Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-11-01
Ample Peat Swanps.

The coal strike brought into promin-
ence the possibility of all substitutes
for coal and especially did it bring forth
great deal of newspaper and argumen-
tative discussion of the manufacture of
peat feul. This is a question in which
the people of Northern Wisconsin can
we'll be interested, for the reason that
thousands and thousands of acres of
splendid peat marshes are being found
throughout this section of the state.
The matter of reducing this peat to a
merchantable commodity in the shape
of feul, is one that is just now attract
ing the attention of a great many scien-
tific men, and numerous experiments
are being tried.
In Canada there is a large factory in
operation, but in the United States,
most of the work is far in it's first
stages and could almost be called pre-
limsnary' At Whitewater in this state,
there is plant in operation, but as yet
no great success has been attained.
The trouble seems to be, 10 perfect
machine which will effectively form
the little briquetts properly dried and
firm. The Randall Synthetical Coal
Co. of Boston has spent great deal of
money in experiments and preliminary
work, which if successful will revolu-
tionize the feul industry of the'country.
Prof. G. M. Randall, the technical man
of the corporation, has experimental
with peat in this section on two diff
ferent occasions. He finds it of an ex-
cellant quality, in fact, as good as any
he has encountered, and would liked
to have placed somewhere in this vi
cinity, plant for the practical demon
stration of the worth of his invention
for the manufacture of peat fuel.
VIM. Danielson and the writer of this
article have learned much from Prof.
Randall on the proposition of localiz-
Ing the benefits to be accrued from its
manufacture. The trouble so far, is in
the lack of absolute perfection of the
finished product or any of the machines
so far made, and also the cost of its
manufacture. The process is a simple
one and involves only the getting the
water out of the peat. 1t is done by
heat and pressure, by pressing the peat
through heated tubes. The peat be-
comes hard and dry and is cut up into
briquettes, little larger tnan anthra-
cite coal chunks. 1t makes a splendid
fuel However, no machine has yet
been perfected, which does the work
with complete satisfaction. The cost
to manufacture is heavy and brings the
finished product, so far as experiments
up.to-date have shown, at price about
equal to that of bituminous coal. This
leaves the question of its being mar
ketable merely one of transportation.
If the time ever comes when per-
feet and successful machine is COM
pleted, there is no doubt but what
great boom in the peat industry will
take place. The plan OF the big Ran
dali corporation is to go into a peat
marsh, erect a factory, and with
dredge, clear all the land OF peat.
This factory with a capacity of about
one hundred tons per day, would cost
from forty Ito fifty thousand dollars,
and at the figures now obtainable in
their estimates, of first cost, would not
allow much for the land,
At the present time, there is not
much likelihood of peat fuel being sold
in any great quantities, but the time
will undoubtedly come when the in
ventive genius of some man will bring
forth machine which will reduce this
swad to feul at cost which will make
it profitable enterprise for the owners
and a great benefit to the people.-New
North.