The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-06
POWER ~ A POUND OF COAL.
Vast Amount Of work That Can BE Got ou'
OF a Handful Of Black Diamonds
From Casters Nd0d;tre

VAST Amount OF WORK fnat N
OF a Handful of Black Diamonds
From Caster, Naoa.tre
n Won ,alse sso mounds 100 feet high IN one
minute Won have done 5000 foot-pounds OF
work in n minute and his Is called one horse
mower When we have weight, distance and
time We have the three elements which cons,i-
,ute A measure Of work by which two men or
two horses or two machines can be compared
Thi. had been done for some time before men
began 10 realize that there was a distinct rela-
| ton between such units Of work and quaint
ties Of heat.
Count Rumrord first attempted TO measure
this b, determining the quantity OF heat which
! WAS evolved in The boring of n cannon at The
arsenal AT Munich. Germany. Other observers
followed him. and finally adopted what is known
as the mechanical equivalent Of heat. namely.
77s foo,-,.oupds
uL,, a., ,hor,is, v,r,s IN determine The
WV" Nv 'n'H"'' "'"N -, H. n
power contained IN one pound OF 'oa' w SIM
NV brushes his coal to "A fine powder and takes
.r,,u ,,,,H,r -, !, which no carefully weighs,
'"'"" I'"" y" ,,r, undar
ana bl 'l'il'al means p"'"7 """'
water. Having previously determined the
oyo,t uciclt ,rd ,s,rrara,ure ol this water,
"'' .na. 81, .nor,;,r ~,
nc uhd9 us temperature a''er uhs Hu'H"'' VI
coal has been burned in IL, and then fguros out
,b,t il, tho .,,nu ,iuch of coal which he burnt
y - =. ','' ,tasaS y Ja,,i,,.
adlN =" m"'h 'eIhp'ra'uIe W Hn una" ''''"''
| Of water, a pound Of the coal will add a proper
,i,,o,, ,,,or,i,. O., . largor uaigbt of water
"' 49, .L., In. ,oLoo
Lev vs. ior me PURPOSE ol WHAT io''o"e' '"h'a
,oinin, ca, nooo hoo, u,u. This would
~ n a.,
be sonlc"ha' sllI'''r III S'Ne 'n"" q ma" No.
If We could burn this pound Of coal completely
and ,n,iralv under water and let all its heat
90 800. .o oorid roisa Tho ,eunera-
so mo mo wafer We co.'u ias0 'o ""'''"
ture Of 6a5 pounds Of water 10 degrees,
pic,rr, 10 ,oursclY that vou have n bathtub
s ,aa, nida and ,IIcd foot deem
D rect IONS : Ieet "'ue' "'" ""'" ! W. ~
with water, and that this water has a tempeTa-
,,ro Of q, d,rrsc. If the mound of coal could
y" -, -, ,,o, u.,.- ord all
be compulsory ourneu u" '"", "a'' Wv a.,
the heat thereby evolved could be impaired
., ,bis Rod, of water the latter would have
70 'nrooy bo,,ar . il would he n
become 10 degrees no.'e'' ! 49, 49,"
! comfortable bath AZ SO degrees ] AIR ms
does not seem lik" very much work, but II gives
q tair measure q the yuah,ity "f heat when
sIninb'rs in the lump OF coal.
which We found Sufficient TO warm our bath, If
exrcnded In mechanical work, would give vs.
236 horse power. Watt. he father OF The mod
err steam engine. found that a strong brewers
horse could, during eight hours, dc, work sufil-
ciept to raise 800 pounds 90 feet high IN one
minute. and hence he, called uls quanuty OF
work peri Ormed in this timr one horse power.
We must remember, however. that the horse
viii not be raising Constanth. for after each
hoist the rorn aud hooks must he again low
cred SO thai scarce -four ont of the eight hours
arc actually spent in the active Nork Of hoist
ing We have. thereiore, hidden away In this
one Mound of coal the full days work OF a strong
PprcAeron horse.
Tho snowfall in winter often seriously i'm
pedas trnycl on city streets, as well as on rail-
Wavs This has led Inventors to study out and
ratont a number OF devices intended 10 melt
away the snow. The fall6oy o! this mode or
uroCecdiu h., comes apparent as soon as We
way. II takes ii2 heat units 10 melt one pound
of ice or Snow when this iCe or snow is already
nj 20 degrees. If il is colder, II will take as
r,an, more heat units az are required first 10
brIntr the snow To this melting temperature,
known an the freezing point Therefore, when
the now is iuot ready 10 melt. the hea, in the
Mound of coal il iust sufficient to melt II pounds
~ snow This IA less than one-third of an or
| binary cart load. But we have Just seen that
| this Mound of coal carries within Il the power
NJ ora horses. each of which could easily pull
tb,rt, ,ims. "a much snow II loaded in a wagon.
az Ills one Mound OF coal can melt.
Again the o38 horse power Of potential en-
nnurd If cooi would do the work of an exprcss
iocnmotiye for ope-ffth of a minute. In other
words, II Is enough 10 haul a train Of eight cars,
| moulding Pullman sleeping cars and dining
cars M the rate OF ftty miles an hour one
siy,b ~ n mile II is enough 10 haul a cable
,ra,n M tie rate of nine miles an hour, includ-
;rn tbn grin oar the thriller. and Its ouotIm
~ II IL enough also TO null an electric motor
COR Loaded with passengers. M the rate of ton
| Miles an HON. two and one-halr miles.
""i q, MS now comrare the power Imprisoned
In ,his black diamond with the work OF a strong