The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-02

The Washington coal upon which the
greatest Interest centers. especially at the
present time, when the government is
figuring upon its Pacific sources OF sup
ply. is that OF the highest grade, with a
composition emitting II to rank as good
steamer coal The engineers of the ocean
steamers. ard especially OF the great pas
senger and freight liners and the govern
ment lighting and transporting ships, re-
quire the best coal In the world, and are
The qualifications essential to good
steamer coal are many The value OF a
coal for steam purposes IL to a great ex-
tble materials. The higher Its proportion
of fixed carbons and combustible volatile
matter. the greater its heat-producing
powers. A small percentage Of ash and
noncombustible matter IL necessary be-
cause the smaller the proportion OF the
undesirable matter, the less the burning
the residue left in the furnace. Free
burning is another quality sought for by
engineers
It Is difficult to find any just system for
steamer Goals Of Washington The proof
OF coal Il in It's burning. Select anaiy-
ses may show coal possessed Of every
on the furnace CRATE produce a quite OPP
posite result. The usual analysis IL made
from but a small quantity Of coal--so
small that II is a mere chance II II proves
representative OF the entire deposit There
Is no coal mine that IL not composed OF
number OF widely different strata. a
sample from any one of these will be
misleading. and in comparatively few
cases In the sampiing for analysis made
general, The average analysis Ia from a
picked sample. and shows up much better
than the general run OF the mine justifies.
The best proof OF the value of the
Washington Goals is the actual test they
have received In use on the Pacific steam
erS. They entered the market with a
strong prejudice against them and a gen.
erai disposition to let well enough alone
- -
island Goals All this they have sur
mounted and have steadily pushed their
way forward until their use is probably
the pactfic ocean The Aiashan 'i boats Is
the government TRANSPORTS. the San Fran
cisco boats. all use Washington coal and
greater. Unfortunately. this conclusive
proof OF high yalne for steamer use can
not be reduced to tabular form for pur-
poses of comparison.
The statistics bearing upon the wash
ing,On steamer Goals have never been
cninniled In available form. The records
furnish some such Information. but Il IS
Incomplete and has by no means been
kept TN to date.
The government svaporative tests. be-
cause OF tho eminently practical manner
OF making the trials. probably furnish the
best gauge for judging the steam value OF
the Washington Goals. Twelve tons of q
coal are necessary 20 make one Of these
tests This coal is given regular boiler
trial. under n scientific arrangement. The
exact amount OF water evaporated by the
coal e. determined aud II compared with
the similar evaporation produced by a
cord az dry oak wood. From this com
parixon IL prepared the equivalence OF the
coal the number OF pounds OF coal re-
ouIred 10 produce the same amount of
heat as the cord OF wood, These evapors
atIva tests have been IN progress for
years. and In their records are Included
All the best Goals OF the world.
Resuits OF Government Tests.
The highest grade Goals are those OF
Wales With the Australian ranking
close SECOND For the purpose OF show
Ing the comparative value % the wash
instoo proanrts the following table has
been prepared from the records Of the
war department All Goals given are b.