Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-17
OZONE MIXED WITH SMOKE
scot-Lsdsn Atmosphere Causes Women &c
Wax Wrathy.
oesPontR OF RA6LANs AND ROSY CHttt S
Omaha IL Not the Worst smoke
Town ON the Map. Yet u Has
Enoush-City Enginecr's
Prediction.

NnlIe Omana SuUcrS leSS from tnc slohe
nuisance than the average city Of like size.
there is yet enough OF II to worry the
scrupulously tidy housekeeper and to evoke
exclamations of real wrath from the blonde
creature encased In white raglan and other
airy fairy nuttering garb.
Eight years ago an ordinance was passed
by the city council which provided that
owners and tenants OF buildings whose heat
ing and power plants sent forth dense smoke
should be fined not less than IS nor more
than $50 for each offence.
This ordinance Is notable chiefly on ac-
count Of the failure OF the city 10 enforce
It, Less than half dozen buildings In the
city have consumers and the clouds OF
blsckness pouring from hundreds OF chin
neys tell of the inetflciency OF anti-smoke
legislat ation.
Omaha is not alone in it's failure TO find
Il remedy for the smoke nuisance. Chicago
has been making q crusade against smoke
for years and Is still smoking. The poor
stokers have been blamed for the volumes
OF dense smoke and defenders of the men
who spend long hours shoyelins coal into
the furnace say that 1t Is impossible to fire
the ordinary heating or power plant with
out producing considerable smoke.
city Engineer Is Hopeful.
I'm twenty-five years all cities the size
OF Omaha will be entirely free from the
smoke nuisance" was the opinion expressed
by City Engineer Andrew Rosewater when
he was asked what the city of the future
Will do to protect itself against clouds OF
smol;e and showers OF SCOT. Even In less
than a quarter OF century | expect TO see
all the power and heat In cities furnished
by one or more central plants. These plants
will be equipped with perfect smoke-con-
sumers and will free the city from the pres
ont-day nuisance,
1t Is possible to equip with successful
smoke consumers large plants which are
operated continually, but so far there have
been no devices invented which can be used
successfully in connection with a small
plant. Much depends on the way fre Is
cared for. but no man could nre the average
! furnace in such a manner that It will be en-
| tirely free from smoke. The crate surface
! In most boilers is so limited that the fire
Is not afforded enough oxygen for perfect
| combustion and as result much OF the car
| bon escapes through the fue.
| When the doors of furnace are thrown
| open and fuel Is thrown in II is almost
| impossible to prevent great volumes OF
| smoke from escaping through the cnim-
neys. Automatic stokers do away with this
trouble to a certain degree. but even with
these devices It is impossible to avoid some
smoke when fres are being started or when
1t is necessary to clean out furnaces.
"a glance at the two smokestacks used q,
| the power plant OF the Omaha Street Rail-
way company is enough to convince on,
| that there are smoke consumers which are
successful when used in connection with
| large power plants in constant operation
The two stacks OF the street company ac-
commodate an equal nj mber Of boilers. II |!
very seldom that any smoke escapes from
the smokestack which Is provided with tn,
| consumer. The other stack sends forti
considerable smoke most OF the time"
once BuiIdings' smoke.
Most of the Omaha Office buildings are
fragrant violators of the smoke ordinance 2
The Bee building is an exception. 1t Is
seldom that any smoke is seen cominf
from the stack of this building on ac
count of the great care exercised in frinl
the furnaces. Automatic stokers are useI
in connection with the heating and powe
| plant and coal is worked into the hrei
| without opening furnace doors.
| at has been found that the automatic
stokers do more to prevent smoke than thu
| consumers which we're once used in con
ncction with The Bee building plant" sale
II. f.. Wheeler, who Is in charg,
OF the boilers. "The stokers feed the fr
evenly and do away with the necessity o
opening furnace doors. The only tim'
that any considerable amount OF smok,
escapes from the stack is when fires are
being started or when the furnaces ar
being cleaned"
The city hall heating plant is not pro
vided with any smoke consumer. Their
Is an Arrangement By means OF which JET
1 H. ala
ing smoke, but this Is not used as It doe
but little good. Care is exercised In firing
but a glance at the city hall smoKestscl
shows that the city is a violator Of 1T
own ordinance.
In discussing the means of consumin
smoke employed by the street railway com
pany, Engineer David Gilbert, who hs
charge OF the city hall plant, said:
IAN oven Is used through which the Goa
passes before 1t 1t put under the boilers
The coal is freed from gas and smoke an
practically becomes coke. This metho,
Of treating coal is very successful in larg
plants which run constantly. but It can
not be adapted to an ordinary hcatin
plant"
Tones Down the smoke.
Downdraft furnaces, in which the smok
is forced to come In contact with heate
surfaces before escaping into the air hav
been successful in a degree. and when 4
working order free the smoke OF much cal
bon and gas and make 1t less offensive.
| An expert engineer suggests that n
boiler should be constructed In which tn
tubular coils are not at least twenty -fou
inches from the crates. This would insur
sufficient space for the oxygen necessary I
bring about successful combination.
Another suggestion Is that air blasts b
introduced at each side OF a furnace instea
Of In front, as Is the case with most ful
naccs. 1t Is maintained that a cross -drai
would he created by this means and tn
possibility OF excessive smoke would
done away with.
But even with the most approved cor
sumers engineers can plan careless fire
men can produce smoke and sufferin
public must appeal to the intelligence
, firemen II relief is desired In many case
, plants are fred by men who are not quail
. fed for the work, Firemen are frequentl
a compelled TO work extremely long hour
with small pay and TO the fatigue OF en-
ployes practical engineers charge much
the smoke nuisance.
! Cities where bituminous coal Is burne
almost exclusively are not alone In the
struggle with smoke. Anthracite coal fu
| oil and evan natural gas can ei ha ao ~,