Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-05-26
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COAL PIPE LINES.


A New Plan of Transporting the Black
Diamonds from Mine to Mill.
Tho new plan of pumping coal through
pipes from the mines to the centers Of
consumption is attracting widespread at
tention. The belief is growing that it
will afford q practical solution of the
problem of cheap transportation and
prove an effectual check to the monopo-
listic schemes of the coal carrying rail-
road managers.
The coal is to be pulverized at the
mouth of the mine, where it can be done
most cheaply and at an average cost Of
three cents per ton. 1t will also be
passed through water boxes and purified
by well known process in practical
use and which can be done for five cents
per ton. 1t is admitted that the value
of coal thus pulverized and purified is
much enhanced to the consumer, equal
to at least the small cost of doing it. 1t
is not good commercial practice to send
sulphurets of iron, dirt and slate to mar
ket in coal and mixed with the coal, re-
sulting in 10 to 10 per cent. of ash and
clinker when burned.
Mr.. w. G. Andrews said to me: GAS
to the cost of sending coal by pipe,
have demonstrated the easy flow Of the
mixture at half and half. Where the
world has been mistaken is that it is
supposed that this mixture would clog
up the pipes. l find that there is no
tendency whatever to do this. Another
wrong impression has been that people
supposed the coal to I've so very much
heavier than the water, that is, much
heavier than it really is. The fact is
that when pulverized to fine powder,
measure for measure, coal is the lightest,
because of the air it contains. When
sent through the pipe line, however, and
delivered into tank OF settling ponds and
becoming quiescent, it settles very
readily; 30 per cent. will settle the first
hour and the balance say over night,
and the water is ready to be drawn off
the next morning.
"In this condition of moist substance
Of pure coal, it is all ready to be imme-
diately put into cooking ovens by chain
conveyors or other convenient method,
or used for making gas. When de-
livered to be used under steam boilers,
the small amount of moisture remain
ing can be evaporated, and when the
dry powder of bituminous coal is blown
into the firebox the atoms will explode
and form the next best fuel to natural
gas. For domestic use ii will be made
into briquettes, as is now done extern
sively in Europe. The cost of making
briquettes is quite moderate"
1t is claimed that among the other ad-
vantages of the new method of trans
portation are the facilities of tapping the
pipes en- route at any point where de-
sired for delivery and the cheap termi-
mails or places of deposit. Mr. Andrews
declares that any ground can be leveed
with suitable embankment Of earth and
divided into ponds of acres in extent as
may be required for large storage or
places Of deposit, and far better and
cheaper than the present methods Of re.
ceiving and storing coal.
The question is asked, Win this in
iure the railroads? The answer is, No.
Anything that promotes the general in
terests Of society, that builds up cities
and towns by stimulating established
industries and creating new ones, bene-
fits railroads Mr.. Andrews takes no
stock whatever in the fear that dis
covery or an invention, however i'm
portant, which shall prove Of real bene-
fit, such as the introduction Of a cheaper
and better fuel, will injure anybody on
anything. The law Of compensation ID
always at work.-New York Telegram.