The Van Buren press., 1893-11-11
THE caeAr FUEL QUESTION.
Possible Exhaustion Of the Present over
worked Sources OF Supply.

Possible Exhaustion Of the Present Ovor~
worked Sources of supply.
With the rapid extension OF the ap-
plication Of power to manufacturing,
transportation and all other Industrial
purposes, the extent of our fuel re-
sources and the modes OF securing and
using them become of the greatest I'M
portance. The ease with which the
different forms OF fuel hav, heretofore
been secured in this country has led,
in many quarters, to reckless waste
and extravagant modes of use, in the
apparent belief that the stores from
which these sources OF power have been
drawn were inexhaustible. No greater
error can be conceived than that OF
supposing the worlds supply OF fuel,
under the plesent systems OF transfor'
nation of energy, to be exhaustless IN
amount.
As is we'll known, the total available
supply of English coal is reliably meas
urable, at the present rate of consump-
ton, in terms of period OF years
which does not by any means extend
indefinitely into the future. A very
few years, indeed, have sufficed to prac-
tically exhaust our own natural gas
supply, although the most ruthless
waste has contributed largely to this
result. It is not impossible that the
discovery of new fields may replenish
the waning store of gaseous fuel, al
though that does not now seem prob
able. A considerable number OF oil
fields have ceased TO yield a paying
output, and many Others have reached
the period OF decreasing production.
A though the prospect for the discov.
ery and utilization of new oil centers
in different parts Of the world is GER
tainly encouraging, experience conclu'
sively shows that only a limited supply
in reference to the worlds demands
can be expected.
The case is not SO very different
when the matter Of coal supply is con-
sidered. 1t is true that our soft coal Is
found in so many locations and in such
quantities that it seems to be practic-
ally limitless; and at the present rate
of use it is so. There is every reason,
however, to anticipate an increasingly
rapid extension of the application OF
mechanical power, with correspond
ingly enormous consumption OF fuel
under the present modes OF use. If it
were possible to estimate this increased
consumption for the next century, on
the one hand, and our available soft
coal supply on the other, there is no
reason to believe that the latter would
not be quite finitely expressed in terms
of the former. Some really startling,
though very conservative, results were
recently set forth by the Pennsyl-
vania commission appointed to in
vestigate the matter Of waste in an
thracite coal mining. In the first place,
it was shown that in the past not more
than about 80 per cent. OF the actual
coal in the ground has been obtained
for the market by mining operations
The committee believes that this per-
centage may in the future be raised to
40 by reworking the coal lands and by
utilizing the coal now in the culm banks
Even that gain, however, leaves a loss
of 60 per cent.
The full significance of these figures
does not appear until they are made to
exhibit the total available remaining
supply in the three great anthracite
districts. There remain in the Wyom-
ing district four and one-half times the
amount already mined, and in the Le-
high district but two and one-half
times the amount now mined, while
the Schuylkill district has been de-
pleted of one-fifteenth only of its total
store. The quantity termed ''mined"
includes the 40 per cent. available for
market and the 80 per cent. loss. 1t Is
thus seen that the supply of anthracite
coal is quite limited. Indeed, view the
whole question in any way that we
will, it is apparent that the present
system Of utilizing power from its
great natural sources is such rs to
make the exhaustion of our natural
fuel supply mere matter Of definite
time.
1t is very probable, however, in fact
almost certainty at the present time,
that developments in the science OF
energy will lead to direct and vastly
more economical utilization of the
power stored in nature. The best OF
our present processes are in reality ex-
cessively wasteful and would within a
definite period Of time exhaust the sup.
ply. But probably no one can be found
bold enough to predict that exhaustion
and deny that further advances in
science will not radically improve our
present methods and virtually open new
sources Of supply Of power. 1t is only
through such possible avenues that es-
cape from ultimate fuel exhaustion can
be made, and they indicate the way to
the most interesting and remarkable
scientific developments that have yet
been made. Engineering Record
GOLD COIN.
Blunders Easily Made by Those Acpua.