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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6376, 11 February 1892, Page 2

A discovery that, promises to work important changes in the gas trado has beeu made in Hamilton, Ontario, by the manager of the local gas works. The Hamilton Press thus refers to it" —"For ten years Mr Littiehales, manager of the Hamilton Gas Company's works, has been quietly engaged upon a work of enormous importance. After innumerable experiments and many discouragements, his efforts have been crowned with success, and it will not be long before the whole civilised world will hear of it. Mr Littiehales has nuoceeded in solving the problem of how to volatilise all the curhon in coal. By the present process hardly more than a sixth of the carbon can be volatilised, or utilised for gas ; but, by the process which Mr Littiehales has invented, every pound of the 18o(i pounds of carbon in a ton of coal can be directly converted into gas, leaving nothing behind but useless slag. The importance of tbia discovery will easily bo recognised. It will effect a revolution not only in the manufacture of jras, but in many industries where cheap fuel is an important consideration, for it will greatly reduce the price of gas. Not only that, but it may, by reducing the cost of production, make gas almost universally used for fuel. Notm L .ny years ugo the great scientist, Wilhelm Siemens, predicted that the time would como when gas would be generated in coal mines and conveyed to the surface through pipes for distribution. By means of Mr Littiehales' invention that prediction is now possible of practical fulfilment. The process is said to te simple and comparatively inexpensive. Mr Littiehales has made application for patents in Canada, the United States mid Great Britaiu," Although urns has been amongst us for a very much longer period than our newer and most welcome friend the electric light, it is still like the latter only known to us in a very imperfect way, and its capacity for further development is only beginning to be recognised.