The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-11-11

1t Is but a few wears ago that stove
coal was the smallest size into whic b |
anthracite was broken for market In
fact, from the time anthracite was in
troduced until comparatively recent
date consumers of coal purchased it in
the lump and broke it TO suit them
selves. Coal was used for many years
simply for heating purposes, the idea
of eoal-burning cooking stove not |
being thought OF until long afterward. |
With the introduction of coal-burning |
cooking stoves began the breaking of |
coal into sizes that could be satisfac-
torily used on their CRATES. Stove coal
had been in use for years before chest
nut coal was introduced by the Della
ware and Hudson Canal Company.
The size was long gaining in public
| favor. but about ten years ago became
the most popular anthracite fuel, both
for cooking aud heating stoves. -Four
| or five years ago the same company
| tried the experiment of screening q
size to which was given the name of
pea coal. This was so small that con-
sumers were still longer in seeing an
advantage in it than they had been IN
the case of the chestnut size. Exper-
fence has shown, however. that pea
coal has advantages which are not
possessed by chestnut and according
to the reports of coal sales of the Della
ware and Hudson Canal company here
for last month the sales of pea coal ex-
ceeded those of chestnut No one be-
lieved that i smaller size than pea
coal could ever be marketable, but the
Canal company recently began the
screening of a coal so small that 1t was
given the name of 'buckwheat. For
this size an extensive market has been
found on the Hudson river, the river
steamboat having found it superior
fuel for their boilers.
The most notable feature of the an-
. thracite coal fields are the great noun
tains of black waste from the mines
aud coal piles which has been given
the name of culm. Fifteen per cent.
of all anthracite mined goes TO the
I, culm dumps, and millions OF dollar:
are represented in land. machinery anC
labor necessary for the hauling anC
storing of the waste, which until ;
: short time was looked upon as entirely
: worthless. For years inventors labor
ed to devise some means by which
! these millions OF tons OF culm could b'
utilized. Ingenious machinery ha:
!, been patented having that end IN view
y = Inc culm, by means of this machinery
u has been pressed into bricks, with 9th
err combustible matter, companies wit
large capitals being engaged in the ei
fort to thus make of the culm pract
+ cal and valuable fuel. While engage
i in trials upon the waste itself no IL
h ventor seemed to have thought OF dc
It yising furnace or draught by whic
n the culm could be utilized without an
IS treatment Just as it came from Il
" heaps, until tanrery engineer, worl
n inc where culm was abundant, one da
h fixed simple attachment to II
E. draught of his furnace and found tn;
r, he could not only use culm witho'
is any difficulty, but that 1t was bett'
at fuel than any he had previously use'
lie Since then tanneries. saw-milis, gla
,c factories, and all kinds of manufacto
e. les using steam have utilized the tu
I'd to a great extent, and the coal col
er panies in this region ut least ha'
e. found in what has Tor half centu
ne been cum bersome and unsightiy was
re a profitable adjunct to their bushes
ce There was at Rondout, at the 9th
as end of the canal, one of the estabils
is. ments endeayoring to make the cul
.at into bricks of fuel, but it long sin
IT. gave up the business as impractlcabl
IL, : oueSddle, Pa, Cor.