Page 7 - Demo

Historic Gas Times%u2022 Issue 111 %u2022 June 2022 %u2022page7is abounding in ammonia. Daniell's manure, which has been found so beneficial in many instances, has gas tar among its chief constituents. It is easily spread over the surface of the soil. and ploughed or dug in, if mixed with earth and ashes. It should be applied just previously to the last ploughing or digging, immediately before sowing or planting But this is not the only use to which the gardener can apply gas tar beneficially. It is an admirable paint for old walls, giving them a fresh face, destroying insects, filling up holes, especially if mixed with II little lime dust, and so combines with the old mortar as to give it additional firmness to retain the nails used in training fruit-trees.%u201dDuring his time in North Wales he was also busy in other parts of the British Isles. In 1854 Walcott was busy supervising the gasworks being built at Castletown on the Isle of Man, for the Castletown Gas Company. They provided a testimonial, expressing their satisfaction at the manner in which he has erected the Gasworks for their town, and which have now been in operation one year, supplying, as stated in the testimonial, %u201cGas of the very best quality\was erecting a gasworks at Moydrum Castle, Ireland, for lighting that princely residence of Lord Castlemaine (The North Wales Chronicle, 4th August 1855). George Walcott, ventured to Worcestershire in 1857, to act as engineer on the construction of the gasworks in Bromyard. It was reported in the North Wales Chronicle on the 7th February 1857 %u201cThe promoters of the Bromyard Gas Company have been very fortunate in their choice of an engineer, as Mr. George Walcott, the gentleman appointed, has, we understand, by his straightforward conduct, enabled the Gas Company to place the fullest reliance on his perfect practical knowledge of gas engineering. Coals were put into the retorts for the first time, on January 15th, and the future gas consumers were then informed that such as were ready would be able to use the gas lights on the following Tuesday, On that day the main pipes were opened in the streets, for the purpose of forcing out the air they continued by the gas from the now full gasholder at the works. Such was the delight in the town with the gas that a Mr. Shelton had composed a song for the occasion:We've gas at last; lets bid good speedTo a boon of which we%u2019ve felt the need~May friendship and kindness on each of us call,And join us like gas-pipe, one and all. In 1859 Walcott had successfully supervised a gasworks for and lit Wellington College, erected for the reception of sons of officers of the army, and which was raised in commemoration of the late Duke of Wellington. The college was opened by Queen Victoria, it was reported %u201cThe gas works for the exclusive use, and also the fitting up of the interior of the college for gas, was intrusted to Mr. George Walcott, C.E., who has completed the whole to the particular satisfaction of the authorities, in the very brief period of three months. Competent judges have pronounced the arrangement of these gas works of the first order, being a combination of everything necessary to ensure easy working with perfect purity. The first lighting of the college was carried into effect on the very day appointed, and the whole has proceeded with exact regularity since. The gas fittings inside the building are much admired for their beauty and goodness, the authorities have highly complimented their engineer%u201d. This was reported in The North Wales Chronicle from the 5th February 1859.The last that we hear of George Walcott comes from a communication via the New York Herald, that was published in the Illustrated Usk Observer from the 1st July 1865. At this time George Walcott was working for the of the English gas engineering firm George Bowers and Co. and had been sent to Mexico for the purpose of carrying out a contract obtained by the firm for supplying the city of Mexico with gas. From Mr. Walcott's account, it appears that he obtained a concession of land, and was actively engaged in constructing the gasworks contracted by his firm, when his sympathies and sense of justice urged him to protest against and endeavour to arrest the brutal massacres of Mexicans, between twenty and thirty of whom were daily led out to execution in his vicinity almost before his eyes. In punishment of his remonstrances he was forcibly seized by Maximilian's minions, and immured in a dungeon, where he remained from January 3 to April 28, 1865, chained hand and foot to the wall. Mr. Walcott is one of the few Englishmen who appreciate the injustice of crushing free Mexico under the despotism of Napoleon and Maximilian. The lack of reports of George Walcott following his time in Mexico, suggest he did not returnRTIt seems that the Gasholder has drawn both strong feelings both good and bad over the years. An interesting example was the gasholder built at Black Horse Bridge, by Deptford Park in South London. The gasholder which was built to reinforce the gas supply in the area became a prominent landmark in that district for nearly 60 years, it was erected by Ashmore & While, of Stockton on Tee in 1877 as a three lift holder.The area in which it was situated was originally quite rural and the site was adjacent the Surrey Canal, near to Black Horse Bridge from where it received its name. The gasholder had a diameter measured nearly 100 feet and the depth of each lift was about 20 feet. Whilst originally built as a three lift gasholder, it was later decided not to use the third lift and weights were added to the crown to compensate for the resulting loss of pressure. Although not a large holder (it's working capacity was 456,000 cubic feet) it stood well above most of the buildings nearby.When the lease expired, it%u2019s sudden disappearance was noticed locally and not welcomed by all in the neighbourhood of Deptford Park. One local observer who lived nearby took the time to write BLACK HORSE BRIDGE GASHOLDER