Just to muddy the waters a bit -- in some cities, San Francisco for
> instance, some apartment blocks had ammonia-cycle cold boxes in each
> apartment. These were supplied by an ammonia compressor in the
> basement. ISTR that maybe once a year, the SF fire department finds a
> leak. Even though the system might have been turned off years ago,
> there's stll gas in the pipes. A friend lived in one of these place > for a while.
In an email, someone asks basically "What were they thinking? Earthquakes? Dangerous?"
This fits right in there with gas lamps. OTOH, central cooling systems didn't have an installed base in 1906, so when the city was rebuilding it wasn't a concern. I'd say the same went for multi-story masonry buildings. Before then, there weren't that many taller buildings and the main material was wood. They did find out that wood burns.
If my copious spare time, I may hit some of the books and look for more info. (I have at least one devoted to ammonia refrigeration systems.)
z!