The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-06-03


Within late years number Of proc
esses for the production of artificial
fuel from coal dust have been brought
TO public notice, and it is somewhat
surprising to note that, though some of
them have given very successful results,
the use of such fuel lis confined within
very narrow limits. In mining coal
large quantities of coal dust are nat
urally produced, and this is allowed to
remain in the workings or is heaped up
around the mouths of the shafts, and
forms an item of considerable loss, as
by proper means it might be converted
into serviceable and highly efficient fuel.
There is no necessity whatever for us
ing coal in its ordinary form, the sue
cess OF compressed fuel having been
fully demonstrated on various occasions.
La Europe, especially along the
shores OF the Mediterranean, compress
ed fuel manufactured from such coal
dust appears to be in great favor, and
In France there are several large works
In connection with the mines where the
dust is converted into bricks, which
are now quite extensively used in the
French navy. 1t would appear that
this coal is preferred for several rea-
sons to the coal III its lumpy state, and
If it Is found serviceable for the pur-
pose of raising steam there seems GER
tainly no reason why it should not be
suitable for ordinary household burn
ing as well. Among its various advan-
tages the fact that it occupies less room
than the ordinary coal is worthy of
@tA h a.
therefore be limited to II much greater
extent than is now the case. In adj
dition to this there is no dirt and dust,
which are inseparable from the coal as
it is now delivered and used; and,
finally, there is said to be great diff
ference between its price and that of
coal, with very little as regards its
heating power for all ordinary pur-
poses.
During the last two or three years
large quantities of this compressed
fuel have been shipped at Marseilles
for Egypt and the Mediterranean ports,
and last year about twenty of these
vessels unloaded at Alexandria, and
several at Port Said and Suez. This
expectation of brick fuel, as it is
sively directed to Egypt. for it is sent
to the Turkish ports and to the Danube,
a good deal of it going to CONSTANT
nople. 1t is hardly necessary to men
ton the various disasters which have
resulted at sea from the spontaneous
combustion of coal, and in this con-
nection it may not be without interest
to state that there is no danger of this
character in transporting compressed
fuel, this being, no doubt, due to the
mode of manipulation and COMPRISING.
The bricks are prepared from crushed
or disintegrated coal, agglomerated by
pitchy matter, and when compressed
In molds are dried in ovens. They are
subjected to considerable heat, so
that not only the moisture, or the vola-
tile portion of the pitch. is expelled,
but carbonaceous oxidation takes place,
and whatever tre-damp existed in the
cells of the coal is expelled. The nee
essary machinery for producing bricks
is, moreover, comparatively inexpen-
sive, and at coal mines there is always
sufficient power for carrying on the
work, while the ordinary brickmaking
machines, some of which are capable of
producing from $4,000 to $4,000 blocks
per day, could be used without any
serious objection.
There is hardly any doubt that the
more extensive introduction of the fuel
would insure speedy recognition and
appreciation of its many advantages,
and there is every probability that it
would eventually supersede coal for
many purposes, and especially in large
towns at great distances from coal
mining districts.