Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-10
THE low A VOTER
A. r. Sperry, Editor.
Som thing About Cannes Coal.

q
Geologist, in his Reportin last Voter,
permit me to inform your readers
what | know about camel coal. Its
chemical composition is, carbon Gi.12
per cent, hydrogen 2l.56, nitrogen
1872 per cent. Camel coal of this
description is considered pure, even
where there is a presence of a small
amount Of earthly matter. 1t burns
with very little smoke, requiring
either a blast or strong artificial
draft of air to obtain its full heating
capacity, as it must have supply of
at least $50 cubic feet of air per pound
of coal for full combustion. Pure
camel coal does not often occur, but
is mostly mixed with such minerals
as are calculated to unfit it for tech
nical purposes, in smelling iron.
The worst Of these minerals are,
sulphur, phosphorus, arsenic, and a
host of metallic oxyds.
The heating qualities of coal de-
pend upon the percentage of hydro
gen contained therein. The teclinic-
al utility depends upon the amount
of foreignimpurties contained there
in, and the amount Of clinker remain
ing after combustion. The amount
of pure commercial camel coal is
small when compared with other
specimens of purecoal; and as Lehigh
coal is found in pure state in large
masses it is generally used for smelt-
ing and refining purposes, notwith-
standing it contains only half as
great an amount of hydrogen as cam
mel coal. The amount of clinker
remaining after combustion Of 100
pounds Of camel coal is generally
rated equal to 1.75 pounds, and from
good article of Lehigh coal LOS
pounds per hundred.
Now in regard to our Knoxville
camel coal. / am able to state that
myself and the late Mr.. w. q. Savage
experimental with coal furnished US
by Mr.. Fuller. In a charge Of near
|, 900 pounds of scrap iron, we used
of it, as near as / can recollect, at the
rate Of pounds Of coal to 7 pounds
of iron; and with an air-blast of near
y pounds per square inch, and every
thing going on smoothly, succeeded
in running the charge off in about
one hour. The iron melted finely,
and looked well in pouring, except a
great amount Of gas, arising from
the TASKS, Of a sickening odor, some
what resembling the odor from gar
lie. During the blast great column
of light green smoke escaped from
the top of the cupola, carrying with
it quite a quantity Of burnt earthly
matter, of grey color. On eXaming
the iron, chiefly consisting of pieces
from 45 to 10 pounds, we found that,
Notwithstanding we did not lose a
single piece in the run, the metal
was utterly ruined, being equal to
Franklinite metal, and SD hard and
brittle as to withstand any steel tool.
'Prof." Fox may probably succeed,
by close application, in painting q
piece of wood to perfectly resemble
marble; but lay it upon the surface
of water and it will swim, or throw
it into the fire and it will burn. He
may succeed in deceiving human
intellect by painting a piece Of iron
to look like wood; but put it into
water and it will sink. So with this
coal. Call it by whatever name you
will, you will not change its chemical
composition nor alter its relation to
other matter. 1t is utter folly for
him or any one else to make people
believe that camel coal found near
this city is "a No. j" camel coal,
for he cannot prove it. l suppose
Messrs. keefe & Heberling, the pro-
prietors of the Knoxville Foundry,
would certainly be glad to buy it at
20 cents per bushel, which is equiva-
lent to s. per ton, if they could use
it, instead of paying from $iS to s5i
per ton for Iehigh coal for smelling
purposes.
AS regards the insulting remarks
made by "Prof." Fox in his Report,
!. console myself as did the little boy
who was kicked by that long-eared
animal: l consider the source from
whence it game.