MARSDEN'S PATENT ATMOSPHERIC GAS AT CAMBRIDGE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1813, 19 February 1884, Page 2

MARS DEN'S PATENT ATMOSPHERIC GAS AT CAMBRIDGE.

The minds of the Cambridge business public have been somewhat exercised during the past few days through the presence in their midst of Mr J. H. Mar«den and his patent atmospheric gas generator. Mr Marsden arrived at Cambridge on Thursday, and set his apparatus in working order in the premises of Messrs Lewis and Simpson, ironmongers. The generators were erected in the back stoic of the premiss, and lead pipes were laid on to a number of jets in the shop. The principle of manufacturing the gas is him pie in the extreme, and the plant and process of working is of a chaiiictcr which, on a few minutes acquaintance, becomes peifectly comprehensible even to the dullest intellect. The entnc generating plant consists of a sm; 11 air holder of about 20 cubic feet, an imn furance of about 18 inches square, in which is a tetmt of about 16' in. v Gin., a small condenser and purifier, and a gasometer capable of holding about fiO cubic feet of ja-5. The air paw»e<* fi om the air chamber into the retort in the fui nance, which is kept hot by a small fiie of either wood or coal, and through the action of the heat the oxygen is excluded, leaving the hydrogen in the retoifc. On the top of the furnace the fat-holder is situated, and here the fat is melted And allowed to drop through a small pipe into the retort. Heie both elements of the gas (the hydrogen afforded by the pine air, and the carbon created by the burning of the fat) are combined, and the gas being now made parses through the condenser and puiifier. This consists of an oblong galvanised iion case, sub-divided into thiee small chambei.s, two containing water, and one containing lime. The gas, on passing through the water chamber is deprived of any dampness which it may contain, and' on passing through the lime chamber is purified. It now passes into the gasometer or holder ready for immediate use, and a gasometer of the capacity above leferted to (50 cubic feet) will aft'oid a .supply to three burners of twenty-two candle-power each for three hours at the least. The entiie apparatus as described would cost about £20, and the cost of making the gas is estimated at about 4s a thousand, and this includes labour, filing, fat and any other matter necessary to the production of the finished article. As to labour one man would be sufficient to make for all Cambiidge. For heating, lighting, or motive power Mr Maisden claims for his patent an equality with the ordinary coal gas. On Saturday e veiling the premises of Messrs Lev> is and Simpson were lit up by *.he gas, and the burner .s (thiee) kept alight from 7 o'clock till 9,30. The flame is, if anything, clearer and blighter than the oidmary coal gas, and is altogether void of smeil. Dining the evening all the principal business imn and other residents of the town, including Messis Wells and Souttei, Hewitt. Houghton, Asher, Gillett, Isaacs, Kirkwood, Merrick. Reed, Major Wilson, Capt. Souter, Mr James Hume, and Mr Denniston witnessed the exhibition and examined the process. All were greatly astonished at the simplicity of the whole concern, and expressed themselves highly satisfied with its decided peifection. The patent was only gi anted last month, and with the exception of Auckland, Cambiidge has been the first place in tho province where the utility of the new idea has been exhibited. It i-5 not Mi Mavsdeu's intention during his present trip through the country to sell gas making apparatuses. He is willing to sell the patent to a company v.ho'-e operations shall only extend throughout a given aiea. For instance, in the case of Cambridge, a number of gentlemen luighfc form tliemsalvos into a company, and buy the patent at a cost of probably £000, (the price we understand varying according to circumstances). This would entitle them not only to supply Cambridge with gas, but to manufactuie any number of plants, which they might dispose of at Moirins\ille, Hamilton, Ngaruawahia, Alexandra, Te Awamutu, Kihikihi, Oxfoid, Matamata, or any place within a radiun say of 25 miles, tho distance depending altogether on arrangement. The cost of making a generator for a place like Cambridge or Hamilton would not be moie than about £30, but a company of the nature above referred to, having paid an handsome figure for the patent alone, would require tri sell the generators, (which they could have manufactured to their order at Auckland,) at a considerable, {unfit ; and, of com -a, having the exclusive, right to &ell them within a certain area, theie would be no competition. It will therefore be seen that m starting a company at either Cambiidge or Hamilton, and buying the patent, that the supplying of gas would not be the only soiu cc of profit, but the company would aLo deiive a laige profit fiom the sale of the generators within the prescribed area. The fctfc whioh ifc. u^ecl need not necessarily be of the best, indeed, a pint of ordinary slush obtained from a neighbouring hotel, supplied Mr Marhden throughout nis entire operations on Saturday. From what we can gather, we have little doubt the matter will be earnestly entertained by a number of the leading business men of Cambridge. One Cam,bridge gentleman alone qffered. JSIQQ for a single generator- on Saturday, but the offer was not entertained.