Evening star., 1902-01-03
sMokELEss CITIES.
Means Suggested to Dissipate SoOfy
Clouds of Coal.

From the New York Tribune.
Not the least interesting feature Of the
ST Louis exposition Of 1903 viii be the at
tempt to show the country how easily
smoke may be dispensed with when soft
coal is used. The managers intend that In
the generation of the 10000 or 25, ,O0o- horse
power which they will require coal shall
be so burned as to emit no visible fumes.
Furthermore. they will urge. all railway
companies running trains to the grounds to
affix smoke-compressing devices to their To-
comotives. This policy has been adopted
at the instigation of local nuisance abat-
ing society, and there is much reason for
faith in Its feasibility. In fact, both on
railways and in stationary power plants it
has of late been repeatedly demonstrated
that the evil in question can be overcome
by careful stocking, and without the use Of
special appliances to promote combustion
Nevertheless. conservatism Is ingrained in
the human mind. The majority OF the con-
sumers of soft coal are incredu1ous. And
II will take time and trouble to convince
them. Hence THE American Machinist" re-
marks that IL the ST. Louis plan can be
carried out strictly, "a service will be rem
dered to the country greater than such ex-
hibittons are usually credited with" And
the lesson is particularly needed in the
west, which Is unable to obtain anthracite
except at prohibitive prices.
But there is another way to free q large
community from smoke. All the power
required for factories and the operation of
street railways might be developed at a
central station outside the city limits and
be transmitted to consumers in the form of
electricity. One of the great movements Of
the age Is toward the employment of cleo
trio motors to drive machinery of all kinds,
in order to get rid of belts and shafting,
and thus to save both space and power.
Another advantage Of the system is that the
power may be conveniently brought from
distant places where circumstances favor
Its cheap development, like Niagara or the
Slopes of the Sierra. Some of the electricity
which San Francisco now uses Is generated
In the Yuba valley, more than two hundred
miles away. But all the streams in this
country together are not sufficient to gen
crate tenth of the power actually needed,
Hence fuel Is an absolute necessity. It is
not essential, though, that 1t should be
burned at the precise spot where its output
of energy is utilized.
When small consumers Of power obtain
II like gas. water or current for lighting
and driving electric fans, from a big pro-
ducer, 1t should be much less expensive
than when developed on the premises
Power costs less when generated on large
scale than on a small one. The coal con-
sumption for the most economical marine
engines Is scarcely more than one pound
horse power hour. A Neutrality-suspicious.
engine In a back street machine shop would
want anywhere from five to eight. And, in
asmuch as real estate Is cheaper in the
suburbs than in town, the company which
operated great power plant would doubt
less find 1t desirable to select q site five
or ten miles from the heart of the city to
which 1t ministered. And if it did not go
there voluntarily, and there was any doubt
on the score Of smoke, then exclusion should
De effected by prohibitive local ordinances