The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-04-25
THE SMOKE NUISANCE. 4
Can Wheeling be Made n Clean City'
p,o,. a.. pr...,,,-,,h T,o,,,,errinI nj Saturday

Can Wheeling be Made n Clean City!
From the Pittsburgh Commercial of Saturday.
A practical test is to be made this alter
noon at three o'clock, at the coke works o:
Mr.. c. Il. Armstrong, in the Twelfth
ward, for the purpose Of demonstrating 10
those who are skeptical on the subject,
that the smoke nuisance can be etEectually
abated in this great and busy and smok-
ing city OF ours. Our readers, we are
well aware, have heard so much said on
the subject of smoke consuming, and seen
so little accomplished, that they have be.
come impressed with the belief that
nothing practical has yet been attained in
that direction. Very important results
have been achieved, nevertheless, and 1t
Is now claimed by Mr.. Mckenzie, q we'll.
known mechanic Of New York city, that
he has discovered q method Of perfect
combustion, whereby no smoke is gener-
aled. His appliance, therefore, Is not
strictly q smoke consumer, but smoke
preventer. The inventor has been ex-
perimenting with his principle for
twelve years past, but being largely
engaged in business in the East,
where lhard coal is mainly used, and not
being particularly concerned about smoke
he deferred his operations with bimmin.
Gus coal until recently. His principle Of
combustion works perfectly with our soft
coal and he is prepared 10 show 10 those
who will take tho trouble TO witness his
tests, that every particle Of smoke issuing
from our mills and ioundnes, our shops
and steamboats,, can be cheaply and eco.
nOmically prevented. Without entering
into details, we may state that the result
is attained by means Of furnace placed
in front Of the boilers, from which the heat
or flame is conveyed directly under them.
The combustion in this furnace is thor
ough, and the heat so intense that it could
not be applied directly to the boilers. A
bar Of iron placed in the furnace while III
operation will melt away almost like wax,
so that 1t becomes necessary TO lessen the
temperature with cold air before the flame
passes under the boilers for the genera.
ton Of steam. This flame is entirely de.
void Of smoke, and our smoke stacks,
when this appliance comes into general
use, will cease to vomit forth their bIAck-
ness. The furnace is comparatively mex.
pensive, can be managed by any one, and
the economy 10 fuel would render it desira-
bic, even if there were nothing to gain by
getting rid Of our greatest nuisance-that
nuisance which blackens our houses, black
ems our clothing, blackens our persons,
and blaCkens our civic reputation-smoke.
But there are other advantages to be
gained, not the least Of which will be the
opportunity 10 utilize all our slack, the
furnace consuming the finest coal.dust as
readily as lump or nut coal. The preven-
ton Of smoke is the great deslderatum,
and ought to cause the general adoption
OF tho furnace, even at heavy expense;
but when incidental advantages are COM
bined which render the invention econOmi-
cal rather than expensive, 1t should be
used by every coal consumer in the city
ifnot voluntarily, then compulsorily by
legal enactment. 1.-THE inventor fails 10
demonstrate what he claims, then his dc.
vice must be taken for what it may be
worth, and no more. But he goes even
further, and is prepared TO apply his prin-
ciplG TO The common crate, in rooms suill.
GENTLY large 10 require the amount Of
heat which would necessarily be genera
ted. Ills purpose is TO operate with the
large manufactures first, and after he has
abolished the greater he will turn his a.
tention TO the lesser annoyanCcs. In re.
gard to its application to Western steam
boats, he states that with this invention
he can generate steam enough without the
aid Of the immensely high chimneys now
in usO-that It would only be necessary TO
carry tho chimneys 10 Il point above the
hurricane deCk-and in this VIC may find
tho solution of some Of tho difficulties
growing out Of low bridges.
Mr.. Mckenzie is conducting his expert.
mCnts in concert with DR., Connolly,
whose invention Tor converting into gas
the smoke from our coke ovens and FUR
naces, We have already mGntioped. 1t is
not generally known that there is enough
gas wasted from our coke ovens alone TO
light two or three cities the size Of Pitts.
burgh; and the doctor has demonstrated
that this gas can be utilized at nero
nominal cost, not exceeding twenty cents
per thousand feet. These experiments,
therefore, are dou6ly important to our cit.
liens, and we take pleasure in directing
public attention to them.
I