The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1883-11-09
Heat Without Combustion.

The most wonderful scientific dis
covery Of the age heralds itself from
Greenport. Long Island, with Pro-
fessor Blanchard as its promoter. Its
realm Is that of fuel and the work
which 1t claims to be able to accom-
plish is beyond anything imaginable to
common humanity. The New York
Financial and Mining News gives an
account of its work with faith in the
truth of the tale greatly weakened by
George D. Roberts having the largest
hand in floating the stock of the COM
pany organized to bring the discovery
into use. A leading promoter in des-
cribing the invention says: "a CON-
mon brick furnace was constructed
and then we carefully weighed out one
hundred pounds of coal, which we
placed in vacuum in the furnace. Coal
when placed in vacuum gives different
results from what would be the case if
the same coal were placed in an Ordin-
ary furnace. The engine turns into
this vacuum powerful concentrated
stream of oxygen. and partial CON-
busti0n of coal commences; stimuli
taneously from a dozen different gas
jrts there proceeded rays Of weird
light. In other words. the partial CON-
bustion of the coal progressing in vacu.
um liberates carbonized-electric gas
which is far superior to the ordinary
illuminating gas and inferior only tC
an electric light. But this is nothing
the partial combustion of the coal in
vacuum creates such fiery heat in the
furnace that the fire clay bricks be
come red hot. We cannot measure the
intensity of the heat produced by these
one hundred pounds of coal. Yester
day l went over and experimental
with the furnace. measured out the
coal and placed it in the vacuum. Fol
| FIVE hours watched it. No one wa;
allowed to 90 near it. The coal was no,
replenished. For five hours the gas
lights burned and the furnace gloweC
with an intense heat. ! then allowed
it to cool off. We took out the Goa
weighed it. and there was scarcely any
lossl Wonderful is il notp
This is the process. Scientific mer
in droves have visited it,and then stand
aghast. Practical men and unbeliev
ers have been forced to confess theil
comprehension. With one ton of coal
the Hoffman house could be heated and
lighted for a month! With less thar
one hundred tons of coal altogether
the Arizona, the Alaska and the Ore
gOn could be driven across the Allan
tic as against two or three hundred
tons daily they use now? With tel
pounds of coal an ordinary house Cal
be heated and lighted. With ton O
two the largest manufactory can drive
its complex ten thousand horse powe
works.
Mr.. Roberts exhibits piece OF Goa
after FIVE hours of so called partial com
bustion. 1t has undergone but littl
change in appearance. and he Is conf
dent that, when finally after man.
hours of combustion when it becomes
useless as coal it will make the bes
coke in the market. But who will
want coke when the original coal ant
the great furnace can be had for low
or money?
Professor Blanchard has added sew
eral new and valuable improvement
to his electric power vacuum furnace
and the new promoters of the project
are satisfied that the residium of th
vacuum. after all the combustion pos
sible, is pure carbon. 1t is now pro
posed to subject this pure carbon t.
hydraulic pressure, and the result mus
be-diamonds OF the purest ray serene
These can be cut by the hydraulic ma
chine into any form desired. Koh-i
noors ought to be plentiful hereafte
and correspondingly cheap. Ever
deputy mine or telegraph operator ca
wear a head. light in his shirt fror
hereafter.