The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-06-19
Peat for Fuel.

feat LOT fuel.
There are few questions of greater in
terest "a The Tar Northern and Western
States and Territories OF our Union. Ne
braska, Iowa, Dakota, Minnesota and the
like, than the future supply Of fuel. Az
Horticulture has been resorted to for the
double purpose of furnishing "A shelter
from the winds that sweep over that sec
ton Ofcountry and at "A later date of sup
plying fuel; but so great and so rapidly
increasing h the demand for wood for in
dustrial purposes. and so lavish the waste
of timber IN quarters where II should be
treasured because Of It's very abundance,
that no solution of the problem of how TO
supply the coming man with fuel has as
yet been arrived AT which can he consider
Ell satisfactory. In this dilemma the im-
mense deposits OF Nebraska, Minnesota
and Dakota have attracted attention, and
among certain of our Northwestern co
tempoarcs we notice that the possible
utilization thereof is hoped for, and all
that seems 10 be wanted are the necessary
machinery and proper process for its pre-
paration.
People and papers that thus talk are ev-
identity ignorant that the experiment of
using peat for fuel has years ago been sue
cessfully tried in America. In Cana
da, under the supervision of Mr.. Hodges,
one of the builders OF The Great Victoria
Tubular Bridge al Montreal, at least three
works are ia operation, one near Artha-
buska (which will be- found on any rail-
road map in the yicinagc % Richmond
junction. on The Grand Trunk }. one al ~.
Hubert. near Montreal, and one al ~
Bridget. The two latter places produce
about twenty thousand tons per annum.
The general appearance of peat deposits
is that OF low-lying marshes, with water
colored "A dark brown by underlying veg
.etable matter. Small tamarack trees, blue
berry and similar bushes ard the wild
rhododendron are held by experts 10 de-
note almost ntallibly the presence OF n
high quality of peat. while PUSHES. flags,
long and why wild grasses and stunted
birches indicate an inferior quality.
The machines used are mounted on
scsws eighty feet long and nearly twenty
feet broad. floating in canals from three 10
six feet deep. cXc;lvated in the marsh by
the machinery IN its regular working. A
twenty-hOr-c power engine supplies the
power that works two augers projecting
from the bow of the ScOw, which are
eighteen inches long, and have diameter
of ten feet These cut the soft. wet turf
and deposit il behind them in banded buck
cts that convey il TO cylinder at the stern
of the boat, where revolving knife-blades.
shaped like hooks, cut il into q PUPPY
mass. This is carried By revolving vancs
into a hollow cylinder projecting IT right
angles from the side of the scOw, andabout
eighty feet long. This distributor, :" as II
is called, has throughout its length, run
ming through its center. "A revolving shaft
furnished with auger-shaped yancs. They
oar la faf Tn All af hA tsy fFsArn
ity OF the cylinder. or drop ii out at holes
twenty feet apart in Its surface. upon the
surface of the bog. already prepared 20 re-
ceive il. Here il Is spread out into a pan
cake eight or ten inches deep, and eighty
by one hundred or one hundred and twenty
feet, by men aud horses with scrapers. Ii
is now left to dry i'm the sun and wind, Till
a cut made ON lis surface will remain with
out closing. when il Is scorcd into blocks
about eight by four inches, with a drum
whose surface Is armed with knives. This
men draw across IL from side to side
with ropes. Further drying goes on
till it can be handled. Then men cut
of the bricks with spades, and stack
them to dry on ladders and racks. The
whole process requires about five weeks.
hut the inventor. Mr.. Geo. b. Hodges, has
patented an Improvement by which salable
time. In this improved process a COM
preSsor' will remove much OF the mois-
TURF from the peat, and deliver it in an
endless strap or belt Of pressed earth. ;
inches wide, that a cutting machine will at
once cut into bricks.
The daily product OF each scow is at
present about 100 tons Of peat, when full
worked, the daily advance into the bog
bcsng 300 feet. and three feet being con-
puted to be equal To a ton. Each gang
consists of sixteen men. The fuel used Is
refuse and scrap peat, and the cost OF pro-
duction in Canada Is 81 a ton. The selling
price to a railroad company that has a
large contract with the company is 81 "A
ton, and In the Montreal market the price
ranges from 81 TO $50. At this price all
the production is taken up. and the supply
does not nearly equal the demand
The experiment of using peat for fuel
has been eminently successful i'm Canada.
both for engines and domestic purposes.
Ii leaves a very small rcsiduum. great
part of ii being carried up the chimney in
an almost impalpabe ash. As summer
fuel it is partic. larry valuable, since the
combustion can be regulated within very
wide extremes, the peat smoldering for
hours with scarcely any heat when the
draft il closed. while it comes to an intense
hest much more speedily than wood or soft
coal. A patent process for its carboniza
ton il announced To have been successfully
placed in operation, the product being
superior charcoal of great value in the
smelling of iron ores.
Such Is history of the peat experiment
in Canada. -S. Loais Globe.
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