The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-12-15
florida MUCK
To COMPETE
WITH COAL
Unique and Important Industry
Now in Operation in City
of Orlando.

One of the most unique and far
reaching enterprises in the state eff
Fioriaa is in operation in this city,
which viii positively settle the fuel
question in years to come, long after
the forests have been swept off the
face of the land, says the Orlando Re
porter. In fact, it is demonstrated
now beyond a peradventure that in
competition with coal, and with even
the plentiful supply of wood in this
section, that the ordinary muck beds
lying on every hand about us when
properly treated produce an article
which for heating purposes and for
steam production is preferable to
wood or coal
The knowledge of the use to which
the peat beds of Scotland and Ireland
are put in many sections of these
countries depending wholly upon this
/ decomposed vegetable product for
fuel. is probably what induced Mr.. j.
NJ. Cheney of the Orlando Water and
Light Company to experiment with
the muck of this locality. He has
demonstrated to his satisfaction that
he can manufacture compressed
\ bricks Of peat which, ton for ton, is
equal to bituminOus coal.
Mr. Cheney and Capt Rlchanl Hud-
son have been working on plans to
facilitate the manufacture of this fuel,
and have perfected machinery that is
calculated to do the work Of ten or
dozen men much more effectively
than heretofore.
The new factory is located some
what nearer to the muck bed than
7 the old one was, and is so constructed
/ that it can readily be moved TO other
I beds nearby when necessary, though
I the bed in the immediate vicinity con
tains sufficient material to keep the
factory working about two years.
This bed is worked in ten-f0Ot strips,
the muck being from two to ten feet
thick. In taking out the muck canals
are formed, which. being below the
level of the lake not far distant, i'm
lmediately fill up with water. Mr..
Cheney has DEVISED floating house,
containing q pump. operated by a I'VE
horsepower electric motor, which
floats on these canals as the muck is
dug cut and pumps them free of the
water, to enable the muck to be mined
to the bottom of the cut This moist
muck, as 1t is cut out OF the bed, is
carried by a conveyer formed by a
belt 300 feet long into a Roper, UNI
4 Cerneath which is a condenser, having
six rollers, each set geared to revOlve
at a different speed, and is cut up
into small particles. The muck then
drops into another conveyer ana is
carried to the brick machine. This
machine has five chambers, filled
with maceraters. wherein the muck is
iforced through grooves until it is re
duced to a dense pulp, when the re
lYolving brick mOulds pick it up ano
least the brick at the rate of 100 pei
minute or los. 900 per day of ten
hours This machinery is propelled
with another electric motor of fifteen
horsepower. Teams then take the
moulded muck to the drying spaces
where the heat of the sun does the
rest. This will keep eight men anC
five teams busy all the while.
The company proposed to use thi,
peat TO burn under boilers, now be
ing especially constructeI Tor the pUr
pose. at the water and light plant, and
ii may be that at some time in the
future they will sell the fuel to ihe
public. At any rate, here is being
opened up a great industry of wonder
fu value. as the muck beds of the
state are practically ineXhaustible.