Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-09
AMMONIACAL VAPOR.
Mr.. Campbell's Process for Saving
Fuel and Running Engines.
A COMPANY FORMED IN PITTSBURG
With a Capital Stock of 100000 to 0per-
ate in the Northwest.
PERFECTION OF AN OLD INVENTION

The nation that can sell its products
cheapest in the markets Of the world will at
tain commercial supremacy in the next 20
years. That cheapness will be attained
either by Iow-priced labor, or by saving in
freights, fuel, or by improved machinery.
So far the latter has been the prime factor in
reducing cost, but cheap fuel has now be-
come matter of necessity.
On the 4th of March, 1888,
Mr.. Joseph Campbell, former Pittsburg
educator, patented q device for making
ammOniacal vapor take the place ofsteam as
a motive power, and James r. Keene. Cap
tain Green, q. S. N, W. W. Dudley, james
R. McLane, j. G. Clark, Joseph Larocque
and the inventor formed a company to
operate it. The names will generally be
recognized as prominent ones in various
ayocations Of life in the East. Mr.. Camp
bell states that experiments demonstrated
long ago that his invention would save from
40 to so per cent in fuel in the furnishing
power, but no effort was made to give it
publicity lest the cry of 'Keely motor"
should follow.
IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM.
They introduced it into an extensive flour
mill in Philadelphia and into some other
works, and after proving to the satisfaction
of capitalists that it would do the work of
steam at about half its cost for fuel pro-
ceeded to form companies. Its success is
assured, they say, in the ocean and do
nestle marine service, and the saving of
fuel carriage on the ocean is of prime i'm
portance.
Mr.. Campbell came to this city to intro
duce his patent to the Central Traction
road and Pittsburg Filter Company, but as
the former wasn't ready to begin operations
and fuel is here so cheap now, it did not
attract the attention it would elsewhere.
But the Pittsburg and Northwestern Power
Company has been organized. and it is
composed of County Controller Speer, Frank
Patterson, of McKeesport; Hon. Thomas NJ.
Bayne, Prothonotary John Bradley, j. B.
Finlay, of Omaha, formerly of Kittanning;
Hon. j, B. Finley, of Monongahela CITY,
city, James r. White, J.W. Kinnear, Esq,
and others, and the capital stock is $500. 900,
about all of which has been taken. They
have prepared to operate in Nebraska,
North and South Dakota, Utah Territory,
Oregon, Montana, Washington Territory,
Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Wyoming,
having bought the territory from the present
company, and will operate under a charter
gotten in Colorado, and expect to begin bus
inesS next week, the lrst plant to be eStab-
Iished in Omaha.
NOT NEW IDEA.
The idea is not new, but it's practical ap-
plication is, and any chemist who has ever
operated laboratory can understand it at
glance. The apparatus can be placed on
any steam boiler at small cost. The cost of
charging the ammoniacal evaporator is 500,
but one charging is sufficient for six months
or a year, according to the power required,
the vapor after having been used, being
condensed and used over and over again.
AS ammoniacal vapor is a good lubricator
the use of oil in the cylinder is dispensed
with.
Edison is quoted as saying that the power
of the future will be ammonia and cleo
tricity. Scientists fondly dream of time
when the sun will be harnessed and made
do the work now performed by coal, steam,
ammonia and electricity, but most, if not
all, of them expect to die this side of
Jordan, and meantime people who cannot
use natural gas are interested in cheapening
the cost of motive power, which means the
cheapening of all the necessaries of life, if
not to the public to monopoly at least.