THE ROMANCE OF GAS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1924, Page 1

THE ROMANCE OF GAS

In Gie wall of a modest house in a street in the town of Redruth, in Cornwall. is a tablet bearing the following inscription : William Murdock lived in this house 1 782-1708. Made the first locomotive hePs and tested it in 178-1. Invented das Lighting and used it in this Itou.se in 1792. Were it possible for this inventor to re-visit the earth to-day. would he not be astounded at the great part this product of his genius plays in our every (lay life? Early experimenters "ith coal gas used to term it “Wild Spirit." but little did they know the enormous potentiality for destruction that was contained therein. It is even doubtful if Britain could have won the, ''at but for the. magnificent work of the gas engineers and chemists of England in producing and delivering huge quantities of benzine and toluene, extract of tar and gas from which was made that powerful explosive T.N.T. or Trinitrotoluene.

It was never intended, however, that the product of coal should he used for the murdering of men. The huge def>< sits of this mnieral were undoubtedly piovided by an all-seeing Mind for our ••oiufort and well-being, and the effoits il gas engineers for decades to come viT he not to encompass the destruction of hosts, hut rather the amelioration of the lot of a large section of the working community. The reliability of a gas supply has

become, in lie so accepted that the slightest interruption comes as a great surprise. Wlmt would happen if the supply was stopped for say a week? What a weeping and wailing there would he. what a rush for candles and oh! lamps. Fortunately such an occurence, short of an upheaval or disaster is almost impossible, Ihe manufacturer need not on that account fear. The stoppage of his factory, or the shopkeeper, total darkness in his premises, the housewife a failure in the kitchen, ("'eat advances have taken place during recent years in design and utility of gas appliance# and owing to its flexibility and reliability manufacturers are using gas fuel in ever increasing quail-

titles. Perhaps, however, it is in household appliances where the greatest strides have been made. Reports from nil over the world show il.nl gas fuel is coming more and more into use. displacing every other means j ol heating and cooking. Cookers are ; now designed so that there need he no stooping. Appliances are under such | perfect control that where the closest j attention to detail is observed, it has j h< on found cheaper to work by gas j fuel than hv idle direct coal fired range. | Washing day has lost its terrors, j went a difference from the days of the j cm! copper and Alls Potts Irons? j Do wo ever consider the effect on oni health of the countless chimneys p..cring their frightful impurities into the atmosphere? Queen Elizabeth prohibited 1 the burning of coal in London while Parliament was in session because the health of the “Knights of the Shires” might suffer during their abode in the Metropolis. The latest statistics of the Government’s Advisory Committee on atmospheric pollution recorded a deposit for the year ending March, 1916, of about •55.000 tons of solid matter in London ! and for the .veal- 1920 of about 10,000 toil:.. A very largo proportion of this deposit is wasted carbonaceous matter, which has origin mainly in the domestic i oal lire.and kitchen grille. Puling the past twenty years the Gas Light and Coal Company of London have installed. 1.125.000 gas cooking appliances. 371.000 gas heating stoves, ■13.000 gas water heaters and other large but smaller London gas companies, numbers of gas appliances in proportion. This magnificent business is entirely due to the cheapness of gas fuel and Us cleanliness, reliability, labour-saving rapacity and its proven hygenic advantages. It has had also one great and important result, being responsible for the diminishing density of tile London fogs. The time is not far distant, owing to the impurities discharged into the air from the chimney and smoke stack, when the combustion of raw coal will he prohibited by Imperial Statute.