The excise laws have hitherto operated strongly against the establishment of manufactories of muriate of ammonia in England. Hence an immense quantity of sulphate of ammonia obtained from the gas light ammoniacal liquor, is exported from this country to the continent, solely from the extreme rigour of the excise relating to the use of common salt, and it is only this that has hitherto prevented the establishment of manufactories of sal-ammoniac from the ammoniacal liquor of the gas light process upon a large scale.
Chemical manufactories, of all others, will least bear excise, because many of them are worked according to secret processes, which, if made public, must pass into other countries; and the greatest part of the profit ceases together with the export. The vexatious introduction of excise officers into manufacturing laboratories, it is evident, puts an end to all secrecy of operation. There are several chemical processes which interruption will extremely injure, and others which it totally destroys, and as on the whole they in general are of a nature in which interference of others is most peculiarly vexatious, in all probability, if the excise be extended to manufactures of this nature, it will eventually put a stop to most of them, and greatly injure the revenue by causing thereby to cease the duties which at present arise from the exports and imports to a large amount, now depending on the chemical trade of Great Britain.
We have now gone through all the improvements by which the gas light manufacture has been distinguished during the interval which has elapsed since the publication of our former work[65] on this subject; and perhaps the reader may be inclined to think, from the extraordinary height to which improvement has been carried in this art, that little or nothing more remains to be desired with regard to it. Let it be remembered, however, that the whole art is only in its infancy. There is yet a wide field for improvement in the construction of the apparatus. Ingenious men may speculate from what has been done, to what remains to be effected, which no doubt will lead to objects of the greatest utility, and most extended national importance.
[65] A practical treatise on gas light.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
| [PLATE I.] | |
| PAGE. | |
|---|---|
| Elevation of the Revolving Gas Holder at the Westminster Gas Works | [181] |
| [PLATE II.] | |
| Gas Light Apparatus at the Royal Mint. | |
| Fig. 1, Perpendicular Section of one of the Horizontal Rotary Retorts with its Furnace | [112] |
| Fig. 2, The Purifying Apparatus | [150] |
| Fig. 3, The Tar Cistern | [117] |
| Fig. 4, The Gas Metre | [214] |
| The roof of the building surrounding the Gas Works is furnished with a projecting Louver to let outthe smoke. | |
| [PLATE III.] | |
| Fig. 1, Represents a perspective view of a Portable Gas Metre | [219] |
| Fig. 2, Perpendicular Section of the Horizontal Rotary Retorts at the Royal Mint Gas Works—atChester—Birmingham, &c. | [112] |
| Fig. 3, Perpendicular Section of the Gas Holder Valve and Siphon, or Water Reservoir | [222] |
| Fig. 4, Perspective View of the Governor, or Regulating Guage, for maintaining the Flames of Gas Lampsand Burners of an uniform intensity | [225] |
| Fig. 5, Plan of the Horizontal Rotary Retorts at the RoyalMint—Chester—Bristol—Birmingham—Kidderminster, &c. | [115] |
| Fig. 6, Transverse Section of the Gas Metre at the Royal Mint—Chester—Birmingham, &c. | [219] |
| Fig. 7, Perpendicular Section of the Gas Holder Valve | [221] |
| Fig. 8, Front elevation of the Gas Metre, at the Royal Mint, shewing the registering train of Wheel Work | [218] |
| Fig. 9, Perpendicular Section of the Gas Holder, Governor, or Regulating Guage, at theBristol—Birmingham—and Chester Gas Works | [171] |
| Fig. 10, Transverse Section of the Air-Box, and Lime Trough, See purifying apparatus | [152] |
| Fig. 11, Perspective View of a Portable Governor or RegulatingGuage | [232] |
| Fig. 12, Coal Tray of Horizontal Rotary Retort | [116] |
| Fig. 13, A jointed swing Bracket Lamp | [257] |
| Fig. 14, A Mercurial Universal Joint for Pendent Gas Lamps | [256] |
| [PLATE IV.] | |
| Fig. 1, Transverse Section of the Retort Ovens, at the Westminster and City of London Gas Works,showing the mode of setting and arranging Cylindrical Retorts | [69] |
| Fig. 2, Longitudinal Section of the same | [69] |
| [PLATE V.] | |
| Fig. 1, Front elevation of the Retort Ovens at the Westminster and City of London Gas Works | [69] |
| Fig. 2, Perpendicular Section of the Gas Holder, without Specific Gravity Apparatus, at the BirminghamGas Works | [177] |
| Fig. 3, Plan of the same | [177] |
| Fig. 4, Perpendicular Section of Mr. Malam’s Lime Machine | [143] |
| Fig. 5, Plan of the same | [146] |
| Fig. 6 and 7, Mouth Piece and Cover of cylindrical, parallelopipedal and semi-cylindrical Retorts,(exhibited fig. 1, [plate IV],) drawn to a larger scale | [71] |
| Fig. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, Gas Lamps and Burners | [253] |
| Fig. 14 and 15, Profile View and Section of Gas Mains, and mode of connecting them | [240] |
| Fig. 16, 17, and 18, Perpendicular Section of the parallelopipedal, ellipsoidal, and semi-cylindricalRetorts | [53] |
| Fig. 19, 20, 21, and 22, Union Joint, and circular bends for connecting Gas Pipes | [266] |
| Fig. 23, Test Apparatus for certifying the proper manner of working the Lime Machine | [157] |
| [PLATE VI.] | |
| Fig. 1, Plan, showing the Fire Place and Flues, of the Horizontal Rotary Retorts | [113] |
| Fig. 2, Longitudinal Section of the Collapsing Gas Holder, and the Tank of ditto | [189] |
| Fig. 3, Transverse Section of the same | [189] |
| Fig. 4, End View of the same | [189] |
| Fig. 5 and 6, Horizontal plan shewing the mode of connecting the end plates of the Collapsing Gas Holder | [192] |
| Fig. 7, Perpendicular Section of the Gas Holder, without specific gravity Apparatus, at the Chester GasWorks | [175] |
| Fig. 8, Perspective View of the Revolving Gas Holder, at the Westminster Gas Works | [181] |
| Fig. 9, Perspective View of the Reciprocating Safety Valve | [196] |
| Fig. 10, Plan of the Purifying Apparatus, or Lime Machine, shewing the Air Trough of the Apparatus, withits axis and claws | [152] |
| Fig. 11, Sliding part of a Pendent Gas Lamp, which may be raised or depressed | [257] |
| [PLATE VII.] | |
| Exhibits an economical arrangement of a Gas Apparatus, for lighting a town, or large districts. Thecentral building exhibits the Retort House. The roof is furnished with a projecting Louver to let out the smoke. The gableends, and one side of the building, are of brick-work, the other side of the house is open, and supported on iron columns.The building to the right hand side of the Retorts, is the Purifying House, it contains the Lime Machine,[page 149]. The trap door, marked A, indicates the Cistern or Reservoir for receiving the Waste Lime.The third and smallest building in the design, serves for an Office of the Director of the Works. The front wall isrepresented as taken away, to show the position of the Gas Metre, the axis of which drives the agitating shaft of the LimeMachine. The axis of the Metre and the shaft of the Lime Machine, are for that purpose connected by a strap,([page 213].) The small building-on the left handside of the Retort House, is a Smith’s Shop. T, shows the situation of the Main Gas Holder Valve([page 221].) | |