The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1905-04-13
IOWA COAL BETTER
THAN OTHER KIND
ST LOUIS TESTS SHOW SUPERB.
GRITTY FOR HEATING.
DISCREPANCY IN THE PRICES
Illinois Products Fail to Demonstrate
Alleged ouality-Results of Va
rious Tests by United States
Survey Are Announced.

.
A series of tests that nave been
undertaken by the State Geological
Survey, cooperating with the Unit
ed States survey, promises to bring
out facts that will be of interest to
every user Of coal. Already it has
been concluded that Goals imported
into Iowa are selling at a price that
is too high, when their efficiency is
compared with the Iowa Goals, which
are put on the home market at a
price considerably below the import
ed commodity.
When burned under the boilers at
the st. Louis testing plant, the Iowa
Goals, on the average, yielded energy
sufficient to maintain a horse power
for an hour for each SO pounds of
fuel burned. For six samples of IL
linois coal the average amount of
coal burned per horse power per
hour was 81, for one sample of
Pennsylvania coal 81 and for thir.
teen samples of West Virginia coal
3 pounds per horse power per hour.
The conditions under which these
tests were made represent fairly the
conditions that prevail in the aver
age power plant CT moderate size.
The Illinois Goals, therefore, when
are extensively used in the eastern
part of the state, and are often CIV
en- a decided preference over Iowa
Goals, should sell at practically the
same price as the-average Iowa coal.
A study of the chemical analysis of
the Goals from the two states made
in connection with these tests indi.
Gates that for domestic purposes the
same statement is true, for the con.
tents in sulphur and ash in the Goals
is about the same, and certainly the
advantage is not with the Illinois
Goals in these particulars.
Results of Tests. ..s
The laboratory tests as to the heat.
ing qualities Of the Goals TALES with
the tests in the power plant. The
Iowa Goals gave on the average $500
calories, and 1000 British thermal
units, and the same figures repre-,
sent the value Of the Illinois Goals in
these tests. The Pennsylvania coal
tested gave one-twelfth better and
twelve samples of West Virginia Goa
were one-sixth higher
By washing the Iowa coal, as il
done commonly in the east at cos
Of cents a ten, the per cent of the
ash was reduced four per cent, and
the amount Of sulphur one per cent
Coking tests were made on four OF
the Iowa Goals, in the ordinary bee
hive oven. On the average 8 500
pounds Of coal yielded $500 pounds
of coke, of a rather inferior quality
and the tests made were not encour
aging.
In the briquetting tests it was
found advantageous to use 8 per CEN
of tar as a binder, and 1t was salts
factorily shown that the fine Goa
waste Of Iowa can be prepared anC
put on the market as an excellent fu
ell by this process.
The important producer gas test
are yet to be made with the lows
Goals and the probabilities are tha
they will be successful. though there
will exist the necessity Of washing
the gas to remove the excess sui
phur. This process however, is sim
pie and inexpensive.
Five car loads of coal from al
many important mines in Iowa hav'
already been tested, and with the re
suits obtained 1t will be possible Il
illustrate the nature and significance
Of the work. For the nrst time II
the history of the country, coal from
practically all of the coal producing
states has been brought to singh
well equipped plant and has beef
tested under the same condition
and by the same men, whose posi-
ton guarantees a fair and impartia
statement of results.