The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-01-07
A RIVAL OF KING COAL.
Briquettes Said to Make an
Ideal Fuel.
CLEAN, CHEAP, NEARLY SM0KELESG

Plenty OF Material I'm the United
States For Making Them - How
They Are Manufactured In Ger
many-A Plant to Be Established
In New York Soon.
Because of the high price and scar
city of coal the patent Office at Washing
ton is being flooded with inquiries re-
garding machinery for the manufac-
ture of briquettes or prepared fuel,
says the Rev York World. While
scores Of patents have been issued on
machinery designed for this work, but
few factories have been established in
the United States, although it is
profitable Industry abroad, and par
ticularly in Germany, France and Bel
GUM. These fuel briquettes are made
from Ignite, peat, coal dust and culm
from the anthracite fields.
There are in the United States vast
| beds Of peat in western New York.
New England, Michigan, Illinois, Wis
consin, Oregon and Washington which
have in the past been neglected, but
are now being surveyed and invest1-
gated with o view to the establishment
Of factories. In the DakotaS there are
| quantities of Ignite, and throughout
the gulf states is to be found ma
terial available for fuel which is spe-
cies OF lignate peat.
The great culm heaps about the an
| thracite mines everywhere can be util-
lied for this purpose and sold for even
less than the best selected coal, in adj
dition to occupying less space for
storage.
The Germans have reached the max
| imum in the manufacture of fuel bri-
quotes, according to report made to
the state department by the consul
general at Berlin, Frank II. Mason.
The factories there are divided into
| two classes in respect to the material
employed--those using brown coal, lig-
mite or carbonized peat and those
using as the basic material coal dust
and refuse from the mines.
Household br1quettes as made in Ger
cheaper, kindle more readily and burn
with clear, full flame. They are used
for CRATES, heating and cooking stoves
and ranges and constitute the principal
household fuel Of Berlin. They are
made of brown coal, peat and to small
extent from anthracite dust. The stand
ard household briquette is inches long,
A do HI k.,~o ND 10
retailed and delivered in Berlin at
prices ranging from 50 thousand in
summer 10 $3.50 thousand in the win
| ter. These briquettes are stacked up in
| the cellars of the houses and, being
| cleanly, are carried about much the
same as wood In the United States.
There are 2S6 factories making brown
coal briquettes in Germany, with to
| tai of 691 presses. each press capable
of an output of from fifty to ninety tons
of briquettes day.
Industrial briquettes are used in Ger
many for firing locomotives, steam boil
ers, for smelling and many other kinds
Of industrial heating. They are made
of bituminous coal dust, held together
tar derived from coke ovens or gas man.
ufactories. The pitch costs from SO to
So ton, and it Is seldom that more
than 6 or 8 per cent of pitch is neces-
sary to make the briquettes available.
| Pitch of this character can be bought
much cheaper in the United States than
in Germany. These briquettes, while
10f oh 4OIx Olr OIN hoy lose,
smoke than ordinary bituminous coal.
When burned in locomotives or in any
furnace with a good draft, they create
only thin, translucent mist containing
| little SCOT.
| The manufacture of industrial bri-
quettes is controlled by syndicate
with a total output of 100000 TONS
The briquettes vary in weight from
three to ten pounds and are usually
square or oblong in shape, convenient
to be packed or built up into a wall
like bricks, greatly economizing space.
When burned whole, they are con-
suned slowly, giving out steady,
moderate heat for a long time. When
it is desired to intensity the heat, they
| are DIOkGn up anu LsIeu give OuC q
long, fierce fame. The state railways
of Prussia use 100000 tons Of these
industrial briquettes annually.
| A combination of the manufacturers
of briquette making machinery in Ger
many has been executed and will soon
establish a branch office in New York
city in charge of a competent engineer,
who will examine sites for briquette
| factories and will furnish estimates on
the cost of installing plants near avail
able locations. These manufacturers
have expressed desire to furnish esti-
mates on all materials If sent to the
German Offices in packages containing
not less than ten pounds.
In this way they hope to make direct
| ly available to American capital the
technical experience and scientific
knowledge which have made the bril-