, 1881-06-12
0RV|S SMOKE-BURNER.
It's Successful Working at the
Union National Bank
Building.
How It Disposed Of the Smoke at
Libby, McNeill & Libby's.


4 reporter of THE TRIBUNE yesterday ln-
tcrvicwcd several persons who nave nseu ti'o
Union smoke-burller, an ingenious ue'lce
for consuming smoke, Invented by MI. y. -
Orvis, Of this city, us to what. If anythine'
had been gained by its use. The chief polnts
to be established in considering the merits OF
any understanding apparatus are hist'
does the contrivance consume the s7lloke,
second, does it increase the power OF tue
boilers to which it Is attached; and 1hlrdly'
does it economize fuel? Tile simplicity or
complexity OF the device and the eN-
pense OF applying it, rs well as the mannerh
which it acts upon the boilers anu
grate-bars, are also considerations OF lhlpor
tallce. The subject is one Of much interest,"
to all who dwell in large cities. and IS par
ticularly worthy the attention Of Clllcagoans.
for the reason that an immense amount OF
bituminous coal is used here.
MIR. W. c. D. Gl;ANNIs,
Tice-President of the Union National BANK,
was found at his office and questioned as 10
tile results achieved by the use Of the smoke
burner i'll the Union Block. Mr. Gral'nls IS
President Of the Union Smoke-Consumhs
Company, which, is Introducing the new sys-
TEN, n1d he requested the reporter 10
mass down into the boiler-room ut
the bull ding, question the engineer and ire
man. and examine the appliance for himself.
The fireman said that the orvls nufmef net tSas Mas
since it was put in there had been no ailtl-
culty with regard to smok Before that
tine no less than five consumers or
different styles had been tried, md all Ead
proven failures. lie illustrated the manner
in which the Oryis burner worked in prac-
ticabIe way by tiring-up the boilers III the
presence Of the reporter. A goodly quantity
Of Indiana block coal was thrown into the
furnace, the Orvis attachment being IL
Mice and lie reporter watched the result.
M smoke CAME from, the top Ut tlle tall
chimney, which is some eigllty-llve Or ninety
but wien the smoke-burner was diScon-
tirins t being carefully attended to, and the
same kind If coal used, the smoke began to
pour from the chimney in dense black mass.
The attachment was again nude, and Ill all
other minute
no sMoKE WIS TO BE SEEN.
The snoke-burner is Of the simplest con-
struction, and recommends itself upon that
! ground 1t consists Of the application
pa BART Of o'' the furnaee, in in . front front
The steam is drawn from the boiler, anu
III its passage into the fnrnace creates u
ton with the steam combustion Is aided.
! The pressure Of steam can be regulated OF
cut off altogether By, the turn Of valve.
The fireman said that no attempt had peen
s,ltlng from the use Of the slnoke1burlll.r,
| but tie believed 1t was considerable. The
supply of steam required was SO Irregular
that it would be difficult to apply
Il fair comparative test and there
fore none had been made. During his
seven years. employment in the building lie
hal Witnessed number Of trials Of smoke
burners, but none compared with the Oryis,
either for consuming tue snlokn or ecoll-
oInizing coal and tile labor OF firing. lie
wouId not like to see it taken out. for he was
sure thut more Steam could be made with
tile same amount OF coal with the Oryis at
tacllnlent than could be made without it.
The boilers were of the ordinary tubular pat
tern, and three stean-]ets were attached to
il Tie engineer Of the building Joined with
| his assistant III
rKA1s1SG THE o1.v1s ATTACHMENT.
| He said they had to run the boilers for all
they were worth, having to run the elevators,
the feed-pump for tue boiler, to pump all tue
water for the building, and to supply. steam
| for an adjoining restaurant, as well as to
p1llnpair fur use in the pneumatic tubes used
by the Western Uninn Telegraph Company
BY day and night. 1t was therefore ncces-
slry 10 keep everything in the best possible
teriaily to this end. During the severe
! weather OF the past winter it hld helped
them considerably in making steam.
lie could @ not not give, glye any dGi,nit 9,l
although satisfied that there had been a saw
| in@. Another great Recommendation of the
Oryis system was that it entalca no extra
| wear AMI tear upon the boilers or grate-bars.
| lie had tried many devices for consuming
smoke, none OF which gave anything like the
satisfaction attained with this arrangement.
| The Oryis smOke-conSlll1ler was the SIMPLEST,
| cheapest and most satisfactory thing ut the
| Kind he had ever seen.
su:. LIBBY, OF THE FIRM OF LIBBY, S'SEILL
4 Libby,
meat-packers on State street, said that his
establishment had made 4 thorough test Of
| tile Orvis slloke-cunsulller, and WaS perfect
| " satisfied with it. He was not in possess
sion of the actual figures showing the econo.
my Of fuel, but hatl understood from one OF
his partners. who had taken charge Of the
experiments made. that it was from l5 to 20
per cent il favor Of the Orvis patent. The
| improvement was first tried by this
frn fri year nn;s aso ald t!ro III ,,ore oc'1onr 1oi
rs ast IN MaS the ?gf ate street Ts H nS
| Before that time the firm had been constant
| ly annoyed BY the smoke, which amounted
! to positive nuisance. Their neigl1bors and
| persons passing the pacGing-honSeS .coll-
| planned, and with guod reason, OF the dense
| volume OF thick black slnoke poured forth
| from their chimneys. They tried every a;'-
| plance which seemed to afford amy promise
| Of giving satisfactory results, but tt no end
until they put lit the OryiS attachment. Since
| this was done there had been no complaints
| of smoke, the boilers made steam more read
| lily, and
| COAL HAD BEEN ECONoMIZED,
as stated; The fuel used was 'ittsburg coal,
costing about $4.40 per ton, anil, as the firm
uses some twenty-five tons Der day ut its
| three establishments, the saving by the use
of the Oryis burner is I'LL important item.
! The cost of applying the s,noke-consuluer
| WAS tritling in conluarison, not being more
than 500 to S125 for each boiler. The sys-
tenn was simple, not liable TO get out Of order,
readily colnpretended by any engineer or
fireman, and achieved great practical results.
| Furthermore it did not damage the boilers
or furnaces, while with some Of the con-
! triyances formerly tried the boilers had been
almost ruined. Alr. Libby said he was fully
satisfied Of the merits Of the Oryis device,
and understood that other large manufacture
ing establishments were about to adopt it.
1t was the best arrangement for consuming
smoke tie had yet tried, anu it worked per
fec.ly So far us his experience went.
! Mr. McSeill, of this firm, Is Fice-President
| of the Smoke-Burncr Company.