes, 18, 

 derive supplies, and feed the tens 



328. 



of thousands of burners that illu- 

 minate our streets and dwellings. 



* The first attempts to introduce the use of 

 gas in the United States were at Baltimore, 

 by some accounts in 1816, and by ethers in ^ 

 1821. They appear to have been unsuccess- 

 ful. In 1822, it was introduced into Boston ; 

 and in 1S23, the New York Gaslight Company 

 was incorporated With a capital of $1,000,000, 

 but did not enter into successful operation 

 till the year 1827. In 1830, the Manhattan 

 Gaslight Company was incorporated with a 

 capital of $500,000, which has since been in- 

 creased to $4,000,000. The former supplies 

 that portion of the city below Grand street, 

 having lc8 miles of pipe laid, of diameters 

 ranging from 4 to 18 inches. It has 3 retort 

 houses, containing 504 retorts, and over 160 

 furnaces ; and 6 telescopic gas-holders, be- 

 sides 6 distributing gas-holders at different 

 points of its district. The Company employs 

 about 400 men, and manufactures 430,000,000 

 cubic feet of gas per annum. 



The Manhattan Gaslight Company supplies 

 the streets between Grand and 79th streets. 

 It has 207 miles of pipes laid, of diameters 

 varying from 3 to 20 inches. In 185S , it made 

 725,321,000 cubic feet of gas, and supplied 

 25,000 private consumers, and 8,600 street 

 lamps. The works, situated on 14th street 

 East River, and 18th street, North River, em 



• f* American Cyclopedia." 



