New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-17
SNOW MELTERS THAT DON'T MELT

AN ENGINEER REVIEWS THE EFFORT OF IN
yENroRs TO REMOVE SNOW BY HEAT
The trial Of certain snow-meting machines In the
streets Of the city recently and the reported de-
cison OF Commissioner Waring against their
adoption BY the Street Cleaning Department, sug'
gest a review Of the efforts of inventors 10 so'e
this problem Of snow removal by melting' Inc
records Of The Patent Office for the last thirty years
are full OF more less hopeless attempts to design
arnaratus which shall reduce the obnoxious snow
and ice 10 water An engineer who had given some
attention to the matter said recently:
The scientific tables give the total heating effect
~ Mound Of Goa, at a figure sufficient TO melt
completely one hundred pounds OF snow or ice mat
Is to gay ton Of coal costing only few dollars
could melt a hundred tons Of snow II none OF inc
be,, csc ped \ hundred tons Of snow represents q
six-lnch fall on about four books Of sixty-foot
CITY street. TIE OF coal when should 'heo'e'.
,callV m elt this amount OF snow could De oous"'
for the hire OF a single cart for one ngh' whereas
rhe single cart in one nights work could not az
the outside carry away more than three 'o"s' "
six loads of half ION each This Is ohy 'h'ee pc
csut II the work which the equivaen- moneys
worth Of coal could dispose OF.
..These figures being considered. the question
arises why is not all the snow melted o" our
streets al the cost Of quarter oil ION oi e0"' ~
each book" 49, -, h..,
The answer p that far no machine mas oe."
s,hnI,,od +. the department which combines 'ne
tvo requisites OF efficiency and simplicity. "ahy
machines have been patented ana puIt ""''' ~"
s,nn,e enough. but they did not utilize even u.
three per cent OF the heating power OF the eosS
necessary to put them par win the car"
Others have been built which succeeded In UTILIZING
a reasonable proportion Of the heat say from - -
20 pAr CERT but they were so cumbersome VI
complicated that they were useless
About i've years ago Philadelphia machh's.
h,,i,, for the West Side Railroad Colptn! y,
Chicap 90 a machine If the latter type ~ sot a~a o.
,i,b tho snow as fast a gang could shoNei ~
hu, 4, wa TOO cumbersome and Costly. II 'sluuae.
a nortahle engine and boiler and a blower, Deslues
,be machine itself which consisted or iuridics
ns,tIny tank and connections ny when tis o.o~i
r. vas impossibIe to drag all these parts around ,s
stree, i'm operative connection 80 me paartsS
ri IN he sci No i'm A vacant .ot ana me snow 80
80 !, az course IL the snow mas 10 De ioaU'u liz
~ or, The cart might well De urhsn .oo,.iin.d
river ne TO a melting mach'"e' =" '"a' '
that scheme. .,.,.l. I'm this city were on
4, u, Nan a. one tried last winter. hhes ao
~ nropsrtv Of some Wea thy clIl"ens mas ani
,ne ,pSay hi,rn naphtha There are poile,s an.
ond blowers and heating ccils' ali1 "a
ensIi.bSs "nnaratus which make them cosby aru
Oh o'e and Liable 10 get out or order anu JUN
rbe list prce Of them p sald 10 oe 49," &C.
ou'. ~ -, gang.rols combustible ana the otises
Napnttna 'o"nartmsnt is afraid OF II. hu,noes
~ hiohenricsd rnen must be employer p" '
machine Of this type. ,,, ,,,u no solved when
.'The snow melting problem VIII Which can be sold
roa, FOR less than SoI0; mas no s.sd a on,nu
a. RIVERS about IT, and can ne saley nsrd en-.
"0,,,sIy onerated by man Win '"''"
license.