Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-11-27
POTOMAC COAL.
,rop Of THE ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE.

u' adrantages in the use of Coal as fuel, ana
'"' toni of the consumption in some oil the
ue cities ofGreat Britain.
Tho decided advantages in the use OF btu
- coal. for the generation oil steam, may
InD'n,Oooprised under two heads, saleey ana eco
be coAif To establish claim 10 the first, 1t may
nOnly. .Srv TO explain the cause, to which
be me- non attribute nine-tenths of the acct
praC" '.b;ch have happened of late years TO
deh'' ,,s an the waters of the United States.
stedrHso1ce to most of those cases will show,
AleM,,, have generally occurred immediately
ind' W. boot has left some landing place. The
aUeI "al On arriving at the landing is lowing to
Prao"(o,ntrollable nature of wood fire. TO let
tne u.o .,, which is often done TO such an ex-
Oh TN,rticulaTly on the Western waters, where
t"[ Wis used are very small, with hues usu-
%. nassing through them, still lurther reducing
SH capacity,j that too little water remains IN
ueU - IN prevent the inOrdinate action OF
the Oo "a, Them. In this situation they become
lIe ~ red hot, and when the boat proceeds
a'"iH 81, her massage, with the necessity OF i'm
aS%T,tsI,, renleniShin9 them, the forcing pump
nleo.I 9naratiOn, when the cold water inject
sS';,,r in contact with the red hot iron, the
e@ os;nn * so terrific, that it becomes mat
.APr wonder not that so mdRy, out so JeW, &C
FI Va nave occurred. Now, with bitumlnous
luI",o dancer whatever can be unprecedented
CV'5 ,bis Sonrce. Five minutes before the ar
n iI If the boat at the landing place, the hre-
n,a onenS the doors of the furnace, and throws
"" ,bs FIRE a quantity of small coal, (such only
b, IN he used for steam engines generally)
rg,Sout stirring the ire. The cold ar ruShihg
S',,r.en The now black mass and the boilers,
'.1 nreyent accession Of heat, and during the
sa minutes to elapSe before the boat stops, the
:a;,,a mart of the steam previously general
PI.;T nave been used, and none whatever
ea,dbe lot off. When desirable to proceed, 1t is
MI, necessary to stir the fire, close the doors,
U. tho boat Immediately purSueS her way with
~an 6IIed boilers, and without the slightest dan
~, A. = proof of the correctness OF this rea-
sso,inr il NAV be asked, 10 what other cause Is
,obe attributed the safety OF the English steam
hat, which use bGiumiRoHS coat exclusively,
aoJ on hoard of which we never hear oil the eX-
lion of boilers. although accidents, occa-
Sjoned by careleSSneSS ana running loul Vi edcn
other do sometimes occurF
"Tba economy in the use Of Eituminous coal
a, steamboats, will depend much upon'the stu
o,on where il NAV be used; but let us suppose
ease on the Hudson river, which Is as remote
ir,m the mines as there is any probability OF
IRIS coal being transported. The large boats
NJ, the Hudson consume, during ulp nom
New York TO Albany, which occupies from ten
n Twelve hours, from forty TO torty-hve cords
isbort engths) of pine wood, at an average OF
four dollars per cord, equal to thrty-hve cordS,
fill measure Of one hundred and twenty elght
cubic feet, at five dollars per cord, one hundred
and seyeny-6ye dollars With well-conStruct-
ed 6re.placeS. eleven chaldrons of coal would
ACCOMPLISH the same result, which, at nine dol
ars per chadron, at which it is believed II can
be afforded, is ninety-nine dollars, or saving
Of nearly onc-hai."
For the production Of hydrogen gas, Tor
lighting towns factories and houses, large guam
tires of bitumniouS coal are used IN England
In London il is stated that. up TO lS3o, one
thousand miles of pipes. for lighting the streets,
had been laid. and that the consumption o. Goa,
6r this purpose, was thirty eight thousand chai-
drOns i'm that year. In Liverpool and Manches-
Ter, il is believed, the consumption IS much
greater. in proportion To the population"
But the use of gas is not confined to large
towns. There are few places of the size OF Bur
lngton that are not lighted by it; and a mem
Der Of this Board remembers to have seen II
employed for Ii Citing a solitary turnpike gate,
between Stockport aud MaccIeSheId."
Taking the average of three years, ending
3l,t December, 1924, l,69O,653 tons sof coal
were brought annually to Glasgow by the Monk
land Canal
The mountains which seem to impede the
progress of the Chesapeake and Ohio lanai,
will therefore, become the fruitful source oil It's
income; which must Sur2aSS tn 1t of any canal
winch Yields neither coal nor iron.
When the single fact presented by the coai
trade of Glasgow is duly considered, Tor the
amount of near seventeen hundred thousand
naS is exclusive of the supply Of eighteen col
rreS, in the suburbs, which do not use the
N)nkand canal; when, added to this, II Is recos-
rcted that, through single county, that OF
lancashire in Great Britain, one mliIloh oi
tons is transported, there Is nothing eXtraVa-
CANT m this sentiment"
Throughout Great Britain coal is generally
Oand, not on the sides of mountains, as along
lie Potomac, but beneath, and sometimes very
M below the surface of the country, DIS on
James river in Virginia. 1t is, consequently,
brought to the surface there, by the appllcatioh
Of great power, and at heavy cost. Almost as
mich1aboT is exerted in pumping wafer rom
NE nine, and in raising the rock ana EARN
Nosened in excavation, as in elevating the coal
% NE surface of the earth; and the health ol
Nle IlHorerS, immured in SulphureouS ana damp
PiS while getting to it, is exposed to danger
winch will not be encountered on the banks Vi
he Potomac"
addition TO which il NAV not be amlSS 10