History of District Heating in the United States

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District Heating in Lynn, Massachusetts

The Daily Item, November 1, 1880, Page 4

The Lynn Steam and Gas Company was incorporated in 1879 but did not build anything. The Lynn Steam and Gas Light Company was organized in 1880 and began service on February 4, 1881.

This was the first application of Birdsill Holly's "double system" that distributed high pressure steam through one set of pipes to supply customer's steam engines, with a second network of low pressure piping that distributed exhaust steam for heating to business and residential customers.

The company's management was changed in February 1882 and the system suffered three steam explosions in August 1882, the last two caused by a vandal letting water into the steam pipes, according to the company. The company's reputation suffered greatly and by the following April was only serving twenty-one customers. Steam was shut off on May 5th. The system was sold to Burdett Loomis of Hartford, Connecticut, who had been involved in the Hartford Steam Company, but focused on supplying gas and never supplied any steam.

References
1879 "New Gas Light Company," The Daily Item, May 17, 1879, Page 4.
The formation of a new corporation for the furnishing of gas and steam--work to be commenced at once.

1880 "Steam Heating," The Daily Item, June 2, 1880, Page 1.
Citizens' Steam and Gaslight Company.

1880 "Holly System of Steam Heating," Anaheim Gazette, August 14, 1880, Page 2.
The Holly system of steam heating is to be introduced in Lynn Mass. A company has been organized and they propose to lay a system of doable street mains — one main of six to-ten inch iron about 7000 feet for power exclusively in which will be carried a pressure of seventy-five pounds.
On this line will be running twenty-four engines, aggregating 1,200 horse power, and many smaller engines besides. The steam from these engines will exhaust into another main line alongside the first mentioned and which will have extensions along the business and resident streets in which will be carried steam at twenty pounds for heating.
On this line will be about l5,000,000 cubic feet to be heated, and this will be done by a very large extent by the exhaust from the engines. The great economy of this system lies in the fact that the steam generated will do double duty. It will run all the machinery on the line, and the same steam will then be used to warm stores, offices and dwellings.
The Lynn company is the first to construct and operate this double system on a large scale.

1880 "Let on Steam," The Daily Item, December 4, 1880, Page 1.
The Citizens' Steam Heating Company will commence next week to connect buildings with their street pipes.

1881 The Daily Item, January 25, 1881, Page 4.
Steam was let on to the mains by the Citizens' Steam Heating Company to-day. It will be supplied to customers very soon.

1881 "Steam makers only," The Daily Item, February 14, 1881, Page 4.
At present there are several factories being run by steam furnished from the company’s work and those who have it iu use say that their machinery runs fully as well as by the old system The rates of insurance will be much less should a general introduction of tho new steam power occur.

1881 "Sending Steam Through the Streets," Boston Evening Transcript, August 4, 1881, Page 4.
The Holly System -- Lynn's Successful Experiment -- A brief description of the works.
Steam was put into the mains on the 4th of February, this year. Seven pounds of back-pressure is given by the low pressure pipe.

1881 "Steam Heating Business," The Daily Item, December 1, 1881, Page 1.
The company have had more applications for power than they can supply.

1882 "The Streets and Steam Heat," The Daily Item, January 10, 1882, Page 4.

1882 "Steam Heating," The Daily Item, February 8, 1882, Page 1.
Change in Local Management. Mr. Holly Still Confident of Success.

1882 The Daily Item, July 7, 1882, Page 1.
A break in the pipes of the Citizens Steam Company at Lynn, yesterday, prevented tbe starting of work in several large factories, shut down since Saturday last..

1882 "Steam Explosion at Lynn," Boston Globe, August 3, 1882, Page 4.
One of the junction boxes of the Citizens' Steam Company, at the corner of Munroe and Washington streets, exploded this afternoon, tearing up the streets ana doing considerable damage. No one was injured..

1882 "Lynn. Another Terrible Explosion on Washington street," Boston Globe, August 14, 1882, Page 4.
There was another terrible explosion of the Citizens' steam-pines on Washington street this morning, making the third that has taken place In that immediate vicinity within the last three or four weeks.

1882 "Communism in Steam," Boston Evening Transcript, August 15, 1882, Page 4.
The three explosions in the pipes of the Citizens Steam Company at Lynn threaten to have a disastrous effect upon the career of the company, the interests of manufacturers and the welfare of the people at large. A number of manufacturers have already been obliged to suspend operations, thereby throwing hundreds of workmen out of employment. It is reasonable to expect that their example will he followed by others, resulting in a temporary stoppage of the shoemaking industry of Lynn, so far as the users of the steam company's power is concerned.

1882 "The Lynn Heating Company," Boston Evening Transcript, August 24, 1882, Page 1.
The committee of Lynn aldermen appointed to investigate the workings of the Citizens Steam Heating Company, serious explosions having recently occurred, gave a bearing last evening in the Council chamber.

1882 "Steam and Gas," Boston Globe, August 27, 1882, Page 3.
How they are distributed in streets of Lynn

1882 "Dangerous Work," Boston Sunday Globe, September 10, 1882, Page 1 | Part 2 |
The Recent Lynn Explosion. Said to be the Work of Scoundrels.

1882 "$1000 Reward," Boston Globe, September 10, 1882, Page 6.
One Thousand Dollars reward will be paid by the Citizens' Steam and Gas Light Company of Lynn for information that will lead to the detection and conviction of the person or persons who flooded our steam-mains with water drawn from the water mains of the city on the night of August 13, and by certain other prearranged plans succeeded, on the morning of August 14, to have the proposed explosion "come off." A liberal reward will also be paid for information disclosing the person or persons guilty of flooding the company's mains in the same manner on the night of August 19, between the hours of 12 and 2 o'clock; also of having recently opened valves on Oxford street for malicious purposes. A liberal reward will further be paid for information leading to the conviction of the persons who have been surreptitiously drawing large quantities of steam from the high-pressure mains daily during several months past.
D.F. Bishop, President Citizens' Steam and Gas Light Company, Lynn, September 9, 1882.

1883 "Lynn," Boston Evening Transcript, April 21, 1883, Page 2.
The Citizens' Steam Heating Company, which has been supplying some twenty-one concerns with steam through street mains, has announced that it will shut off its steam May 5. There is a rumor that a Chicago corporation has purchased the property. The statement is made that steam will be supplied for heating la September. But this is doubted, and the patrons of the company thus cut off are putting in boilers.

1883 "Lynn. Steam Heating," Boston Evening Transcript, July 6, 1883, Page 2.
The Citizens' Steam Heating Company has disposed of its material, including engines, pipes, boilers, etc., to a new company, of which Burdett Loomis of Hartford, Conn., is managing director and trustee. A new system of heating and power is to be introduced, which, it is claimed by the new company, entirely does away with all possibility of explosions and of melting the snow in the streets during the winter. The new company will also manufacture gas at the works on Broad street, which are peculiarly adapted to the business. The gas will be burned beneath boilers and new improved hot-air furnaces, and cooking stoves of all descriptions, and will be furnished at low prices. The new company will commence heating Sept 10.