Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-06
Natural Gas for Locomotives.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS WITH THE VIEW OF
DISPENSING WITH COAL.

DlSPENSIE6 WITH COAL.
From the Kansas City Times.
Perhaps the most daring improvement now
being attempted is the utilizing OF natural gas as
fuel for engines and to furnish light and heat for
cars several master mechanics In the country
hold that this product cannot be confined and
used, and the master mechanic OF the Fort
h,s oe aSa So Gaa has
Of1calS OF that line have placed at his
command all the money, men and material
road is through the heart Of the immense gas
regions OF Indiana, many Of the wells being
Of great pressure and flowing from 100000 to
L., 600, 600 cubic feet every twenty-fOur hours.
Several weeks ago the master mechanic and super
intendent had constructed wr0ught-irOn cylinder
Is feet long and feet In diameter, with heavy
ends screwed In. The cylinder was subjected TO
the most critical and scientific tests, and was pro-
vided with gauges 10 register the pressure. IL
Montpelier, Ind, where there are located two
strong gas wells. The cylinder was attached TO
one OF them, which had a rock pressure of $50
pounds to the square inch. When the gas was
turned on the gauge showed that IL was Iul In less
than one minute.
The tank was then loaded on the cars and taken
to the shops at Fort Wayne. Here 1t was attac ed
TO the usual natural gas burning apparatus with a
regulator that controlled the enormous pressure
OF the gas so that IL flowed out In a steady, regU-
lar current OF one and half ounces TO the square
inch, the pressure at which natural gas is burned.
The gauge showed that the gas had lost but little
In the shops for several hours besides heating one
large stove and one forge.
so much OF a success was the first test that
others have been made with larger cylinders, and
the gas transported each time a distance OF }S
miles The officials and experts are so well salts
fed with the experiment that orders have been Is
sued to equip the road engines with tanks anu the
workmen IN the shops are now making the neces-
sary changes Large arg steel tanks KS or cylinders
cos cars are being made, and these will be at
tached to the engine in the rear OF the tender.
They will have a capacity equal to as many thou
sand cubic feet OF gas as will represent enough OF
coal to make trip over the road, which Is about
ITO miles In length. The attachment TO the fire.
box OF the engine and stoves in the will be by
means Of q pipe leading from the tank and viii be
regulated by hand screw.
The cost Is exceedingly small, as an engine can
be supplied for about 20 cents day.
The United states' Rank i'm Pepula.
tiOm.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat
The United States has a population Of at least
62, 600 600 at this moment. This makes 1t second
in this particular among the great civilized ma
tons Of the world. Keeping In view the ratio OF
growth OF the countries named between recent
census periods there are to-day about Sc, OOO. 600
inhabitantS in European Russia, 100000 in
Germany, 4O,OO0,0O in tro-Hungary, -, OOO-
600 in France, 81 OOOO 600 in Great Britain and Ire
land, 30 100000 in Italy, and II, 600 900 In Spain
Europe reaches 1000, 900, turkeys Inhabitants
outside OF Asia aggres ating scarcely half that
Inquire.
exceeds the United States in population, Even
Russia must soon be left far In the rear. on July
1, 1880, when the next national enumeratiOn takes
place. the United states Will have % 900 600 In
haDitants. IL Will have 600 In the year 1900
and I24 Co., 600 in 1910. This computation Is
based on the average growth OF the country during
the century. Employing like basis for Russia,
that nation before 1910 Will have dropped to Sec
Ond place, the United states taking the FIRST.
Forty years ago the United States stood sixth in
point Of population among the civilized nations OF
the globe, and twenty years ago It stood NTH.
Twenty years hence 1t will stand first. And will
not political social and industrial supremacy come
with prominence in population? Perhaps, but
hardly so sooa The United States leads the ma
lions In extent. value and variety OF natural re-
sources 1t is already first In wealth, well as
rst In the value OF the products OF ITS farms and
factories. Undoubtedly Il Will eventually achieve
primary in the other great avenues OF human en-
deavor.
Within the lifetime Of thousands OF Americans
now living, 1t seems altogether safe predict the
United states win be q completely and unQues-
ttOnAbly the great social center OF the world as IL
u already the center and creator OF much OF that
which most powerfully contributes to tho worlds
moral and material advancement.
A couple Of chicago detectives Are ct winnipeg,
Nan, hunting for Tasc0tt the murderer Of 4 ].
SMELL
II b announced from Bosom that tina death OF
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