Bisbee daily review., 1906-12-21
CHE MISTS ARE WORKING ON
 PROCESS
Elan to Purify Water By Pro- cess Which Will Mean Much to Railroads in Southwest. If Successful.


 DOUGLAS, Dec. Especially Chemists employed by the Phelps Dodge people are now working on the leconomical side of a theory. which | If il proves practical. will mean : great deal to the railroads of the great southwest. as well as to all concern; that use steam power. The theory is the publication of water for en zine purposes, says the Fl Paso Her aid
 The chemists are now working on the problem at the new Southwestern shops, where they have their apparat us set up in the power house and are making many experiments. The prom lem is to free the water from lime stone properties which are constantly ccrrcding the engine tiues and boilers and shortening their life more thsr half Not only the Southwestern, but every road in the southwest. has fought against these scales forming properties. which are found in most all water to no avail All roads use the compound boiler preparation which partially protects the 6ues and boilers from the limestone ingredients of the water
 
 ly destroy the corroding properties e' the fluid. and within two years the fues and boiler plates are so badly eaten away that their use is no longer safe and they must be cast to the dump heap.
 The ordinary life of the hues is be tween five and six years when the water used for steam is free from cor iroding properties. The time of ser vice Of the hues is about two years in the southwest, where the water has the limestone ingredients that eat away the iron in spots and reduce fthe efficiency of the fines 50 rapidly ifhat they cannot be used more than that length If ti1e.
 The process of treating water end purifying fl for drinking purposes by electricity has been praeticed for the past seven or eight years and has been found to work successfully. Flo, the past year chemists have used the electrical process to prepare water for steam uses. Several experiments are being carried on at present by different railroad companies and COZ cerns that use steam power
 The problem confronting the chen ists of the Phelps-Doaga interests is the practical side. They have proven beyond question that the electrical treatment will destroy the corrodine properties of the water, but the econ omy of the process is still a question that is undecided. They are trying tq find out if il will pay the Southwest ern 10 install and maintain 2 plant a every watering station where the lc- comotives take on supply.
 If it be determined thst the coss cs installing and maintaining piasts where they are needed, and the re sultant saving in the fiues and boiler plate is cheaper than the present cost of operating the engines. which is comparatively heavy, owing to the short life of the fiues gnu plate, then doubtless the electrical plants wtil be put in along the line of Jhe Southwest ern and a despeTata and successfu effort will have been accomplished tC get around the trouble from corTnsion
 The successful accomplishment or the experiment will mean great say ing in engine expense, not only to the Southwestern. but to all smelunE and mining concerns in the southwest that use mechanical power.