Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-29
A Chapter On Coal.
THE VARIOUS SIZES USED AND HOW CULM HAS
BEEN UTILIZED.


BEEN UTILIZED.
A dispatch from Honesdale, Pa, to the New
York Times says: 1t is but few years ago that
stove coal was the smallest size into which an
thracite was broken for market. In fact from
the time anthracite was introduced until q
comparatively recent date consumers OF coal
purchased It in the lump and broke It to suit
themselves Coal was used for many years
for
until long afterward. With the introduction of
coal burning cooking stoves began the break
used on their CRATES. Stove coal had been In
use for years before chestnut coal was
introduced by the Delaware ana Hudson
public favor, but about ten years age became
the most popular anthracite fuel, both for cook
Ing and heating stoves. Four or f1ve years ago
screening size to which was given the name
Of pea coal. This was small that CO ..sumers
were still longer In seeing an advantage in II
than they had been In the case Of the chestnut
size. Experience has shown, however, that pea
coal has advantages which are not possessed by
sales of the Delaware and Hudson Canal com.
pany here for last month the sales OF pea coal
exceeded those Of chestnut. No one believed
marketable, but the canal company recently
began the screening Of coal SO small that II
was given the name Of "buckwheat-" For this
size an extensive market has been found on the
Hudson river, the river steamboats, having
found 1t q superior fuel for their boilers.
The most notable feature OF the anthracite
coal fields are the great mountains OF black
waste from the mines and coal piles which has
been given the name of culm. Fifteen per cent
of all anthracite mined goes to the culm
dumps, and millions OF dollars are rep
resented in land, machinery and labor
necessary for the handling and storing Of
the waste, which until within q short time
was looked upon as entirely worthless. Fol
years inventors labOred to devise some system
by which these millions Of tons OF culm could
be utilized. Ingenious machinery has been pat
ented having that end In view. The culm. BY
means OF this machinery, has been pressed II
bricks, with other combustible matter, cornpa
MES with large capitals being engaged In thl
effort to thus make Of the culm practical
and valuable fuel. While ENGAGED In triali
upon the waste itself no inventor seemed x
have thought Of deRtsing . furnace or draught
by which the culm could be utilized without
any treatment, Just as IL came from the heap
until q tannery engineer, working where culm
was abundant, one day fixed q simple attach
ment to the draught OF his furnace and found
that he could not only use culm without any
difficulty, but that IL was better fuel than any
he had previously used. Since then tAnneries
saw mills, glass factories, and all kinds Of man
ufactOries using steam have utilized the fuel x
great extent, and the coal companies In thii
region at least have found In what has for hal
. century been cumbersome and unsightly
waste q profitable adjunct 70 their business
There was at RondOut, at the other end Of thu
canal, one Of the establishments endoavonnt
to make the culm into bricks Of fuel, but ~ Long
since gave up the business as impracttcable.