Measurements and Observations. 
171 
Messrs. Heyward and Marshall took check readings of both 
revolutions and explosions per minute. 
Producer gas . — No attempt was made to obtain either the 
composition or the temperature of the producer gases. A 
largely increased staff would have been needed for making such 
observations. 
Time required to start . — The time required to start the 
plant is of some importance, and it is necessary to distinguish 
between starting with an empty producer, and with one in which 
the fire has been banked. The former was tried on Monday, 
June 18, and again on the Wednesday, and the latter on the 
Tuesday. As regards the producer the time of starting should 
undoubtedly be reckoned as the time required for producing 
good gas from the moment of lighting up, or from starting blow- 
ing in the case of banked fires. The gas could have been tested 
by lighting it and observing the colour of the flame, but the 
most reliable test is whether the gas is capable of running the 
engine with a load ; therefore the time required before the load 
could be put on was the fairest guide. The skill and tempera- 
ment of the attendant in judging of the quality of the gas 
is, however, an important factor, and thus a plant which can 
be quickly started may lose time owing to the attendant 
thinking that the gas is good before it is, leading to a false 
start. It was in fact noted that some of the attendants in 
their anxiety to make a quick start did so before the gas was 
good, with the consequence of making a false start and delaying 
matters. 
On the other hand the attendant may not have started the 
engine as soon as he might have done. In both cases the starting 
time is longer than necessary. Too much stress should not 
therefore be laid on these competitive starting times. Moreover, 
unfortunately, on Monday some of the kindling wood was damp, 
and this caused delay in getting some of the fires lighted. A 
few of the competitors had taken the wise precaution to dry 
their wood, but in the case of the National plant the wood 
could not be lighted without the use of a little paraffin oil, and 
in both Messrs. Crossley’s plants, after vain attempts, the fire 
had to be drawn and a fresh start made with a new supply 
of kindling wood. On Monday and Tuesday some of the 
competitors, in order to reduce the time of starting, opened 
vent pipes in a manner which should not occur in actual use, 
owing to the possibility of poisoning by carbonic oxide. On 
Wednesday this was not permitted, and in some cases a marked 
increase in the time required to start was observed. At the 
coke trial on Thursday there was no competition as regards the 
time of starting, and a considerable increase was noticeable, due 
no doubt in some measure to the greater difficulty in getting 
