The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-02-12
STRANGE FUELS
QUEER DEVICES TO PRODUCE
CHEAP HEAT.
Utilizing Coal Dust the Great Prob
lem-Bricks OF Leather Chips
burning Corn and Hay
Alcohol Ideal Fuel.
Wy HE fuel question is becoming
Y,oro owl ,,,o.o . ..-tl.

economy, as one may see by
. the number of contrivances
patented recently for cheapening the
cost of this necessary of life. Some
OF those ideas suggested by ingenious
Americans are very interesting. One
OF them is for using corn cobs soaked
IN petroleum, while another inventor
proffers the notion of emitting grasses
and weeds while green and pressing
them in compact blocks. He says
that such blocks might be employed
to advantage for building and fencing,
and this could be done without i'm
pairing their eventual usefulness for
burning.
Most of the artificial fuels thus far
patented are devices for the utiliza-
ton of coal dust. OF these there are
hundreds. One inventor proposes to
mix together clay, molasses and water.
adding coal dust and water to the
combination. Another is for mix
ture of sawdust, Irish moss, asbestos
fiber and burned limestone. These
are to be boiled and finally made with
coal dust into bricks, the fiber of the
asbestos and the gluten from the moss
helping to keep the stuff comoact
There is n patent for bricks without
coal dust, composed of ashes and saw
dust saturated with petroleum and
coated with resin. Yet another kind
Is made OF cut straw, chaff and pctro
leum waste, combined with peat. Some
OF the most curious ingredients for
artificial fuels are clam shells, charred
garbage, corn meal, wheat flour,
sugar, seaweeds, broken glass, lard,
tar and leaves. Exclusive rights have
been taken out for the manufacture of
compound of powdered charcoal and
iinelycut cork. This, it is stated,
burns very slowly and gives off a great
deal OF heat, being particularly suita-
BILE for the sick room.
One of the most interesting Of the
patented fuels is brick or cartridge
of highly porous clay, which is to be
soaked in kerosene and put into the
kitchen stove when wanted. The
housewife has only to touch match
to 1t, and the fire is ready for cook
ing. In France pressed bricks of tan
merry waste are used by economical
housekeepers to keep up fire at a slow
rate of combustion. All over Europe
bricks of coal dust are largely en-
ployed for running locomotives. In
Japan charcoal is ground and made
INTO balls with ashes for cheap fuel.
Some of the materials used for fuel
an various parts of the world seem ex-
traordinary. In certain shoemakinp
towns in Massachusetts, such as LYNN.
there are some very poor people who
burn nothing else but leather chips
from one end of the winter to the
other. They get them from the fac
tories by the wheelbarrow load. Such
chips, OF course, smolder with a great
deal OF smoke. They form incandes-
cent masses which have to be broken
up from time to time with the poker.
Nearly all OF the sawdust from saw
mills everywhere is utilized for fuel.
But one must go to Utah in order to
lind hay put to the same purpose.
There the Mormons have peculiar
stove ovens constructed for the en-
ployment of hay. They twist the hay
into light wisps, and at night they fill
the fireboX of the stove with il as full
as possible. closing the damper and
permitting it to smolder all night
This IS for cooking, bnt they warm
their houses also by means of sheet
iron boxes with burning hay inside.
In the great corn belt in rural dis
tricts in Indiana and Illinois Deople
who live far from the railways and
cannot procure coal or wood often uso
corn for fuel. This was more com
monty done when the land was viraiu
and produced enormous crops. Maize
Is tirst-rate fuel and makes rous-
ing hot fire. The employment of corn
cobs for the same purpose is very
general.
In Egypt mummies, chiefly those of
cats, lblses and other animals. held
sacred by the ancient inhabitants.
were employed within recent years for
running trains between Cairo and
Alexandria. Dried fishes, particularly
the salmon, have been and perhaps
are to this day employed to some OK
tent as fuel by the Indians in parts
of British Columbia They contain
enough oil and muscular fiber to burn
well On the coast of Scotland ne
trels are utilized in mn odd wav. They
are very fat and arc made to serve MS
candles, wicks being run through
them. The employment OF the candle
fish Of Alaska in similar fashion is fn-
miIinr. But this rs % question of illu-
mutation mud not of heating. The E-
kimo lamp OF soapstone, filled with
whale oil or seal oil, is stove
lu the desert regions of Arizona.
where there is no vegetation worth
mentioning, the Indians dig MP for
fuel the enormously developed roots
of % kind OF plant Piuc-coues make
20 iiue Nndling aud are utilized for
thlt purpose all oyer Europe, particu-
lnrIy i'm the Black Forest aud other
parts of Germany. In the ola World
SUCH economies with fuel prevail as
aro unknown iu the New. However.
iu Cauadn certain methods are prac
iooi iu this direction which are de.
serving of imitation iu tho United
~HtHs. ln the warming OF houses not
% particle of heat is lost.
the principal heating stove is i'm the
main hall, and the pipe is not allowed
to enter the chimney until it - cold.
Nf.r..