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Think you've found a gas works?
Locating and Confirming a Site
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FMGP In The News
FMGP In The Arts
Coal-tar Site Litigation
Related sites on the Internet
Literature of Manufactured Gas
Hatheway Harangues
Publications by Dr. Hatheway
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1810 -
1819
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1810s
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Coal-gas
retorts operated in the "high-temperature" range of about 1100
C; Not to increase substantially until about 1910 under improved retort
ceramics.
There existed much public fear over alleged negative health aspects of manufactured
gas. |
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1810
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First
gas lighting in America, by David Melville, at Newport Rhode Island.
British Parliament authorizes the King to grant a gas-manufacturing charter.
Clegg establishes first "bench" of five retorts (sets), to share
a common furnace. |
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1811
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German
mineralogist W.A. Lampadeus lights street in front of his home at Freiburg,
Germany. Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, UK, is lit with manufactured gas.
Clegg invents the hydraulic main for use with coal-gas retorts. |
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1812
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While
Murdock lights factories, F.A. Winsor receives Royal Charter London &
Westminster Gas Light & Coke Company, world's first city gas plant;
German colleague F.A. Accum is first Gas Chemist; First city lighting, London,
England. |
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1813
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Clegg
appointed Chief Engineer, London Gas Light & Coke Co.; Saves firm from
financial ruin. Dec 31: Winsor lights London (Westminster) Bridge, then
streets of St. Margaret's, Westminster. Melville receives U.S. patent on
factory lighting system for two mills and Providence and a cotton mill at
Boston, and accomplishes lighting unidentified coastal light house (1817). |
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1814
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Natural
gas discovered in salt-brine boring at Olive, Noble County, MI. London church
lit by gas. |
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1815
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Clegg
invents first wet gas meter and uses the hydraulic main as a non-return
liquid seal, screw-retained and clay-luted retort door, and improves lime
purification of gas and patents first gas meter; London insurers refuse
to write policies on the gas plant; Clegg devises ingenious large-scale
demonstration of safety, at London Gas Light & Coke Co., and lights
London Guildhall; Has 15 miles of gas pipe in place. F.A. Accum publishes
first treatise on gas making and invents light-oil recovery distillation.
Gosling & Taylor patent introduction of fish oil into gas retorts at
first oil-gas process; Superior in illumination and free of sulphur, but
too expensive to compete with coal gas. Origination of British coal-tar
light-oil solvents industry (Findlay, 1937, p. 155). |
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1816
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Invention
of the batwing lamp burner, to stay with the gas industry to the end. Invention
of air-cooled coal-gas condenser and simple gas washer. Most of central
London lit by gas street lamps; Clegg invents first practical gas holder,
England. First city gas lighting company established at Baltimore, Maryland,
by Rembrandt Peale and others Gas street lamps not in place until 1821 and
then probably the first in America. Lampadeus converts Freiburg factory
to one of first gas works in Germany. Interior gas lighting installed at
New Theater, Philadelphia, PA. (18 Nov). Unidentified person invents the
gas plant station meter for gas volumes distributed. |
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1817
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Clegg
invents the telescopic gas holder (gasometer). Rueben Phillips introduces
dry lime, Exeter, UK; Slow acceptance from handling/disposal needs. |
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1818
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First
commercial gas plant is constructed at Birmingham, off today's Gas Street.
Paris installs a few gas street lamps; Only 40 such lamps in use by 1829,
with 3000 oil lamps still in place. |
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1818-26
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"Great
boom" in construction of gas works in Britain; Most towns of > 10,000
persons. |
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1819
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Portable,
compressed gas cylinders introduced in London, at 30 atmospheres. |
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