The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-23
ECONOMY IN FUEL.
Scientific Reasons Why Hard Coal Is Really
Cheaper Than 1t Appears.

In all businesses ike the coal trade,
in which Il purchaser simply orders
what he wants and has to trust to the
honesty of the dealer, he is liable to
be the victim of fraudulent practices
over which he has practically no con-
troll. DO consumers of coal get just
weight? is a question often asked.
Irrespective OF purposed dishonesty in
the matter of short weights, are coal
dealers strictly honest in allowing their
coal to lie out exposed to the weather;
or. as is often the case, in turning tho
hose upon it before delivery? 1t is no
uncommon occurrence for purchasers
to find little stream of water running
from the base of their coal heaps
shortly after the fuel is delivered.
Merely to prevent dust is the reason
alleged for this practice. Is this the
whole story?
At the instigation of the News, Prof.
D. H. Galloway secured a number of
samples of different kinds of coal and
subjected them to careful tests with
view to ascertaining how largely they
were receptive of water. After re-
suits had been obtained from the
samples in dry state the coal was
placed in water for short time and
again tested. The process employed
leaves little room for error or uncer-
tainty as to the percentages obtained.
Anthracite coal is poor absorbent
of water" said Prof. Galloway, land
if it have a dry appearance the pur-
chaser may be sure he is paying for
little water One sample would yield
results that would be typical of most
kinds of anthracite coal. l tested q
piece of bright, dry, hard coal which l
got from Robert Laws yard, and found
that it contained AT per cent of water.
The same coal, after absorbing all it
would, gave 5.92 per cent of water, the
sample having been carefully wiped
before tested. If not wiped the sample
would probably show twice the in
crease in the amount of water taken
up. From two to three per cent, l
think, would represent the outside
limit of fraud with anthracite coal,
and the figures can only be that high
when the coal is manifestly wet.
"Cannel coal, too, is poor absorb
ent, especially as it comes in large
Jumps. The specimen l tested was
fair average sample. When dry it was
found to contain 1.3 per cent of water,
and, after soaking, only "a per cent.
| should think the average absorbing
coal are about equal and that from
forty to sixty pounds a ton would be
all the weight to be gained by wetting.
''Bituminous coal, however, is an
other thing. Some Of it will take up
water like Il sponge, and that, too,
even though the coal looks bright and
hard. Probably y per cent. would be
about the average amount of. water
contained by bituminous Goals in a dry
state. One sample Of dry Springfield
coal showed 1872 per cent. Of water,
and, after, lying two hours in water
and being carefully wiped, 16.1 per
cent. Another sample of Grape Creek
coal yielded 10 per cent. OF water
when dry and 1913 per cent. after d
little soaking. In general terms, l
think that most kinds of soft coal can
be made by judicious wetting to con-
tain fully 20 per cent. or even more Of
water. Hence on this cheaper article
there is wider scope for fraudulent
practices. Consumers necessarily have
to pay for about POO or $50 pounds of
water on the average in every ton OF
bituminous coal they buy. and it is pos
sible, you see, to double this amount
and still have the coal not appear wet.
THE value of all kinds of coal for
heating purposes depends upon its car
bon. or, in other words, upon the alb
sence of water and ash. | don't think
that soft coal usually has more ash
than hard coal, but irrespective of its
larger per cent. of water there is little
economy in its use. The volatile SUBJ
stances that produce the flame have
really a higher heating power than
pure carbon, fully twice the power.
But much of these hydrocarbons
escape in the smoke and is thus
of no use whatever to the consumer.
In general way we may say that coal
that burns with flame is poor in heat
ing qualities, for the simple reason that
the carbon can not be utilized. Hard
coal, properly speaking, has no flame,
the little blue tongues sometimes seen
over the fire pot being almost wholly
due to the air.
Counting the larger scope of fraud
in weights. and the impossibility of
utilizing the HYDROCARBONS, l am in
clined to think that hard coal for mere
purposes of heating is cheap coal. The
Springfield coal that had 1872 per cent.
of water when dry and 1871 when
soaked had 49, per cent. of ash. The
hard coal and camel coal had 1.6 and
GA per cent. of ash respectively. One
specimen of Illinois coal had 10.1 per
cent. of water and 1882 of ash. Thus
it appears that economy doesn't lie in
price per ton merely, but in factors the
public rarely stops to think of."-Chi-
cago News.
Corn Soup: Take one can OF sweet