Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-03
ST. LOUIS COAL TESTS
Results of Experiments With
the Different Varieties.
MUCH INTEREST EXHIBITED
Mine Owners and Operators Send Ex-
perts to Report.
UTILIZATION OF WASTE MATTER
Employment of Slack to Produce
Steam-Proper Handling of Fuel
Economy of Briquettes.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

| Chicago
Record Herald.
| ST. LOUIS December 26 1905.
When the government departments at
| Washington Were planning their exhibits
| at the ST. Louis exposition DIR. Joseph A.
| Holmes, chief of the division of mines and
metalurgy of the geological survey, con-
| celVed the idea of erecting a plant on the
grounds to give visitors an idea Of the coal
| resources of the country and to demon
| strate the best uses to which the different
| varieties of coal could be applied His plan
| was approved by DIR. Walcott director of
| the geological survey, the Secretary of the
| Interior and the government board. He
had the cooperation of large manufactur-
ers in different parts of the country, who
furnished the apparatus, big operators. who
furnished the coal, and the railroads, which
| hauled it free. The Rock Island road has
been especially generous and attentive and
now handles all of the coal between the
Terminal system in the city of st. Louis
and the plant on the exposition grounds
without cost to the government.
Director Walcott appointed e. A. Parker,
statistician of the geological survey, who,
by the way, was a member of President
Roosevelt's commission that settled the
anthracite strike, and NJ r. Campbell.
geologist from the survey, to serve with
DR.. Holmes as a board to supervise the ex-
periments. The first appropriation was
$50, 600 for the works; $50, 600 more was ap-
proprated for the expense for operating the
plant, and the public interest, excited by
the tests, was so great that Congress appro-
priated S202,OO0 more last February which
will pay the expenses until the end of the
fiscal year 1906 DR.. Holmes has been
continued in charge with the following
staff of engineers at the head of the divi-
sions named
1. Chemical analysis-Prof. NJ. w. Lord,
Ohio State University.
=. Boiler teStE-PrOf. L. =. breckenridge
University of Illinois
3. Cokeing tests-Mr. A. W. Belden,
Birmingham, Ala.
4. Coal was hing tests-John B. Schaeffer
Chicago.
g. Gas producers and engines-Prof. r. f.
Fernald, Washington University, St. Louis.
son, Chicago.
Mr.. Malcolmson is also in charge of the
plant.
Interest in the Tests.
The experiments were begun In May,
1904, and have been continued ever since.
1t is proposed to keep them up until July
l, 1906 for which the funds have already
been provided, and the results are so i'm
portant that Congress will undoubtedly or
der them extended. Since the close of the
exposition the plant has been enlarged and
improved. 1t occupies conspicuous place
in Forest Park, and the South Dakota
building is used for Offices About sixty
mess on the grounds. The number of visi-
tors is large and IS increasing. The gen
eral public knows very little of what is
going on, but the engineering world, the
coal miners, the railways, the large manu-
facturieS and other consumers of coal are
taking a deep interest and send experts to
observe the experiments. They usually stay
for week more. All the important
railroads in the country and all the big
coal companies have had their best men
here making their reports of the results.
The engineering societies have Endorsed
the work. and the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers has appointed COM
mittee to draught rules for standardizng
tests of gas producers and gas engines
similar to those governing the tests of boil
ers adopted several years ago.
When an operator wants his coal tested
he writes, making inquiries. Printed blanks
and instructions are sent to him When
the blanks are filled out and returned an
Inspector Is sent to examine the mines.
If it Is adj right he sends In samples and
loads a car with sufficient coal to make a
practical test, which is brought to the
grounds in St. Louis at the expense of the
opera tors. Several of the railroads as l
have already said, haul experimental coal
free. When the coal arrives 1t is stored
in a particular place The tests are made
and the detailed report is prepared giving
the results, which is afterward published
by the government.