The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-16
MANY KINDS OF EuEl
no" some Are Burned at Loss in Botl
Money and Health.

Money and Health
The term fuel is commonly applied n
eeal and wood, but in burning these
substances we burn air also. To every
pound of fuel about thirteen of air. or
two and two-third pounds of oxygen.
must go to make combustion, and unless
we burn air we can not burn wood anv
more than we can burn granite. The
oxygen OF the air and the carbon OF the
wood unite and heat is produced. Where
the combustion is perfect only heat is
evolved, with neither illumination nor
smoke If then we should say that air
Is fuel, we should speak with strict
scientific accuracy. The other constit-
uent of air, nitrogen, is neutral pres
ence In combustion, entirely harmless,
and passes off with other gases gener-
ated in the process up the chimney.
AS matter of fact we burn neither
wood nor coal, but gas into which these
substances are gradually changed BY
heat In kindling a fire we use paper,
shavings and small bits of wood that
can be easily inflamed, so as to change
the more obdurate into gas. AS this
change goes on smoke diminishes, and
when our fuel is we'll ignited there is
very little smoke. The fuel can burn
only at its surface. Since only this Dor
ton is exposed to the air and can permit
its gas to unite with its oxygen. Our
stoves, then, are gas generators and the
amount otsheat we shall get from them
depends upon whether or not we can
persuade every atom of carbon we put
into them to unite with it's one or two
atoms of oxygen and whether or not we
furnish just enough oxygen for it's
chemical union. If we have too much
air, we cool the gas from the coal or
wood below the point of ignition and
the draught will carry our heat with the
unburned gas up the chimney, where it
will be lost to us. If we have too little,
the gas from the fuel will escape with
out being burned, and the fire will
be smothered. In kindling a fire we
use surplus of air, and this is indicated
by the roaring of the fire, but when
kindled the draught should be closed
until the fire burns nearly still, not
quite, if the fuel be of wood.
Probably more than one-third of green
wood is wasted in the burning; for the
water it contains. when evaporated, car
ries off immense amounts of heat, each
particle of steam acting like balloon
and flying away with its portion of heat
up into the outer air, leaving small sur
plus for the processes of baking and
boiling. Dry wood may be made to go
much further if it is heated in the oven
before it is put into the fire box.
Of the 5000, 900 tons of coal annually
consumed in London it is estimated by
the Scient fic Commission that 8, 900, 600
are combusted and 2,O00 900 go off in
smoke and gas to create fogs and injure
health and property. Doubtless similar
waste occurs in this country. Of every
five cords of wood or tons of coal one is
thrown away.
Each stove requires individual man
agement, certain supplies of fuel, GER
tain supplies of air, and when these two
are exactly adjusted the best results are
obtained. We can not expect to come by
this perfect managementsav by careful
experiment. She who 'piles on" the
fuel unnecessarily wastes money as
really as though she threw dollar bills
into the stove. We can but hope that
invention may soon give us perfect COM
bustion, not only preventing waste of
fuel, but freeing us from cinders, smoke,
slogged chimneys and draughts, from
dust and the injurious effects of gases
that shall be consumed in combustion
Exchange.