The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-03
The Curse Of
Soft Coal.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune.
CD HE health board is said to be pay
ing close attention to tho matter
of soft coal smoke In this city,
but to be hampered by the diff-
Guilty Of directing offenders. feo-
pie burn soft coal only on the sly. be-
tween midnight and morning That Is the
report. 1t seems incredible. and II Is in
correct. For, In the first place, hard coal
and soft coal are not used interchange
ably In the same furnaces. Each requires
its own special type of furnace and chim-
ney. To say that concern burns hard
coal all day and then after dark stokes
up with soft coal and burns 1t all night
Is to say something that practical expe-
ricnce contradicts. And, in the next
place, nothing is needed but a good pair
or eyes to convince ono that soft coal is
burned all day long and to show exactly
where II IL being burned. From any ele-
vated outlook one can see here and there
chimneys bclchng forth clouds of dense
black smoke: at day-dawn and at high
noon, as we'll as at night There is one
notable offender in Brooklyn, between
South Brooklyn and the Park Slope, that
towers high in the air and day and night
sends forth dun clouds that can be seen
for miles and that are polluting the city
for many blocks around.
--o--
front. too. the evil may be clearly dis
cerned. For obvious reasons 1t may be
necessary for ocean going steamships to
burn soft coal. They are often compelled
to recoal in ports whore anthracite is not
obtainable. But there can be no such eS-
cuse for tugboats ana ferryboats that
are strictly local in their service and
never 60 outside this hurbor Yet these
latter are among the worst offenders.
Indeed, offenders on both land and wa
ter are NO numerous that II seems mex
plicable that any difficulty should be en-
countered In detecting them. There are
parts of the city where for blocks all
buildings are coated externally with
lampblack and where the opening or win
dows means that the interiors of the
rooms will be similarly defiled. The whole
aspect Of the city is changed: and as one
| looks at 1t now from distance II seems
crowned, not as of old with pearly or
| opalescent halo, but with streaks and
clouds of sable hue.
20
AS If to add insult to injury, 1t is grave.
| ly set forth that one of the worst Offend
| ers has spent q good deal of money in
trying to devise a smokc-consuming ap-
paratus. What earthly business has 1t to
| burn soft coal until it has perfected such
| an appara tus? What right has it to i'm
pose upon the public the nuisance and the
burden of experiment-makng? Suppose
| railroad were to run trains without
| safety brakes or a steamship were to go
without iifeboats and cork belts because
| ii was trying to devise some new kind
| of apparatus. how long would such prac-
| tice be tolerated? Moreover, the implied
| pretence that no smoke-consuming device
] is how known is insincere. That matter
| was settled many years age by Lord Pal
! merston He said that the big furnaces
| In London must consume their own smoke.
| But 1t cannot be done" objected the
| furnace-owners. II don't know whether
1t can or not" replied "Old Pam" land
I don't care; ] say it must be done" Ana
il was done. The sririt of Lord Palmers-
| ton is what is needed in New York to rid
1t of the abomination that has been i'm
posed upon It.