COAL-GAS MAKING PROGRESS.
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Recent Developments and Improvements.
The Mersey-Duplex Container.
A new type of flexible container, the' feature of which is that it may be either used • at atmospheric pressure or under low' compression, has been introduced by G. Raw and Sons, Ltd., 5-7, Harford Street, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool. This Container, known as the Mersey-Duplex, ism i made in two or three separate sec; tions; The innermost Section comprises a non-porous gas-resisting rubber bag, made somewhat after the lines of the rubb-:r bladder of a football. This is loosely inserted, i.e., not, attached in any way; within the second section or bag made of flexible waterproof material. Thus the gas envelope may he withdrawn intact at any time if required: When it is desired to resort to slight /empeession,. a third cover is inserted between the rubber gas bag and its easing, or the latter is made from double or treble texture weatherproof material to ensure the requisite durability. This container is being made in three different shapes,
Public Services in Ireland.
Coal-gas is coming to the rescue of the Irish mail services in the north, which had been suspended for some time through lack of petrol. Messrs. Roberta and Co., of the Foyle Street Garage, Londonderry, who' are the Ford district agents and the sole Irish agents for the Olson converting units and are also Royal Mail contractors, were running regular STervices, carrying mails and up to 10 and 12 passengers, on Olson. fitted Ford chassis, until stopped.: by the petrol shortage. •Several of these cats have now exceeded 20 000 Miles running, and it is only recently that the first tyre replacement has been called for on any of them, and, arising from the satisfaction given by them, a. requisition was recently made by the residents between Derry, Eglinton and Limavady for a service to cover the needs of that district. Coal-gas has now mine to the rescue, both of the already
056 established services and of the requisitioners, as the mail vans have now been fitted with gas containers. Thus a newDerry-Limavady service has been started and is well patronized. Messrs. Roberts are pushing the coal-gas proposition in their district and are meeting with considerable success.
Converted Vulcan one-tonner.
On the following page we illustrate a light coal delivery van which has been adapted to coal-gas by Ellis Brothers (Halifax); Ltd., • Lister Lane, Halifax. Thechassis is a "Vulcan one-tonner fitted with Ellis Brothers' patent quarWr-Cf-aminute tipping gear. By means of the arrangement shown in the illustration it has been possible to use a bag 10 ft. long by 5 ft. broad, with a capacity of approximately 250 cubic ft., which has proved sufficient for a run of 12 miles on one filling. The gas pipe is taken from the rear of the beg, along the inside of the cab, and through the footboards of the engine, the gas tap being convenient to the driver's hand, while the gas inlet is admitted to the carburetter immediately below the throttle. The firm has installed a 3-in. gas main for filling, and with this the container can be charged in five minutes.
The Lookers Gas Valve.
The accompanying diagram refers to a valve for use In conneetien with gasbags which has been introduced by Lookers, Ltd., 17, Hardman Street, Dnnsgate, Manchester. The advantages are that' no filling, arm is required!, this valve, which is light and neat in appearance, taking the piece of this arm and the usnal plumber pipe connections to the engine. A clear 2-in.
inlet is provided to the bag, this being closed by a positive valve, very light in weight, which either can be screwed down or held down by the aid of a spring. The bend is very convenient for • readily connecting up with flexible pipe to the motor, and if required may be threaded for 2-in. gas, although it is not necessary. • The upper portion of the valve chamber is bolted to the lower portion, and can be' placed in various positions with ease for fitting. A branch' is provided for connection to the engine,, the main 2-in. :pipe being continue4 towards and fitted to the bag with he ordinary armoured Inie,e. In addition the upper half has a flange which facilitates bolt, ing the device to the dash or any other convenient point.
Brisk " Quality " Business.
Brisk ,business in container manufacturing is reported by the Quality Gas Container Co. at their Wallshaw Works, Mumps, Oldham; at the Liverpool district depot, Wallasey Road, Wallasey; and at their branch, 77, St. Mary's Place, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
At Wallasey we observed containers being fitted to commercial lorries, light delivery vans, and taxicabs. Orders were being fulfilled for the Liverpool Corporation, and also for military service at Ormskirk.
To cope with complete conversions throughout, the Quality Motor Co. has incorporated a joinery section for building the trays or cradles, a blacksmith's shop for the necessary iron work, such as supports and stanchions, as' well as the gas fittings to the dashboard and
engine.
It will' be recalled that the Quality Garages exhibited a 3-ton Austin lorry driven on 'coal-gas, at our demonstration on 10th October last, the 930/ cubic ft. bag of which aroused considerable-attention. As a matter of fact, this vehicle was sold" on the 'spot." The company inform -us that with this vehicle they "travelled quite half of the -dietance between Liverpool and London on gas, having petrol as a reserve owing to lack of charging facilities."
Gas Supplies on Trunk Roads.
"Can you please help us to get the road from London to Leicester supplied with quick filling' gas stations? We have munitions to bring to London. Dispatch by rail is difficult ; steam is slow ; petrol so scarce and dear. If you could assist us to get quick gas fillsevery 20 miles it would be to, the national interest."
The foregoing is the copy of a letter. which came to the editorial desk a few days ago. It is by no means the only communication we have received upon this subject. Correspondents in other parts of the country, wishing to carry on i with gas, have written us n a similar' strain With reference 'to the main routes in their territories.
