The sun., 1901-10-09
GETTING FULL VALUE OF COAL.

UE llNU TILL vHIOE W S0n
"a penny saved is Il penny earned In
this negative sense of the old adage the
last three decades have witnessed
steady increase in the earning power OF
coal rs regards its capacity FOR generat-
ing steam 1t is estimated that the an
nua consumption of coal i'll the uhlteu
States approaches W000O00 tons. OF
which not less than 60 per cent. rs nscd
for the making of steam. This amount,
at the low average of 500 per ton,
eoua,s $500, ,OO0, 900. on which 10 per
cent. saving alone would mean an annual
increase of S3O,000.0OO in the nations
prosperity. Ten per cent, however, ID
by no means the measure of economy
which the elimination of Improvement
represents over the practice of compar-
atyely recent past. Ii the proofs were
at hand to make comparison between the
performance of the boiler and engine
equipment of such steamers as the one on
which Lincoln travelled to New orleans
and the modern Deutschland, 1t would
probably be found that the latter would
deyelop three times the horsepower Win
the same amount of fuel.
The advance from the simple hand
fired cylinder boiler and plain, old-fash-
ioned slide valve steam engine 10 such
plants as shall soon operate the Manhae-
tan Elevated Railroad system, represents
such gigantic strides of Improvement as
to be altogether incomprehensibie TO the
layman.
OF the two distinct problems involved
IN tbe cycle of operations which starts
with the burning of piece OF coal ana
eliminates in the turning of shaft,
from the generating of steam IN the
boiler to its application in the engine,
the engine question has until coinpara-
lively recent years, received by FAR the
greatcr attention from the engineering
profession. The hest talent has been
attracted toward solution of the IT,
tricate problems connected with the most
advanced stages of engine evolution.
The united effort of these skilled special
lists has resulted in economy over eccn-
omy, until. like water approaching the
stand-still condition of finding its level,
a point is reached at which any succeed
ing Improvement must, in the nature OF
things, I've so near the ultimate that It
emphasizes the question as to whether
the slight increment Of economy aimed
at justifies the additional necessary
mechanism of delicacy of adjustment by
OF late years, however. very decided
Improvement has taken place in the atti-
tude of engineers toward the steam gem
Grating portion Of power equipments,
brought about largely by n closer study
of the principles of combustion, so that
at the present day il would be Il decided
novelty to find any large power plant be-
ing installed without the supervision Of
consulting engineer. In so far as fur
mace economy is concerned. IT would be
hard to conceive il wider departure from
the true principle of burning coal than
that exhibited in the ordinary fire room,
where the coal is thrown on the CRATE by
the fireman. scattering it as evenly as he
may over the crate surface at more or
less wider intervals of time. When we
consider that, especially in the softer
Goals, very large proportion of the heat
giving elements consist of voltiale gases
contained in the coal. which gases are
given off at comparatively low heat,
and that in handfiring the black (green)
coal occupies the upper stratum on the
CRATES, the incandescent (glowing) portion
being underneath, il follows that these
gases, released at such Il low tempera-
ttre, with no opportunity of being g-
ntet, pass off unconsnmed, resulting in
the altogether too familiar sight of vast
volumes of black smoke being emitted
from the numerous chmneys Of our
industrial centers; all of which is not
only avoidable, but is avoided entirely by
! the application of the so-called under
I; feed system, SO widely introduced by the
, American Stoker Company.
! The apparatus used by this company
for the consuming Of fuels by this prin-
cple is placed underneath the ordinary
CRATE bars, sufficient number of the
bars being removed to admit it. The
coal is fed into a hopper, which extends
out in front of the usual boiler outline
and conveyed forward toward the or.
! dinary bridge wall, at which point il ia
, ohstructed sufficiently to compel any ex-
!, cess of coal fed to rise upto the level OF
!, ! the CRATES, over which it spreads toward
the usual side wallis. As the coal in II,
upward course approaches the bed OF in.
candescent coke, the volatile gases ara
released, and there, meeting stream Of
fresh air entering through the CRATES.
!, both become highly heated and ignition
u G,Il.