Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-12-03
ANTHRACITE COAL
-. Various Sizes Used and How cuim
Has Been Utilized.

90. various Sizes Used and How Cuim
Has Been Utilized.
It il but few years ago that stove
.oal was the smallest size into which
anthracite was broken for market. In
fact. from the time anthra cite was in
PRODUCED until comparatively recent
aate consumers of coal purchased it in
the lamp and broke it to suit them
selves. Coal was used for many years
simply for heating purposes, the idea of
coal burning cooking-stove not being
Thought of until long afterward. With
tine Introduction of coal-burning cook
ing stoves began the breaking of coal
nto sizes that could be satisfactorily
used on their CRATES. Stove coal had
been in use for years before chestnut
coal was introduced by the Delaware
& Hudson Canal Company. The size
was long gaining in public favor. hut
about ten years ago bPclme TN
most popular anthracite fuel, both
for cooking aid heating stoves Four
or five wears ago the same company
tired the experiment OF screening size
to which was given the name of pea
coal. This was so small. that consum-
ers Pwere still longer in seeing an adj
vantage in it than they had been in the
ease of the chestnut size. Experience
has shown. however that pea coal has
advantages which are not possessed bv
the chestnut, and according TO the re
ports of coal Gales of the Delaware Il
Hudson Canal Company here for the
last month the sales of pea coal exceed
cd those of chestnut No one believed
that smaller size than pea coal could
ever be marketable. but the Canal Com
panv recently began the screening of a
coal so small that it was gwen the
name of "huckwheat." For this size
an extensive market has been found on
the Hudson River steamboat men having
fornd it a superior fuel for their boilers.
The most notable features of the an
thrac'te coal fields are the great noun
ia; of back waste from the mines
and col piles which has been given the
name of culm. Fifteen per cent. of all
the anthracite mined goes to the culm
dumps, and millions of dollars are rep
resented in land, ma rhinery and labor
necessary for the hanlling and storing
of the waste. which until within = short
time was looked upon as entirely worth
less. For years inventors labored to
devise some system by which these mil
lions of tons of culm could he utilized
Ingenious machinery has been patented
having that end in view. The culm. by
means of this machinery. has been
pressed, in bricks, with other com
bustible matter, companies with large
capitals be ng engaged in the effort to
thus make the culm practical and
valuable fuel. While engaged in
trials upon the waste itself no
inventor seemed to have thought
OF devising furnace or dr. 'ught by
which the culm could be utilized with
out any treatment, just as it came from
the heaps, until tannery engineer.
working where culm was abundant, one
dav fixed simple attachment to the
draught of his furnace and found that
he could not only use culm without any
difficulty. but that it was better fuel
than any he had previously used. Since
then tanneries. sawmlls. glass factor
les and all kinds of manufactures u.s.
ing steam have utilized the fue' to a
great extent. and the coal companies.
in this region at least have found in
what has for half century been cum
bersome ard unsightly waste protita
BILE adjunct to their business. There
was at Rondout, at the other end OF
the canal. one o. the establishments
endeavorng to max the culm into
bricks of fuel. but it long since gave
up the business as impracticable. -
HoneSdale (Pa.) Herald