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APPENDIX.
During the fourth quarter of 1859, 2.5 feet of the
gas supplied to the Workhouse, Mount Street, burned per
hour in a batswing burner, gave a light equal to that of
13.1 sperm candles, burning 120 grains per hour.
The average during October and November was 13.73;
whilst that in December was only 11.9.
During December, the supply was very feeble, insomuch
that in a room in the writer's house, two burners
could not yield the light given by one the preceding winter.
Complaint was made to the engineer at Horseferry Road,
and it is believed that satisfactory efforts were made to
remove all cause of complaint on this head.
Another and more serious matter is this: on the 27th
and 28th November, the gas, whether of the Cannel or
ordinary sort, produced, when burned, the most pungent
and unpleasant fumes, causing headache and oppression to
a degree quite intolerable.
On an interview with the engineer, he admitted the
thing frankly, and said that, owing to an accident, some
very impure gas had been mixed with that which wa8
purified ready for delivery.
On December 7th, at Mount Street, Dr. Druitt burned
carefully, during five hours, 1.15 feet of Cannel gas, and
collected the products, to which the fumes of ammonia
had been added during combustion, after the plan of the
late Alexander Wright, in order to promote the oxidation
of the sulphureous fumes, and to combine with the sulphuric
acid. The liquid which distilled over, being tested
in the usual way, yielded a quantity of sulphuric acid
equal to .1415 grain of sulphur. Hence every 100 feet
of this gas contained 12.38 grs. of sulphur. Be it observed