6 82 
L I G H T. 
menced Ms experiments on this fubject in the year 1792 ; 
anti in 1798 he applied it for lighting part of the very- 
extenfive manufactory of IvIelTVs. Boulton, Watt, and Co. 
at Soho near Birmingham; and in 1802, at the time of 
the peace, the illumination of the Soho-works was made 
by gas. In the year 1 808, Mr. Murdoch obtained from 
the Royal Society a medal (count Rumford’s) for his 
communications upon the fubjeCr, and which were pub- 
liihcd in the Philofophical Tran factions for thatyear. The 
precision with which the particulars are ftated in Mr. 
Murdoch’s account, and the effential ufe of which fuch 
ftatements may be, to a vail number of perfons, who are 
now engaged in fmi'ilar examinations in this new branch 
of civil economy, induce us to tranferibe the moil effen- 
tial part of'it. 
“ Thefe faCts and refults" (Mr. Murdoch fays') were 
made, during the prefent winter, (1807-8.) at the cotton- 
manufactory of Meffrs. Philips and Lee, at Manchefter, 
where the-light obtained by the eombultion of the-gas 
from coal is ufed upon a very large fcale ; the apparatus 
for its production and application having been prepared 
by me at the works of Meffrs. Boulton, Watt, and Co. at 
Soho. The whole of the rooms of this cotton-mill, which 
is, I believe, the molt exteniive in the united kingdom, 
as well as its counting-houfes and ltore-rooms, and the 
adjacent dwelling-houfe of Mr. Lee, are lighted with the 
gas from coal. The total quantity of light ufed during 
the hours of burning has been afeertained, by a compa¬ 
rifon of fhadows, to be about equal to the light which 
2500 mould-candles of fix in the pound would give; each 
of the candles with which the comparifon was made con- 
fuming at the rate of 4-ioths of an ounce (175 grains) 
of tallow per hour. 
“The burners are of two kinds: the one is upon the 
principle of the Argand lamp, and refembles it in appear¬ 
ance; the other is a IVnall 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 iffues, 
forming three divergent jets of flame, fonrewhat like a 
fleur-de-lis. The fhape and general appearance of this 
tube has procured it, among the workmen, the name of 
the cockfpur burner. The number of burners employed 
in all the buildings amounts to 271 Argands and 633 
cockfpurs ; each of the former giving a light equal to 
that of four candles of the defeription above-mentioned ; 
and each of the latter a light equal to two and a quarter 
of the fame candles; making therefore the total of the 
gas-light a little more than equal to that of 2500 can¬ 
dles. When thus regulated, the whole of the above bur¬ 
ners require an hourly fupply of 1250 cubic feet of the 
gas produced from cannel-ooal; the fuperior quality and 
quantity of the gas produced from that material having 
given it a decided preference in this fituation over every 
other coal, notwithftanding its higher price. 
“The time during which the gas-light is ufed may, 
upon an average of the whole year, be ftated at leak at 
two hours per day of 24 hours. In fome mills, where 
there is over-work, it will be three hours; and, in the few 
where night-work is kill continued, nearly twelve hours. 
But, taking two hours per day as the common average 
throughout the year, the confumption in Meffrs. Philips’ 
and Lee’s mill will be 1250 X 2 — 2500 cubic feet of gas 
per day ; to produce which, 700 weight of cannel-coal is 
required in the retort. The price of the beft Wigan can- 
nel (the fort ufed) is i3^d. perewt. (22s. 6d. per ton) de¬ 
livered at the mill, or fay about eight (hillings for the fe- 
ven hundred weight. Multiplying by the number of 
working-days in the year (313), the annual confumption 
of cannel will be no tons, and its coll 125k About one- 
third of the above quantity, or fay forty tons, of good 
common coal, value ten (hillings per ton, is required for 
fuel to heat the retorts, the annual amount of which is 20I. 
The 110 tons of cannel-coal, when diltilled, produce about 
70 tons of good coke, which is fold upon the fpot at is. 4d. 
per cwt. and will therefore amount annually to the Aim 
of 93I. The quantity^of tar produced from each ton of 
cannel-coal is from n to 12 ale-gallons, making a total 
annual produce of about 1250 ale-gallons, which not hav¬ 
ing been yet fold, I cannot determine its value. The in- 
tereft of the capital expended in the neceflary apparatus 
and buildings, together with what is ccnfidered as an am¬ 
ple allowance for wear and tear, is (rated by Mr. Lee at 
about 550I. per annum, in which fome allowance is made 
for this apparatus being upon a fcale adequate to the 
fupply of a (till greater quantity of light than he has oc- 
calion to make ufe of. He is of opinion that the coft of 
attendance upon candles would be as much, if not more, 
than upon the gas-apparatus ; fo that, in forming the 
comparifon, nothing need be ftated upon that (core, on 
either fide. 
“ The economical ftatement for one year, then, Itands 
thus: 
Coft of no tons of cannel coal ... /125 
Ditto of 40 tons of common ditto - - - 20 
Deduft the value of 70 tons of coke 93 
The annual expenditure in coal, after deducting the 
value of the coke, and without allowing any thing 
for the tar, is therefore ... - 52 
And the intereft of capital, and wear and tear of ap¬ 
paratus ...... . 3,3 
Making the total expenfe of the gas-apparatus per- 
annum, about £600 
That of candles, to give the fame light, would be about 
2000I. For each candle, confuming at the rate of 4-ioths 
of an ounce of tallow per hour, the 2500 candles burning, 
upon an average of the year, two hours per day, would, 
at one (hilling per pound, the prefent price, amount to 
nearly the fum of money above-mentioned. If the com¬ 
parifon were made upon an average of three hours per 
day, the advantage would be (till more in favour of the 
gas light. 
“ At firft, fome inconvenience was experienced from 
the frnell of the unconlumed, or imperfeCtly-purified, gas; 
but fince the laft improvements, and fince the perfons to 
whofe care it is confided have become familiar with its 
management, this inconvenience has been obviated, not 
only in the mill, but aifo in Mr. Lee’s houfe, which is 
molt brilliantly illuminated with it, to the exclufion of 
every other fpecies of artificial light.” 
The above calculation is very favourable on the fcore 
of economy ; but the plan of Mr. Winfor, of which we 
are now to fpeak, mull be much more fo, fince he procures 
many valuable products from the combuftion (or rather 
diftillation) of the coal, which have been negleCted by 
others. A company has been eltabli(hed for the purpofe 
of carrying into execution his invention, with powers to 
aft as a corporate body. Thofe who form this body pro- 
pole to ereCt apparatufes, in convenient fituations, and 
convey the gas by pipes along the ltreets of a town, for 
the purpofe of lighting them, as well as the houfes. Ex¬ 
periments were made of this plan by lighting one fide of 
Pall Mall, in London, which appeared to anfwer well; 
and the company’s houfe has been conltantly lighted and 
heated by gas fince the firft eftablfthment. Mr. Winfor, 
at the opening of the bufinefs, gave leftures and experi¬ 
ments on the gas, though the manner of procuring and 
purifying it he kept a lecret; he exhibited the mode of 
conducting it through the houfe, and a number of ele¬ 
gant devices for chandeliers, See. by which it was con- 
fumed. He fhow'ed alfo by experiments, that the flame 
of the gas was not liable to be extinguiftied by wind or 
rain ; that it produced no finoke, and was not fo dan¬ 
gerous as the light of lamps or candles, as it could not 
produce fparks. Thefe lectures are now repeated by his 
fon every Thurfday evening, at No. 98, Pall Mall. 
By the minutes of the evidence taken before the com- 
1 mittet 
