The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-28
A CITY WITHOUT SMOKE|
GOOD MANAGEMENT OF BETUM-
 INDUS COAL IN BERLIN.
Satisfactory Demonstration That It Can Be Burned Without Caus- ing Heavy Smoke.
 The Method.
Boston Transcript

Boston Transcript
 It is quite time that systematic and | we'll directed efforts should be made to improve the smoke conditions in Boston. | which are tha result of rapidly increas-
 ing consumption of btuminous coal.
 Either the present laws, which are in tended to regulate and control these new
 conditions, and which are constantly
 violated. should be enforced or better laws should be substituted for them. In | either case the authority to enforce such laws and the general control of this re- form should be vested by the State in the | Board of Health or some other equally | efficient body. It would be unwise to | adopt measures which would practically | prohibit the use of soft coal The inter
 ests of the coal merchant. the manufac-
 turer and economist should be considered. l and an intelligent study and adoption of | the methods by which butiminous coal
 may be tudiciously and economically
 burned would prove benefit to the com | munity at large, and Boston would still
 be a clean, bright. cheerful city
 For economical methods and good dis cipline 1t is quite natural to turn toward | Germany for suggestions, and the follow ing report of a recent investigation of the
 smoke conditions in Berlin may serve to
 throw some light upon the subject, which
 may be used to advantage In solving tho problem in Boston:
 | The existing conditions in Berlin prove | conclusively that bituminous coal when | properly and economically burned, does
 not produce objectionable and excessive | smoke. The good results are far more
 due to the excellent management on the | part of the city authorities. to efficient | police control and to faithful and intelli- gent care of fires than the employment
 of expensive methods and devices for l consuming smoke No doubt necessity l has been largely responsible for the 1 favorable conditions which are found in | Berlin. where perhaps to an unusual de- | gree sanitary. aesthetic and economic | considerations have combined and forced | upon the German capital careful study of tirs problem. From the sanitary point of view it Is perhaps only necessar, to say that very properly the authorities or the city of Berlin recognize the i'm portance of cleanliness as conducive to the health and moral condition of it's people. And not of least importance is the aesthetic consideration, a due regard for the beauty of the city, which so much depends upon the absence of smoke The population of Berlin is about 2,5OO,0OO The city covers great area and is situ- ated in the midst of broad, level plain. It is a beautiful residential city, as we'll as an important manufacturing center"
 Although remote from the coal mining districts, necessitating the transportation of fuel from distance, one-third of the business of Berlin and it's immediate neighborhood is manufacturing. In the year 1900 there were no less than 1851 manufacturing plants in operation in Berlin. In order to protect the resi- dential interests the larger factories are. in most cases. on the outskirts of the ton of coal and coke amounted to 1,96S- o40 tons. of which coke was a very small percentage. In addition to this there was consumption of inferior brown amounting to 1,020,706 tons. making q to- tai coal consumption for the year 1900 Of 746 tons an increase over 1899 of 325,9sl tons It is interesting to note that of this total tonnage 1,029146 were upper Silesian coal of the lowest grade, T bituminous coal much inferior to that of Nova Scotia.
 The three native coals which are most per silesian and lower silesian, costing, respectively. $50. s and $6.75 per toil, delivered at wholesale. These were the average prices in 1900 but they are con- s.snty sraHa They are all low ductive of volumes of black smoke when carelessly and wastefully burned. For domestic purposes anthracite coal coke and brown coal briquettes are principally used. none of which cause serious s2oke under ordinary conditions. The annual consumption of anthracite coal is about SO.ooO tons. of which two-thirds are inn ported DOT, from England, and 1t costs at re- From the above figures the relation which economy bears to the smoke problem in Berlin may be readily inferred.
 It would be unfair to give the impress sion that the conditions in Berlin are as favorable as those in cities where anthra- | ciate coal Is the chief fuel. for there is of | course. some smoke at times, and there | are some tall chimneys which smoke | longer than they should and send forth | blacker smoke than Is necessary.
 However. in consideration of the encr- | nous consumption of bituminous coal of | low grade, and the fact that there are in | Berlin one thousand factory chimneys atmOSnhaFe m Ia afp1U remarkably clear of smoke; but in spite | or this, constant progress is being made | towards still further improving the con- | ditions. A recent development is the ex- | tensive uses of gas for fuel.
 Among other precautions great care is | given to the construction of all manufac- | turing establishments, which is under the | direct control of the building and sani- tary police. Every factory, under tho new law, is provided with police stair way for the purpose of police inspection. The police system of Germany Is prac- tically free from corruption, and it owes its effectiveness to the inherent regard | for authority of the German people. The protection of the public from nuisances and regard for the public comfort is the | mission of the Berlin police, and mis- sion well fulfilled. Moreover, the city authorities, which are sustained and re- strained by royal iqnfiuence and the State government of Prussia. exert a powerful | influence in controlling all such matters.
 
 siveiy the police send an expert to in- vestigate the trouble and advise rem edy In ordinary cases of careless smok- ing an officer calls at the factory and re- ports his observations of several days, | and requests more care. If the advice is | not needed and the offense continues fine Is imposed, but this is seldom mecca sary.
 There are good laws in Berlin regulat- ing the heights of factory chimneys | which is considered of very great impor- tance. The minimum height is twenty five meters, and In many cases they ex- ceed seventy meters. Great benefit is derived from tRs boiler inspection un- ions" which exist in Germany They are private organizations. having for their business testing of boilers, under State license. drawing plans for boiler plants and other such work. But in connection with this they furnish schools. In which for fees of from $2 to 8 men are given two weeks instruction in the art of firing and in the general care of boilers. The men so trained are greatly in demand. and 1t is a very interesting fact thar these schools have been the direct means of raising the standard of firemen in Ger many. There are seven such schools in Prussia and a number in other parts of Germany.
 If. then. under proper conditions, bltu- minous coal can be burned without caus- tions and how may they be best obtained? In order to arrive at this information in the most direct way, many of the princi- pal factories in Berlin were visited and the questions were put to practical men who have carefully studied the problem, and who have solved it satisfactorily. as their smokeless chimneys testify Rea-