He then turned his attention to saving some of the gas and hit upon the use of bladders.  He was surprised at the amount of gas which was obtained from a small amount of coal; for, as he stated, “the spirit continued to rise for several hours, and filled the bladders almost as fast as a man could have blown them with his mouth; and yet the quantity of coals distilled was inconsiderable.”

Although this account appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Society in 1739, there is strong evidence that Dr. Clayton had written it many years before, at least prior to 1691.

But before entering further into the early history of gas-lighting, it is interesting to inquire into the knowledge possessed in the seventeenth century pertaining to natural and artificial gas.  Doubtless there are isolated instances throughout history of encounters with natural gas.  Surely observant persons of bygone ages have noted a small flame emanating from the end of a stick whose other end was burning in a bonfire or in the fireplace.  This is a gas-plant on a small scale; for the gas is formed at the burning end of the wooden stick and is conducted through its hollow center to the cold end, where it will burn if lighted.  If a piece of paper be rolled into the form of a tube and inclined somewhat from a horizontal position, inflammable gas will emanate from the upper end if the lower end is burning.  By applying a match near the upper end, we can ignite this jet of gas.  However, it is certain that little was known of gas for illuminating purposes before the eighteenth century.

The literature of an ancient nation is often referred to as revealing the civilization of the period.  Surely the scientific literature which deals with concrete facts is an exact indicator of the technical knowledge of a period!  That little was known of natural gas and doubtless of artificial gas in the seventeenth century is shown by a brief report entitled “A Well and Earth in Lancashire taking Fire at a Candle,” by Tho.  Shirley in the Transactions of the Royal Society in 1667.  Much of the quaint charm of the original is lost by inability to present the text in its original form, but it is reproduced as closely as practicable.  The report was as follows: 

About the latter End of Feb. 1659, returning from a Journey to my House in Wigan, I was entertained with the Relation of an odd Spring situated in one Mr. Hawkley’s Ground (if I mistake not) about a Mile from the Town, in that Road which leads to Warrington and Chester:  The People of this Town did confidently affirm, That the Water of this Spring did burn like Oil.

When we came to the said Spring (being 5 or 6 in Company together) and applied a lighted Candle to the Surface of the Water; there was ’tis true, a large Flame suddenly produced, which burnt the Foot of a Tree, growing on the Top of a neighbouring Bank, the Water of which