The morning call., 1893-09-15
SMOKE CONSUMER.
How Experts Disagree
Upon the Theory.
\ LOCAL INVENTORS DEVICE.
Editor MedilI of the Chicago Tribune
Becomes Interested, but Is Some
what Incredulous.

account OF the invention of George Belmor
of this city of a steam boiler without
chimney, to roughly describe the machine,
which description attracted the attention
of joseph Medili. editor of the Chicago
Tribune. who referred the matter to an
| expert on combustion with a request for
report thereon.
In order to give the reader a connected
idea of the matter, some facts in relation
to the invention are reproduced here as
they appeared in the article mentioned:
Only pile of brickwork that incases a
boiler with iron bands and corners is to be
seen IN one corner of the works. At one
end an ordinary steam boiler pIotrudes
about Is inches, and from it there runs q
funnel just two feet above tho top. But
there is no furnace to be seen underneath
or chimney overhead. There is absolutely
no smoke from it, and yet it generates
81 horsepower OF steam at tritiing cost.
At the end opposite the abbreviated
funnel Is another novel and peculiar piece
| of mechanism known as the generator.
| Ihls produces gas for fuel by wonder
! fully simple but scientific principle. 1t is
! also built up in the brickwOrk, bat enough
! remains uncovered to give an idea OF its
general design. The lower part is a crcu-
/ lar iron retOrt about three feet in diameter
that tapers at the bottom to g crate. The
exposed portion is tube of iron about IS
| inches IN diameter, through which the coal
is fed TO the retort.
To operate the machine fire is kindled
! in the bottom of this retort. The coal,
mixed with water. is thrown in upon the
| fire until the generator is full. A cover is
! screwed down and instantly gas is gener-
ated. A draft is kept up by small steam
and air jet, which drives the gas into a
| pipe connecting with furnace under the
boiler. Thete it is ignited. The result is
marvellous A furious flame bursts through
/ several brick chambers that soon attains
an incandescent glow. Here. also, draft
| s maintained by twoSteam and air jets.
The flames can be seen rushing through
the pipes. where everything is raging
white heat. But not puff of smoke
! passes through the cutoff funnel. 1t is all
veritable fire without smoke.
Mr.. MedilI says, in letter to a. j.
Treat of the Southern Pacific office in this
| citv, in which he asks for further inform
alton about the invention, that some
things claimed for it did not strike me as
being in accord with certain scientific
principles" and that he had taken the
action mentioned heretofore. Continuing,
he says:
My belief is that the furious flame
which bursts through the several brick
cham bers will melt and destroy those fire.
brick l have never seen any quality of
hrebrick which will not vitrify and give
out at the bridge wall OF the ordinary
boiler when placed there to arrest the rush
of the flame rearward If they did not
burn out quite a simple and effective
Smoke-buTner could thus be secured"
The expert referred to made the follow
| ing report:
"Mr. Medill-I am sorry to say l cannot
understand this claim of being a Ole 10 do
| without chimney. 1t is easy of proof that
the combustion of one pound Of coal re-
! qulreS the oxygen that is normally con-
tanned in about $50 cubic feet of air. The
remaining nitrogen. and the VapOr Of
water, which is lsO product of the com-
/ bustion (no small quantity has TO be got
ria OF somehow, and the most economical
! way of getting rid of it seems TO be through
chimney, the draft of which not only
carries off the used up material but creates
suction that brings In fresh air to iced
the fire. Nor do believe that the throw
ing of water in the fire helps the process.
That idea was exploited for all it was
worth (and great deal mOre) by nan
named Holland in this city about eighteen
years ago and proved fake. 1t is easy
for an unphilOsOphical mind to think it
can get power by the combustion of water
But we know that water is just as much a
product of combustion as are ashes, and it
is no more reasonable TO expect aid from
the one than the other.
Possibly it is true that the apparatus
works without any black smoke-that is
unconSumed carbon. But there has got to
be what some folks think they are entitled
10 call 'smoke'-that IS the gaseous prod
uc's of complete combustion, which
amounts 10 not far from $50 cubic feet for
every pepud Of solid fuel that Is burned
The claim as made seems 10 me a faila-
clous one, and for that reason | esteem it
my duty to say as much to you
The report of the invention as published
in The CALL was. in all its esSentia al feat
ures. practically correct, the only notice.
able objection to 1t being the somewhat
vague manner in which the writer de-
scribed the piece of mechanism, possibly
due to his unfamiliarity with technical
terms.
That experts. like doctors. will disagree
is well-eStablished fact, and 1t will create
no great surprise, therefore, that The gen.
tleman who made the report to Mr.. Medill
should be found diane treally opposed to
facts already demon strated by gentlemen
equally as prominent in the study Of me-
chanical and scientific arts.
Mr.. Horace b. Gale, an authority upon
such subjects whose opinions have weight
| the country over. has given this subject
careful consideration and is an easy cou-
vert to the ada ptabltv OF the new device.
The theory upon which the invention is
constructed and its practical Illustrations
are as follows:
The most effective method of prevent
ing smoke. and one which also allows the
most economical combustion of btuminous
coal. is that OF utilizing a part of the heat
matter into gas. and then burning the gas
so as to impart its heat to the boiler. The
conversion of the combustible part of the
coal into gas is accomplished in what's
called "gas producer" 1t consists SIM
ply Of a furnace with irebed several feet
in depth, into which air is forced at the
bottom by means of a steam jet. The
quantity of air is not sufficient for COM
plele combustion of the deep bed of fire,
bnt the volatile matter of the coal distills
off at the top. while the coke, which grad
ually works down. burns at the bottom.
The gas. which passes off, may then ba
conducted under an ordinary boiler and
burned by mixture with additional air in
a spiral frebrick chamber.
The advantages of EN- mploying gas fame
in the wav of ease of regulation are well
known. BY properly adjusting the air
supply By valves or dampers smoke NAV
be entirely prevented and the most perfect
combustion maintained. The main ad
yantages in economy arise from the fact
that the absence of SCOT keeps the boiler
surface always clean and effective, and by
The proper adjustment OF the valves the
uUanIity of air uep6 NAV he raduoad m