The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-02
OVERCOMING THE SMOKE
FIREMEN CAN REMEDY MUCH OF
THE DOWNTOWN NUISANCE.
Improvement at the Hotel English
''Banking' the Fires at the
Hendricks Block.

David Gibson yesterday demonstrated
conclusively that the smoke nuisance can
be almost entirely overcome by proper care
and handling of fires. His claim that it is
the fault of firemen that the smokestacks
of the large downtown buildings pour forth
such volumes of dense black smoke was
shown to be wen founded. One place that
has been much complained of is the Hotel
English. Little smoke has been noticed from
that source since the new plant was put
in, however, but formerly Monument Place
was filled with the SCOT and smoke This
was the first place visited yesterday by
Mr.. Gibson and a Journal reporter. Here
it was found that Mr.. Gibsons ideas of
managing the fires was being carried out
almost exactly by Engineer John Hanna
han. The boiler room is large, the draft is
good and everything is new and in the best
condition The coal used is neither block
nor slack, but it is fine enough to burn
through quickly. The fires are kept close to
the CRATES and are fed frequently. There is
no such a thing as banking the fires and
leaving them The fireman stays right there
and cares for them. The fires are spread
out over the entire furnace and are kept
very much alive by frequent and light fir
ing. 1t was noticed that Immediately after
the fires were replenished some smoke was
emitted from the chimney, but at this time
the volume was not great and it quickly
ceased until it required a sharp look to
see any smoke at all. During such weather
as yesterday the fires are replenished about
every fifteen minutes. 1t takes about three
minutes for the smoke to cease flowing.
AT this place the smoke evil is probably
as small as possible without a smoke con-
sumner that consumes.
Right opposite the alley, in the rear of
a building, on Illinois street, was small
chimney terminating in sheet iron pipe
about as large as an ordinary stove pipe.
1t probably come from stove or range.
More smoke and smoke of a denser volume
came from that pipe during yesterday aft
ernoon than from the big stack at the
Hotel English.
At the Hendricks block a good example
of the banked fire was seen. There the
smoke was pouring out in dense volume. A
look into the furnace showed the reason.
The fireman has considerable other work to
do about the building, besides attending to
the heating. He must leave his fires fire.
quently, and remain away for an hour or
yesterday he had just filled the furnace
expecting to be away for an hour. The fur
mace was full of coal, the under part of
which was burning and the upper part of
which was being robbed of its gas. The
gas went up unconsumed into the fiue and
left an unnecessarily large part of the car
bon to go that way later. If the coal had
been spread lightly upon the fire, the gas
hay ht1r nd he nrbo x1tffb
the fuel would have given out from Is to
20 per cent. more energy and there would
have been less smoke. In a place where a
large amount of coal is used the item of
saving by proper firing makes it a paying
matter to have it done correctly.
AT the Stevenson building it was found
that the fireman understood how to get
the most energy out of his fuel and also
how to get the least smoke except for one
feature. The coal was about three or four
times as large as it ought to have been.
The Denison House fires were fairly well
kept, but the furnaces looked as ii they
had not been cleaned frequently enough and
the coal was too coarse. The smoke stack
was pouring considerable black smoke out
in the direction of the Empire Theater.
Said Mr.. Gibson yesterday: There has
been a good deal said from time to time
on the subject of smoke nuisance and
understanding devices. Primarily, there
IS no device that will consume smoke after
1t is once produced. However, there are a
number OF devices which reduce smoke pro-
OuCllOll. bSA6N6 ny Il Careful system OF
firing by the large consumers of coal that
the smoke nuisance can be entirely abated
and at the same time be to them great
saving of fuel. All coal furnaces should
be fired often and fired light They should
be raked clean, as there should be at no
time more than four inches of fire on the
CRATE bars. When firing is heavy and at
long intervals the fresh coal thrown on is
heated to an extent as to generate a gas,
and here is the secret of both the smoke
and waste of fuel, as this gas is not per-
mitted to ignite and passes up the stack
together with great volumes of smoke. Fir
ing, as l suggest, reduces smoke produce
ton and increases heat production by per-
hitting the generated gas to ignite. Where
one sees great volumes of smoke pouring
out of a stack as they do in many in
stances in indianapolis, it is a sure indi-
cation of waste of coal and lazy fire
dianapolis in 1879 by w. NJ Barr which con-
tains much interesting matter on this sub
ject."