As petrol becomes more expensive and more difficult to obtain, the need for gas charging facilities upon the trunk roads of the country will become more and more pressing. Bo far as the trunk routes are concerned, there is no valid reason why the convenience sought should not be forthcoming. The trunk roads, for the greatest parts of their lengths, thread settled districts, and link up important towns, each of which is capable of feeding road transport system, both short and long haul. To emphasize the possibilities in this direction, and to illustrate the advantages which would accrue from an organized gas charging system, we publish herewith a sketch map of the road between London and Nottingham, via Northampton and Leicester. In order to cover the 124 miles between the two points it would be only necessary to recharge at the utmost 9 times : Moreover, the longest run on one charge would not exceed 20 miles, while the shortest span would be 12 miles. Even the longest run between London and St. Albans could be reduced, if desired, the North Middlesex Gas Co., al recently stated in these-pages. being quite prepared to meet any requests in this direction.
So far as the provision of filliiig mciiities is concerned, there is no doubt but that gas companies established at suitable intermediate points will be willing to rise to the occasion. While some are sufficiently enterprising as to anticipate demand, either by installing the requisite standards, or completing arrangements to permit them to be laid down at a mement's netice, others are disposed to pursue the wait and see policy, and to determine 'their line of action by the degree of demand. But if users contemplating traffic over any given route, either individually or collectively approach the respective gas companies, they will meet with a sympathetic hearing. A eonclusive idea of what can be accomplished in this connection is offered on the London to Eastbourne road to meet the-demands of the,Chapmaneharsk-bancs plying between these two points. True, in thia instance, the majority of the five charging stations distributed along this route of 62 miles were installed at the expense of the consumers, but even if such a course of action along the great trunk reads became necessary, the cost of the work could be met advantageouslyty co-operation. In future issues we propose to publish further sketch maps of the main routes between different centres, with a view to forwarding the provision of gas charging station facilities throughout the country.
Morris, Russell and Co„ Ltd., 75; Curtain Road, London, E.C., are placing upon the market a gas container for particular use with Ford cars.
Charging by Inner Tube
The prol5lem of connection between charging standard and the inlet to the gas container is provoking considerable comment, and has led to the suggestion that standardized fittings should' be used. A neat and simple solution of this question was brought to our notice the other day by Mr. C. Charles Feast, of Feast and Osborne, who are carrying put conversions at Southend-on-Sea. This engineer uses a discarded but sound inner tube. The elasticity of the tube stands it in excellentstead for this purpose. By stretching, it can be slipped over a three-inch or larger main, while it can be easily tied to a one-inch pipe if required. At all events differences in the size of main never occasion this coalgas fuel enthusiast a moment's apprehension. This firm, we may remark, has also patented an interesting simple gas carburetter which we propose to describe and illustrate in our next issue.
Sketch map of route between' London and Nottingham, via Northampton and Leicester, to show feasibility of travelling on coal-gas. The figures at left show mileage between intermediate
• Coal-gas Brevities.
Selfridges report heavy demand for flexible containers.
The Northfieet and Greenhithe Gas Co.' Ltd., is prepared to supply gas to motor vehicles.
Heybourne and Co., Grand Garage, Maidehhead, have installed' an 80-light meter with 2-in. connection.
, Feast and Osborne, 461-463, London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, fill containers at the current gas rate plus 15 per cent. for attention and assistance extended.
Meter and' coneections for filling ,flexible containers have been installed at the garage of the Motorists' Mutual Cooperative Society, Ltd., 69, prayton Gardens, South Kensington, London, S.W.
It is suggested from Liverpool that gas should be charged at the current rate of 2s. 4d. per 1000 cubic ft., together with an additional charge of is. for services rendered in connection therewith.
In 1834 a company was. formed in London to charge vessels with gas to enable people to light their houses therewith. To-day witnesses a revival of the the issue; but for a totally different and more urgent reason.
The Newark Gas Company is prepared to fill centainers at the works in Barnbygate. Newark being on the Great North Road within easy distance of Grantham, Lincoln and Nottingham, this provision should meet with appreciation.
Mine and Russell, Ltd., 72, High Street, Croydon, Surrey, charge the following rates for filling gas-containers at 'their garage :—Up to 100 cubic ft., 8d. 100 to '200 cubic ft., 10L; 200 to 306 cubic ft., le. 3d'
. • and 5d. per 100 cubic ft. or part thereof affix 300 cubic ft.
Gas containers can he charged at Fry's Motor Works, Lee Terrace, Blackheath, S.E. 13, at 3s, id. ,per 1000, 1s. 7d. sper 500, and 10d. per 250 cubic ft. respectively, phis a filling charge of 6d. up to 500 cubic ft. and 9d. for quantities in excess thereof.
Walsall T.C. has revised and fixed the general price of supplying coal-gas as follows :—On any week-day between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., except Saturday, when the hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 4d. per 100 cubic feet. On Sunday or on any week-day after the above-mentioned hours, 6d. per 100 cubic feet.
The Grosvenor Garage (Bournemouth), Ltd., Poole Hill, Bournemouth, has recently prepared a map showing all the charging stations within a radius of 50 miles from Bonrnemonth. A copy can be obtained on application to•the company. So far as main roads are concerned, 15 miles is the maximum distance by which charging stations are separated.
Messrs. Barton Bros. ask us to mention the fact that they have a number of inquiries about gas-holders, some of them prepaying reply telegrams, but the address of the inquirer has not been given. Three such prepaid telegrams arrived one day last week. Inquirers who have, therefore, not received a reply from Messrs. Barton Bros. are requested to write again giving full address.