The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-24 00:00:00

TRIAL OF ANTHRACITE COAL.

We understand that, on Friday last, a trial was made on
the Liverpool and Manchester railway, of the applicability
of Anthracite coal, as a fuel for locomotive engines, under
the superintendence of Mr. Woods, the talented engineer of
that line, and with the approbation of the Board of Directors.
Mr. E. 0. Manby, an engineer connected with the South
Wales Anthracite district, who has devoted his attention
most. successfully to the introduction of this fuel, was present,
and assisted in the trial.

The engine employed was the Vulcan, one of the smaller
engines, used for conveying goods. The general result of
the trial was highly satisfactory. In the first instance, the
engine ran out without a load about six miles, and the coal
was found to do very good duty, without any difficulty being
experienced either with the tubes' or in getting up the fires.
It was noticed that the fuel burnt nearly without dust from
the chimney and entirely without smoke. The engine
brought back a load of coal waggons from the Huyton col-
liery, and acquired a speed, thus loaded, of twenty-one miles
an hour, which is about the duty of the Vulcan.•
Another trial was made in the evening, with the same en-
gine, for the whole distance to Manchester, taking five load-
ed wa)gons. The journey was performed in one hour and
twenty-nine minutes. The consumption of Anthracite was
only five and a half cwt., although a large portion was .wasted
from the fire-bars being too wide apart for the economical
use Of this fuel. The engine would have used upwards of
seven and a half cwt. of coke for the same journey, with the
same load.

We regard the success of this trial as likely to prove, in its
result, a most important public benefit. The price of coke,
as the demand for it for use in locomotive engines, on rail-
ways, has extended, has increased, in some places, almost
fifty per cent.; and in districts which produce no coal this
enhanced cost of coke will be seriously prejudicial to the
success of railway undertakings. If Anthracite can be ge-
nerally applied in locomotive engines, we are given to under-
stand, that a saving of thirty to forty per cent., in cost and
quality, will be effected. We hare no doubt,"that the di-
rectors of our leading railways will instruct their engineers
to follow up these experithents, and introduce such modifi-
cations into the form and workings of the fire boxes as the
use of a new fuel may naturally. be supposed to require.
The application of Anthracite to marine engineS is the
next object most deserving the attention of practical men.
The journalists of the United States appear to claim for their
country almost the exclusive production of this invaluable
fuel, which is destined to play so great a part in the iron
manufacture, in railway locomotion, and in steam naviga-
tion; but the western part of the outh Wales coal field,
with reference to which Liverpool is, geographically, so
favourably situated, contains stores of Anthracite of much
superior quality to those specimens from America which
we have seen, and can produce it a much smaller cost.—
..lib/on.

This day will be launched, from the building-yard of John
Dawson and Co., Baffin-street, a beautiful new brig, of 200
tons register, intended for the Oporto trade.