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consequently, in a long evening, say 6 to 12, it would
consume 24 feet of gas. Two such burners afford light
sufficient for a good-sized room, and would consume 48 cubic
feet of gas in six hours, producing in the atmosphere of such
a room nearly 28 cubic inches of sulphurous acid gas.
Supposing tho room to be only 12 feet square and 10 feet in
height, its.contents would be 1,440 cubic feet of air. The 28
cubic inches of sulphurous acid gas arc less than 1-60th
of a cubic foot, or 1-86,000th part of the cubical contents
of the room.
Moreover, it must be remembered that this quantity is
only thrown into the atmosphere gradually during six hours,
and that during that time some change in the air of the
room must be taking place. It will then be seen that the
talk which is made about the 'Sulphur in Gas' is after all
raised upon what is practically a thing of very little, if
any, importance from a sanitary or economical point of
view.
It will be further seen how utterly trifling this is when
it is considered that common house coal contains from 2 to
3 per cent. of sulphur, which is converted into sulphurous
acid during its combustion. Every 100 lbs. of such coal
yields, consequently, say 25 lbs. of sulphur, which produces
in burning 0 lbs. of sulphurous acid, which is equal
to no less than 50.940 cubic inches of this gas. It is a moot
question whether small quantities of sulphurous acid may
not be wholesome rather than the reverse in an atmosphere
charged, as that of the Metropolis must always be, with
organic exhalation; but however that may be, the quantity
produced in the combustion of common gas is far too small
to permit of its producing any sanitary effect, noxious or
otherwise.
Mr. Thomas Wills, Lecturer upon Chemistry, at the
Royal Naval College, Greenwich, says : —
There are three special points to be insisted on :—