The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-21 00:00:00

PORT-TENNANT PATENT STEAM FUEL
AND CO kL COMPANY.
Incorporated by Act of Parliament.
Capital. £50,000, in Shares of .£1 each, to be paid up in full on
Allotment. Interest at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum will be
payable half-yearly upon the subscribed Capital until the works of
the Company are in operation.

DIRECTORS.

The Hon. F. H. F. Berkeley, M.P., Director of the Eastern Steam

Navigation Compqny.
A. D Bottomiev, Esq., 62, Gracechurch•street.
Robert Ford, Esq., shipowner, Brooklands, Battersea.
W.V. L. Foster, Esq., Director of the Melbourne Dock and Railway

Company.
J. G. B. Lawrell, Esq., Gloster-place, Portman-square.
Richard A. Robinson, Esq.. 53, St. George's-road, Eccleston-square.
John Yates, Esq., 13, Gresham-street.
(With power to add to their number.)
BANKERS—Messrs. Currie and Co., Cornhill.
SOLICITOR—F. P. Chappell, Esq., Golden-square.
STOCKBROKER—F. A. Helps, Esq., 21, Finch-lane, Cornhill.
SECRETARY— George Angus, Esq.
Office, 22, Moorgate-street.
This Company has been formed for the purpose of Manufacturing
and Supplying Steam Fuel of the best quality and upon the most
economical terms.
The advantage of steam fuel over coal are :-
1. Freedom from spontaneous combustion.
2. Economy of space in stowage.
3. Less waste, either by friction or decomposition.
4. Saving in the wear of boilers and fire bars.
None of the existing Steam Fuel Companies possess the advantage
of being entirely supplied from their cwn collieries with coal specially
adapted for the manufacture of the fuel.
It has hitherto been the practice to manufacture the small coal
or refuse only into steam fuel, and the heavy royalties paid to the
patentees, and the expensive machinery employed, have left a com-
paratively small sum available for the purchase of even small coal of
the requisite quality, without a material reduction in the profits.
With a view to meet these objections, this Company has secured,
upon advantageous terms, the right of using an eeonornical patent
Process, and the patentee has entered into an agreement that the cost
of the fuel, tree on board (inclusive of the cost and transit of the coal)
shall not exceed Bs. 91. per ton. The present price of the fuel at
Swansea is I ts. : thus leaving a nett profit of ss. 31. per ton to the
Company.
The patentee has engaged that the first works, capable of produc-
ing 100 tons a day, shall be completed within four months from their
commencement. The works will be enlarged with the increasing de-
mand for the fuel. As the enlargement of the works will not cause
any addition to the expenses of management and other fixed charges,
it is fair to presume that this will result in a considerable augmenta-
...

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Lion of the divisible profits.
The Company has also secured the lease of a valuable colliery of
500 acres in extent, with an unexpired term of 94 years, and subject
to a royalty of 6d. per ton. There are five seams of bituminous and
free burning coal, aggreg sting about 20 feet in thickness ; one seam
has been already opened by level. The coal field is situated 300
yards from the Port Tennant Canal, which communicates with Brit-
ton Ferry, the siVpping port of Is eath, and the eastern side of wan-
sea harbour. These two ports nearly approximate the lines of the
South Wales and Vale of Neath Railways. The coal on this property
is peculiarly adapted, from its purity and strength. to the purpose
for which it is intended; and it c in be easily won and worked as
may be seen by reference to the geological map of the district, and
the reports of two engineers and colliery viewers.
Considering the very large quantity of coal which the colliery is
capable of supplying beyond that which is requisite for the manufac-
ture of the patent fuel, the surplus can be sold for steam, manufac-
turing, or household purposes ; and from this source alone a large re-
venue will arise to the Com any. Two levels can be opened in six
weeks ; and the coal can be sold in any quantity and at a very remu-
nerative price, in Swansea and the contiguous markets.
The Patent Fuel has been subjected to frequent Vials, of which
the most recent was made in the cour,e of the month of June last,
in the Wave Queen Steamer, and the very favourable result is
detailed in the annexed reports by Messrs. Dickson and Graves.
The long experience which each of them has had in the testing of
various kinds of steam fuel, sod the careful manner in which the
trial was made, impress a peculiar value upon the unanimity of their
opinion.
The characteristics of this fuel are- -its being well condensed and
carbonised; its showing a clean fracture when broken, and being free
from slag or other impure matter. It rapidly generates boat, brings
out a clear fire under the boilers (which Mr. Graves designates as
"brilliant"), with little smoke, cinder or clinker, and can be easily
stoked. The economic value over coal consists in the fuel being free
from decomposition and waste during a long voyage ; whilst it effects
a saving equal to thirty-five
DEPORTS. r cent. in stowage.
R -

Mr. J. DICKSON, Mechanical Engineer at the Millwall Iron Works,'
(late Engineer to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company).
Millwall Iron Works, London, June 16, 1853
Gentlemen,—In reply to your application for the result of the
Patent Fuel you sent to the Millwall Iron works, I have tried it for
four day, against four days of West Hartley, one day of Patent Fuel
and one day of W. IL alternate, and made each evaporate the same
quantity of water, and the result is as follows :—Patent Fuel,
1,5881 b. ; West Hartley , 1,7921 b. I have tried it twice on board the
Wave Queen steamer, and it save me every satisfaction for steam
and no appearance of choking the tubes. I have ised some hundreds
of tons of fuel on board steam-ships, but yours is superior to any I
have used.

I remain, yours truly,

J. Dicxsow.

Mr. JOHN GRAVES, Acting Captain to the Wave Qneen steamer.
June 11, 1853.
Gentlemen,—ln reply to your note, requesting me to give you a
report of your Fuel tried on board the Wave Queen, I have much
pleasure to forward you the following.
Having had five years' experience in the consuming and manage-
ment of Steam Fuel, I can with great safety state the fuel used on
board the Wave Queen on her trial trip is certainly the best that has
come under my notice.
First. Your blocks are much larger than any I have seen, each
weighing 211 b.: the other company's fuel weigh but 161 b. If your
blocks could be made to weigh 601 b. you would have still greater ad-
vantage, as each man would carry and break his 681 b. block as easy
as the 211 b.
Secondly. Your fUel is much harder than any I have seen, that
being a great advantage for long voyages in sailing ships, as most
fuel is found to be wasted from ten to twenty per cent, by the heat
of the ship's hold. I have known sixty tons to be shipped for the
West Indies ; when it was unshipped, the slack weighed six ton .
Your fuel might, with safety be shipped to any part of the world.
I feel convinced it will not soften. I placed a portion of the fuel
under the ashpits : it remained there one hour ; and I found on in-
s;,ection it was as hard as when I placed it there.
Thirdly. The Wave Queen steamed fourteen miles and a half per
hour on her trial trip, having plenty of steam blowing off; her fires
were brilli,nt ; the fuel when thrown into the furnace swelled out
to, I may say, twice the ,size it was when put on. I can say nothing
about ashes, as I left the vessel before they were cleared out.
(Signed) JOHN GRAVES.
Applications for shares in the usual form may be made at the
offices, or to the brokers of the company