The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-17

blast or smelter furnaces, but as nearly
all energy comes from coal. it's use must
| be economical, and the greatest econo-
my will come from pulverizing coal and
using it in the shape of a fine powder. In
ventions have been made trying to de-
liver this powder into the fire-box as fast
| as made. for il is as explosive as gun
powder. and as dangerous to store or
handle. IL this can be done. there will
be saving of coal due to perfect and
smokeless combustion, the admission
of air can be entirely regulated. the same
blast which throws in the powder FURNISH
ing oxygen Some Investigators have es-
| timated that the saving of coal will be-
as great as 20 per cent. This means 10o,-
| 100000 tons of coal annually.
Bituminous coal will then be as smoke
less as anthracite, and can be burned I'm
locomotives. Cities will be free from tho
nuisance of wasted COAL which we call
SCOT. This process will be the best kind
| OF mechanical stocking, and will prevent
the necessity of opening the doors of fire.
boxes. The boiler-rooms of steamships
VIII no longer be floating hells." and the
| nring of large locomotives will become
| easy.
Another problem of mechanical enSi-
neering is to determine whether II will he
found more economical to transform the
energy of coal at the mines into electric
| current and send It by wire to cities and
other places where it is wanted. or To
carry tho cooI b.. -, -, - y "
now do, to such places, and convert it.
there by the steam or gas engine
In favor OF the first method ii can be
said that hills of refuse coal now renre-
senting locked-up capital can be burned.
and the cost of transportation and han
ding be saved Electric energy can now
transport power In high voltage economic
cally between coal mines and most large
cities.
The second method has the ADVANTAGE
of not depending on one single source of
supply, that may break down. but In hay.
ing the energy stored in coal pockets near
by the place of use; where II can he an
piled to separate units of mower with M
fear of failure
1t seems probable that combination
Oh the two systems will produce the best
results. Where power can be sent electro
caiiy from the mines for less cost than
,he coal can De transported, that method
VIII De USED.
10 prevent stoppage OF works. the sep
ara.e motors ana store OF coal. to be
uSeu III cases OF emergency VIII still be
hseueu' JUST as mas peen described as nee
essary 10 tne commercial success of wave
nioeofs.
ELkt IhicAL ENGINEERING.
Any attempt by the writer of this arti-
Gle to trace the progress of electricity
would be but vain repetition, after the
admirable manner in which the subject
has been treated in a former paper of this
series by Prof. Elihu Thomson
We can only once more emphasize the
fact that it is by the union of four sep
arate classes of minds-scientific discov-
erers, inventors engineers. and capitalists
that this vast new industry has been
created. which gives direct employment
to thousands, and, as Bacon said three
hundred years ago. has endowed the hui
man race with new powers
NETALLURGY AND MINING.
All the processes of rnetalI,rvv and min
ing employ statical. hydraulic mecb,ni-
cal. and electrical engineering Coal
without RAILWAYS and canals would ba
of little use unless electrical eneinaar,ne,
came m IT'S aid
II was estimated bv .ba late Lord Arm
strong that of the $50 900 600 IN 800 600
900 tons of coal annually nrodpced in the
world. oue-third is used for steap, nrodue-
ton one-third in netaIl,,rpicaI nrocassas
and one-tbird for domestic consumntio,,
This last item seems large IT is tho most
important manufacturing industrv in tho
world. as NAV he seen nv con,narine, the
,oalless condition of tho ciobtaertb ocr-
-ury with the coal-usinp condition n, tho
nineteenth century.
Next in Importance comes the nroduc-
ion of iron and steel staaI an accour+
If it's great cost and brittIeness was
,nlv used for tools and sneciaI nurnosas
until past the middle of the last cant,,r,,
This has been all changed by the inven-
non OF ms steer by Bessemer In 1861, and
'Pe'i-iearth steer III the furnace or Sic
mems, perfected some twenty years since
y 1hclrlst * Ihomas-
me cnited states nave taken the lead
n steel manufacture. In 1913 Great Brt-
am MADE three times as much steel as
ne United states. Now the United States
makes twice as much as Great Britain, or
y per cent OF all the steel made in the
world
Mr.. Carnegie has explained the reason
Why, in epigrammatic phrase: Three
pounds of steel billets can be sold for
wo cents"
This stimulates rail and water traffic
nd other industries, as ne tells us one
ound of steel requires two pounds of ore,
ou6 tI,;r1 ,.n,,,5, ,o,i