The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-01

Powdered coal is the fuel Of the flu
ture, according to the officials or the
Illinois Central railroad, who have
been experimenting for the last week
with a device for making use of coal
dust.
rwo boilers at the railroads Four
feenth street power house have been
rauipped with the new invention. and
tests of efficiency and economy IN the
use of coal will be continued for the
next thirty days. At the end of that
time the railroad men claim they Will
have demonstrated that coal when
ground fine enough is the best and
cheanest fuel available, as well as be-
ing smokeless.
The subject of coal-dust firing has
occupied the attention of engineers all
over the world for years, but the idea
has only recently been put into prac-
tical shape. For coal-dust firing the
coal must be ground to powder as
fine as wheat flower.
The appliances now in use at the
railroad power house are simple.
large hopper above the door of the
tirebox receives the dust. which is pus
UP in bags-seventy pounds to the
bag. From this hopper the powdered
coal is Jared down by an automatic
shaker to a revolving brush with steel
bristles. At the same time currents
of air are admitted at one side and
the top Of the brush. Revolving sew
eral hundred times a minute. this
brush throws the particles of coal into
the firebox, where they are in stant-
ly in a state of combustion. Dampers
for the further admission of air are
placed below the brush.
These appliances were placed on ex-
ira boilers, the only change necessary
being the construction of a front fac
ing of brick about two feet deep.
Tests were made yesterday after
noon. when the other four boilers In
the power house, which are hand fired,
We're shut off, and the two boilers hav-
iEG the new devices were used to
operate the entire plant. Bags of
dust were poured into the hopper as
required, and the fire got no other at
tention during the two hours test,
except an occasional adjustment of the
dampers and the feeders. Illinois
coal, quoted at $1.40 per ton, was the
fuel, and the officials declared that, so
far as they could see It was doing the
work as well as the better grades for
nerly used. The coal is dumped into
a circular pit, where six hammers,
each striking 100 blows u minute,
pound the mass until it is fine enough
to drop through neshes at the bot
tom of the pit.
IT is claimed that the adoption of this
arrangement by the city would give
an easy solution of the garbage prob
lem, as the intense heat would in
stantly consume the rubbish. Expert
ments are being pushed to demon
strate whether the system is suitable
for use on the roads locomotives.
Tests will be made of the apparatus
in several of the large smelling works
within the next month.
John F.. Wallace. second assistant
vice president of the Illinois Central
railroad, declared that the officials of
the company We're satisfied that the
principle of the new invention was
correct. and that they expected to
demonstrate that there was a saving
of from twenty-five to forty per cent.
on the same quality of COAL Mr.. WAL
lace said that within the next month
he would begin experiments, using the
frnnt-end cinders and the clinkers
from the CRATES as fuel after grinding
them.-Chicago Record.