-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy O'Malley <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, September 01, 1998 1:19 PM
Subject: residential gas lighting systems
 
 
>Has anyone ever excavated features associated with residential gas lighting
>systems of the mid to late 19th century?  I am particularly interested in
>the Springfield Gas Machine which involved the excavation of a fairly deep
>chamber outside the house to hold a gasoline tank.  Two pipes ran from the
>tank to the basement where an air pump operated by a huge weight suspended
>from the ceiling forced air back to the tank; the gas fumes were then
>forced into the second pipe and transferred via more pipe to the various
>fixtures.  I am concerned about the potential for hazardous wastes
>associated with the use of this system that may have ended up in and around
>the tank chamber (there to lurk until some poor archaeological schmo
>innocently digs into it).  Any prior experience out there?  Thanks in
>advance.
>
 
Nancy, I don't want to misadvise you....are you SURE that gasoline was involved?
 It sound to me like you could have a
fairly common (in upper-crust homes) gas generator that used acetylene gas. The
gas is produced by wetting down calcium
carbide with water. The reaction takes place in a hole that is capped with a hea
vy bell-shaped weight which compresses
the gas and sends it through the pipes to light the chandeliers, etc. If that's
what you have, I don't believe there is
much likelihood of any toxic wastes...but I'm not an expert. If the machine reli
ed on gasoline fumes, as you say, I
suppose there's always a chance of lingering volatile hydrocarbons...which are n
ot nice. Frankly it's hard to imagine
why gasoline fumes under pressure would not have blown up the house once ignited
, especially if, as you say, air was
forced into the tank. Sounds more like the description of a bomb than anything e
lse!