Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-21
WHAT WHOLESALE SMOKERS SAY.
The Majority Of Them Willing to Make the
Change if the Proper Appar-
atuS Is Found.
ONE CONSUMER THAT WOULD NOT WORK.
Economic Motive Likely to Lead the Law in Securing
the Needed Reform.

sines against city ordinance forbidding It,
they may have some trouble in making out
. case. superintendent Holbroo1, of the b.
6 o., claims that nothing but coke is burned
in the Junction engines, and a great nuisance
st is in his opinion. He was surprised when
told yesterday that the ladies had the list of
days on which the Junction was guilty OF
throwing of clouds of black smoke.
The, feeling among hosts of the railroads,
manufacturers and the owners of big build
ings is that motives of economy will regu-
late the smoke nuisance long before legisla-
tive enactments will reach the desired end.
As rule, the persons from whose buildings
and mills come the great black clouds,
are willing to remedy the evil, while some
Others say their chimneys may smoke until
there is some law to compel them to stop.
Nevertheless there is every reason TO be-
lieve that large users of coal, and especially
manufacturers of iron, will themselves turn
to the use of stol1ers as measures of economy.
Economy Demands Change.
During the last few years the capacities of
the mills in Allegheny county have been
largely increased, necessitating, in conse-
quence, additional boiler power. Corre-
spondingly, the item of fuel has become of
more importance, and since coal has once
more assumed its reign, versus natural gas,
retired, manufacturers have been figuring
on means to economize in fuel in proportion
to the rate in which the gas fuel was cheaper
than the coal. 1t is claimed for the auto
matte stokers which are now being put on
this market that as good results can be OBJ
tanned in stealn-raising by the use of coal
dust, and the refuse of mines, if fed into the
CRATES through the stoker, as can now be OBJ
tanned by hand-firing with ordinary steam
coal. The cost of the coal dust is nominal
beside that of the steam coal, and manufact-
urers are said to be figuring on means for
using il.
But the matter with which the public at
large are concerned is that of the smoke
nuisance. The automatic stollers not alone
are economical in burning coal, but there
are fitted to them certain chambers, which
eliminate from the smoke its heavy gases
and refuse, permitting very little more than
vapor to pass away through the stacks. This
statement is controverted by some people,
but several VINO are qualified to pass un-
prejudiced opinions regarding these auto
matte stol1ers believe that their general use
would practically put the quietus on the |
smoke nuisance.
Firms That Have Made the Test,
Among the firms which are using stokers |
are Oliver 6 Roberts, Oliver Bros. & Philips
in their Fifteenth street mill, the Westing- |
house Machine Company, Twenty-fifth |
II
Pleasant Valley road power house, and Allie |
gheny City light plant.
Even as late as yesterday q complaint /
with the names of about 40 citizens of the |
Thirteenth ward attached was received by |
the building inspectors against what is |
known as the Model Laundry. The COM
ance to the whole neighborhood and they |
wish it abated-
superintendent Holbroolz of the Baltimore |
and Ohio, in speaking of the nuisance re-
junction
laughed and said: "0nly coke is burned in |
the Junction engines, and don't know
when coal was used. The road has
A Baltimore and Ohio engine may
occasionally go over the road to assist in |
pulling cars, but the junction road has cer-
tainly not violated the city ordinance. On |
the Baltimore and Ohio we burn soft coal |
Coming into the city the passenger fires are
allowed to run down, and these trains make
little smoke. Going out, of course, they
must keep up steam, and more smoke Is
thrown out. The Baltimore and Ohio on
the Pittsburg division is not experimenting
are supplied with stack which |
IS intended to avoid the nuisance to some
extent"
Cleanliness Was Once Attempted.
Several years ago the Baltimore and Ohio
with coke on the passenger
engines. 1t was very successful, and the
trains were so clean in consequence that
|
the passenger locomotives. For some rea-
son 1t was not done, probably on account of
the cost incurred in putting in new fire |
boxes. The Baltimore and Ohio throws out
its share of smoke, but Superintendent Hol- |
brook can see no remedy for the evil at pres |
ent. At the junction Office Superintendent
Finney was not in, but his clerks thought 1t
was ridiculous to make an example Of the |
road, as Il runs through wilderness for the
greater part of the way. They did not ap- |
pear to be well posted on the subject.
1t was also lea rned that the smoke problem
is an interesting study with railroad men,
but they are inclined to laugh at the efforts
ofthe ladies to force them by law to use
smoke consumers on locomotives. They
claim 1t can't be done successfully or they
would have adopted plan long ago.
On hot days, with baseball game in the |
afternoon, it is difficult job to find the man
ayers, but the hard-working chief clerks are |
always accessible and as rule they are will
ing to furnish information. General Manager |
Wood, of the Pennsylvania Company, is not
In the city, but Chief Clerk Blair, speaking |
for the Fort Wayne and Panhandle Said;
Have Tackled a Very Big Job.
al am afraid the ladies have tough Job on
their hands. 1t is a difficult thing to avoid
smoke in q manufacturing town, and the
Only way it can be done is by driving the in
1ustries out of the city, Surely they don't |
want to do this. On the Fort Wayne we are |
burning coke in the shifting engines This
vas done several years ago on complaints j
made by Allegheny people that they didn't |
want so much smoke in the parks. 1t would
De impractical to burn coke or anthra-
lite coal in ali the engines within the CITY
limits. As for the alleged smoke consumers |
when the nuisance was at its height manu-
acturerS used them in this city with the ad-
litionnl incentive that they would save
uel, but they proved dire failures. Until q
consumer is ade we will have to
out up with the smoke. 1t is as disagreea-
Die to railroad men and manufacturers as
lther people. So far as l know. the FIT
n ayne road is not ma king any experiments
o get rid of the smoke from its engines''
On the Pennsylvania road the passenger
ngines are supplied with a consumer, which s
used as the locomotive enters station |
{ is an apparatus which turns the smoke 6
'ack into the fire box, but interferes with !
-ettlng up steam, and is not used when loco
motives are running at full speeu. BY turn I
ng lever the engineer can shut OFF the I
moke in station, but in pulling out of a
epot the apparatus is opened up These
moke consumers are not used within the !
ity limits, and they could not be put on | I
relght engines without making them use | J
ess
No Practical Appliance for Locomotives. Z
Several years ago the PENNSYLVANIA exper. ]
nented with petroleum in running trains. !
t was very satisfactory, and left behind no I
moke and little dirt, but the officials were
fraid it would prove disastrous in the event
f wrecks, and the new idea was dropped,
he Pennsylvania people have not yet been !
bic to get successful consumer that does
OF interfere with the working of the en- |
inc. They also claim that coke or anthra- | =,
ite coal within the city limits would be too | y
xpenslye. In this event two sets of loco 1
iotives would be necessary, and all trains c
ould be broken and delayed to change the e
lgines. n
At the Allegheny Valley Office both Gen. v