New-York tribune., 1870-08-26
PEAT FUEL.
A RIVAL TO WOOD AND COAL.


FACTS AND FIGUREs-NATURE AND vALUl
OF THE NEW FUEL-ITs INTRODUCTION OF
RAILWAYS.
Forty years ago, when snipes were hunted
along the North River below Canast and there was
a single house in Hoboken, young Swiss FrenchmaI
named Napoleon Aubin landed In this city In quest o
fortune He lived In the United States long enough t
become an American citizen and then drfted across thu
northern border attached himself TO the popular cause
I'm Canada and became in time the editor Of the LEADING
liberal paper Of Montreal lie Pays and ultimately
warm advocate OF annexa xation Possessing considerable
inventive genius he varied his political and editorial la
bOrs by devisng a new method OF gas manufacture
which successfully adopted in more than fifty cities
and towns especially at the South but the war OF tho
Rebellion by cutting of the supply Of rosin, rendered
this patent almost valueless. Mr.. Aubin has
also lately invented ingenious travellers
watch and some curious improvements in telegraphy
not yet introduced. But apparently the most important
OF his inventions, and the one which promises the
greatest results, IL the Aubn machine for peat manu-
facture in practical operation at the works OF the
Central Peat Fuel Company, near Meriden, Conn., Like
most discoveries this invention from very trng
circumstances In the Spring Of 1868, Mr. Aubn chanced
to visit a country friend Montreal, and took walk
with him field where some men were digging
dtches Noticing the heavy black soil thrown up by the
ditchers he asked "What is that ~ "Oh," replied his
companion "that iseTe nOre black earth the French
Canadian for peat 1t is burned sometimes, Is IL
not P "Oh yes" Curious to what kind OF fuel it
would make Mr.. Aubin carried some home in his hand
kerchef worked it on slab with painters knife and
put little mods. II did not dry perfectly, and 1t
was very difficult to expe it from the olds, owing to its
extreme adhesiyeness The experiment amounted TO
little and Mr.. Aubn dismissed the subject from his
mind. Some time after he observed on the wlndowsil
curious lump hard bone, which proved TO be the
last of the peat scraped of the slab and accidentally
thrown where the sunlight had dried IT, This, upon trial.
burned with such clear flame and strong heat that MT
Aubn concluded that the two requisites to the successful
manufacture of peat fuel to thoroughly pulSerze
the peat the state and then 10 dry 1t In the SUM-
Impressed with this idea he invented the machinery
and necessary contyances for pulyerzing and drying
peat large scale This apparatus was at once put In
operation, and the entire manufacture passed
into the hands of the Valley Field Peat Company,
which has capital Of $4,000, and is mining bog
along the Beauharnois Canal at point In Chateaugay
County about 20 miles from Montreal They made about
600 Summer and will probably quadruple that
amount this the inventor receiving royalty OI
25 cents "a tun on all manufactured.
THE NEW PROCESS INTRODUCED INTO THE STATES.
The Valley Field Company is the only one in Canada
working under the Aubn patent, but the new invention
was destined be hidden under bushe for IL was
long before Mr. Aubn resolved to cross the border
and introduce hs invention in the States. About this
time an acquaintance arose between himself and Edwin
j. Hubert, experienced mining engineer, who, after
making fortune in the copper mines OF Lake Superior
had established himself at Portland the Connecticut
River q few miles below Hartford. Twelve miles from
Portland there peat bog with remarkable history
II lies alongside the track OF the Hartford and New
Haven Railroad three miles north OF Meriden, -four
ishng town OF ten twelve thousand inhabitants situ
about midway between New Haven and Hartford and
nearly four hours ride from York Ten years ago an
enerprsing gentleman connected with the H. ana NJ H.
Railway bought eighty Of this bog and determined
TO undertake manufacture OF peat fuel for ON the
road His machinery resembed that used for brick
making and the peat ground up nodded into small
blocks and dried in the He made a carload or
more during the Summer, and proved to be sasfac-
tory fuel But it cost enormously-fully $40 un-and
this led him TO abandon the experiment.
Some years later Etna Peat Company was formed,
purchased the same bog, and sunk $4,000 In vain
attempt to solve the peatfue problem. Despite his
of these failures, Mr.. Hubert had strong
faith in that peat bog" and decided partalty Tor
neat mining and when he heardiof Mr. Aubin's pro-
cess and learned its nature and results the TWO men
came to an understanding, combined their forces ana
organized the Central Peat Fuel Company This orgza
formed early 1862 under the law of Connecticut
cap all paid in Of 100000 in shares OF SIS each The
stock is held by the President, Mr. Joseph Hall the
Secretary and Treasurer L. J. Hubert; n. Aubin,
Engineer, and several other gentlemen.
Another organization, called the Aubln company
has since been chartered, with capItai
of sa5Oo0 in $25 shares, and with the same
officers and other stockholders as In the Central Co
many The latter confines itselfto carrying on the par
ticuar enterprise at Meriden, while the Aubn Company
controls the six patents connected with the peat ma
cbinery and will promote and regulate the introduction
OF the process in other parts OF the country Inc Eha
Peat Company leased their bog TO the Central Company
for the interest on the $4,000 they had invested and Mr
Hubert has since bought the majority OF the ola com
pany's stock.
plsCoURAGEMESTs AND FRESH EXPERIMENTS
Preparations for manufacture were commenced by the
Cptra Conpauv in 1862 and about the 1st OF July the
machinery was set motion. After running Tor cou
ne Of days stones the peat gave considerable oupe
by breaking the grinding knives MT Aubih spent
fortnight tried wrought instead of cast iron, broke oo
worth Of knives and at gave up in disgust and went
hack disheartened to Montreal. But Mr.. Hubert
wrote urging him come back and invent new ma
chine Mr. Aubn returned and made machine which
was tested last Fail. bushe OF stones was deliberately
mt into the hopper with the peat, and every one went
hrouob without even scratching knife. This Summer
the Company resumed work with great expectations
which promise to be fulfilled They have already nade
tbousand uns Of peat fuel and expect to produce 1900
moro before the Winter sets in. All that they hope TO
make for several to come is already contracted
for at proftable price, The Of this novel and In
,arestng manufacture Is level tract of anu cohpis
ing beside the original purchase OF eighty acres TWO
a1,ionol n,rcbases made by the Company one OF
AZ at one end of the bog and another OF nearly 80
acres at the opposite extremity small part OF TINS
area s level meadow but most of il is covered with tau
weeds and shrubbery, or with thick underground
xed with trees considerable size IL is In the main
drv enough in Summer to walk on but there are occa
treacherous spots and small pools OF piack sas
non, water Part OF the bog not controlled by the Com
~ l;es ON the other side OF the track, which
raoniras such constant "leveling up" that
II is believed to have sunk into the swamp at least sixty
fee since the low embankment was first Constructed
Measurements made by thrusng long rod into the bog
shows that IL varies in depth from twenty feet to sixty
Ave feet or even Calculations and experiments
nroved that of peat surface, one foot deep