Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-30
FOUND ANEW SOURCE OF HEAT.
An Astounding Claim Which Sets AL
Science at Nanght.

1
Science at Nanght.
The accepted theories of heat gen.
Grafton limit the list of materials from
which heat may be produced by arti-
fetal means to the substances known
as fuels. And these fuels are almost
wholly confined to the various forms of
carbon, organic or inorganic, vegeta-
| Bile or mineral. Not to enter on the
question whether mineral carbons,
| coal and oil are derived from organic
bodies or not, we need only consider
them as mineral fuels And as to
organic fuels, whether vegetable, as in
woody tissues, or as carbonaceous
matter in the form of animal oils, they
burn and give heat in strict proper
ton to the carbon they contain. We
have, therefore, IN our wisdom, been
attempting much lately in the way of
keeping up the stock of these organic
fuels by planting forests, and by even
making straw up into cakes, like the
dried peat of the frugal Icelanders.
But there has now come forward the
bold invention of a new source of heat;
an ever-present material, and a self
lcting process of using it, almost. 1t
is a heat generator that consumes lit
tie of any form of fuel, as we now de-
fine that word. At least, it requires
scarcely more than the match that
lights gas jet to set it going. 1t does
not produce or generate any important
quantity of the ordinary products of
onbustion-neither smoke, nor car
bonic acid, nor ashes. 1t will not be
necessary to sell the residuals so care
fully as gas works do, nor will it be
necessary to cumber the sidewalks
with ash boxes or ash carts. Yet, the
heat is as decisive and genuine as the
heat from anthracite coal in a blast
furnace 1t will warm a house
thoroughly, and even heat it to excess
if not carefully regulated. 1t will
melt iron or steel, and by its own self
action, when once started, it will heat
the containing drum or fire box to a
red heat first and almost white heat
next. Its constant heat would melt
iron or steel if not checked by slight
manipulation.
Is this miracle or an overwrought
mental strain, such as might reason
ably be inferred? 1t is neither. 1t is
literal and absolute fact, as plain
and practical as large iron heating
drum can be made. In this drum a
slight coal fire is lighted, and the
ordinary fuel door above and the draft
door below being properly adjusted.
the cumulative heat generation begins
instantly. If not stopped by readjust-
ment of the door it will 60 on indefi-
nitely, almost to the full red heating
of the containing vessel or drum.
1t is clearly the air that is burned,
the oxygen of the common atmosphere
constituting the fuel. There can be
no exhaustion of the supply of air with
its contained oxygen, and, as no arti-
fetal blast or other mechanical agency
is required to feed the air, it consti-
tutes self-created flame. 1t is only
requisite to check the supply of air so
as to avoid cumulative effects other
wise there would be a steadily increas-
ing draft to feed the flame, and a de-
gree of heat beyond any capacity to
apply it. The combustion in this case
gives an intense heat, but with little
visible flame. 1t forms little carbonic
oxide or carbonic acid gas. 1t would
not deliver sufficient of such gases
into the air of any room to asphyxiate
it's occupants if all the products of
combustion were delivered in and not
outward through any outgoing fiue.
At the moment of original ignition the
small amount of coal or wood used to
light the fire would possibly make
some smoke. but after the lighting is
our accepted scientific definitions, and
its great significance is in the assur-
ance that the common air may be made
the adjunct fuel, alike for domestic
heating and for metallurgic uses.
1t will be a blessing to the people of
the great interior to be able to SUBJ
stitute the bitter north wind for the
costly fuel that coal is with them. 1t
will be a grateful chance for retaliation
to burn the wind there as fuel
against its own violence. All this is
too strange to be at once accepted,
whether true or not, and the writer
hereof enters plea of pleasant enthu-
siasm to avert too great antagOnism.
Yet it is true that the common air is
burned in this self-acting furnace, with
evolution of intense heat.-Lorip BJOd-
get en- LGgbt, Heat, and P01Cer.