The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-07-23
npA,ns Ygnsus SMOKE.
A Reuwood Mans Inyeniion-Mr. Jacob
Alimeyer's Patent FOR Consuming

A Reuwood Mans InyenIion-Mr. Jacob
Al,meyer,s Patent FOR Consuming
smoke and Saving Fuel and o
Mr.. Jacob Altmeyer, manager Of the nail
department Of the Benwood Iron Works,
is a very ingenious man and quite an in:
yentor. He is on record at Washington as
the originator Of two or three valuable
patents, the last Of which is his smoke
consuming apparatus for boiling, heating
and other furnaces. Three OF these have
been in use in the Benwood mill for sever.
al months with excellent results.
Mr.. Altmeyer is also the inventor OF the
switch telegraph" in use in that mill, one
Of the most convenient and economical
methods Of running hot iron TO the squeez-
era known to any forge department in this
country. He is also tho patentee OF a new
method for cooling rolls-cooling the rolls
and the rollers-by air instead Of water
an invention that Is OF decided Importance
and hardly second to his later invention
for consuming smoke.
The smoke consumer is really a very
simple as well as a very effective contriy.
ance. II saves fuel, time, heat aud dirt.
the principle upon which It operates is not
mike the common lamp burner, only It
reyerses the process by which the wick Is
adjusted to the amount Of oxygen, by ad.
iustingthe amount Of oxygen 10 the amount
Of carbon to be consumed. Heretofore all
boiling and heating furnaces have depend
ed ON an aperture In the crown or In the
bridge wall, for Unnecessary amount Of air
to produce sufficient combustion to melt or
weld their iron, and we all know whata
volume OF rich black carbon, unconsumed,
belches forth from the tops OF the furnace
stacks. By MIR. Altmeyer's invention this
rich black carbon $50 perfectly combusted
in the fuel chamber that it only escapes at
the chimney top In the shape OF white,
dead carbonic gas, and is almost as view
less as highly oxygenated steam. Thus
incl Ia saved and the sooty and sulphurous
dirt that hitherto mined down upon the
root ia avoided. In addition, the quality
OF the iron is improved.
As we have said, the process is very sim
pie. 1t consists mainly Of perforated IRE
brick-two parallel longitudinal holes Of
an inch in diameter running through each
brick. The inner walls OF the fuel chamber
are built out OF these brick, and they are
surrounded by an air chamber between
them and the outer walls. Into this air
chamber air is admitted bya valve that IS
opened, closed or adjusted to any extent oil
aperture by handles 10 front OF the furnace
worked on q ratchet No matter how fresh
the fuel or how copious the elimination Of
carbon the combustion is perfect. Nosmoke
escapes.
Mi. Fred Niedemyer, the forge manager
at the Benwood, has made sone test runs
Of the furnaces built on the Altmeyer pat.
emf. and has found that they saved fuel,
, iron. brick and time. There is a loss Of
iron In the ordinary heating furnaces OF 10
to u per cent. The test Of Mr.. A~ltmeyer's
patent shows this per cent reduced 10 625,
Il also shows a saving OF over 70 per cent
in fuel, and a gain Of IS pounds OF muck to
each heat OF the boiling furnace.
There are 80 boiling furnaces in the Ben.
wood forge, and @ test run was made against
the field for IL weeks, the reslit showing a
yield OF $40 pounds Of muck by the patent
process for every 500 pounds Of pig metal
charged as against an average yield oil 407
pounds in the other furnaces. ~.
Another test run through all the pro.
cesses from pig metal to nails showed the
following result for the patent method:
Out OF $500 pounds OF pig charged
1904 Go 100 pounds Of nails were produced,
with 8 pounds and 7 ounces OF scrap lett
over, showing a yield OF over 20 kegs Of
nails to the ton, which is at least 90 pounds
in excess Of the best runs by the ordinary
methods.
We are pleased 10 record this achieve
ment Of one OF our local inventors. 1t is
one that will recommend itself to all prac-
teal people who have to do with mills,
steamboats,, locomotives and other fuel
consuming agencies. Mr.. Altmeyer is a
very worthy man and his success is a
qualification TO his many friends in=this
city and elsewhere.