US TOWN GAS BEFORE 1860. Town gas (a.k.a. manufactured gas or city
gas) was produced from
coal and used mainly for illumination. I am seeking documented-source
data on the consumption of town gas in the United States for each of
as many years as possible before 1860, particularly during 1821-1859.
Units may be physical (such as cubic feet) or in energy terms, so
dollar revenues of thetown-gas industry are acceptable only if
accompanied by average price data for the same years. Ideally I would
like to know town-gas consumption for the purpose of illumination;
failing that, total US
consumption; failing that, total US production. I will pay $5, $4, or
$3 respectively for each year of documented data in these categories
(but only for one category in each year), subject to a $50 minimum if
at least five years' documented data are provided. My purpose is to
analyze competition between town gas, kerosene, and whale oil as
illuminants. I already have the whale-oil data. I am posting a similar
separate question about kerosene.