The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29
ANTHRACITE'S EFFICIENCY
EOUALED BY BlTUMINOUS

steam engine When It is perfected and
the horizontal, double-aeting engine re-
places the vertical, single-acting engine,
with many improvements now unthought
Of, the whole value of these discoveries
will be so pronounced as to effect very
great changes in transportation as we'll
as manufacture.
The inhabitants of a city may appre-
ciate the value of the discoveries when
it is stated that the use of soft coal by
making gas of it before applying 1t for
power will do away with the smoke nui-
sance. An atmosphere clear of smoke at
all times will be possible in a commercial
or manufacturing city. This one result
Of the discoveries will be hailed by many
centers of population as a blessing.
Another change which it is predicted
will grow out of the use of soft coal in
the gas engines will reyolutionize the
present mode of travel and freight trans
portation. 1t will be possible to establish
power plants at the various soft coal
fields of the country because of the re-
duction in the cost of power generation
made possible by the introduction of the
gas producer.
A soft coal gas-produeer gas-engine
plant located at the soft coal mines of
the Belleville Qll) district, for instance,
could send out its electric power over an
area bounded by Cedar Rapids and Chi
Nd5Os llludidp OlIS anu LOUISVILLE 4Ndou-
Vile and Memphis, or Eureka Springs
and Joplin, Kansas City or st. Joseph.
1t is predicted without stretch of the
imagination. that sufficient electric power
could be gathered from the soft coal
fields by using the gas producer and gas
engine and at low enough cost, to move
all the trains of the United States from
less than dozen central power stations.
This would mean the use of electricity,
and the employment of that power would
guarantee no dirt, no enders, no fires.
The stlmated cost for coal used in st.
Louis, where the tests are being made. In
the past year for manufacturing purposes
mot including transportation was more
than $3,0OO000. If gas producers and gas
engines were substituted for the steam
plants now in use, the fuel cost would be
reduced to almost 100000.
This reduction-almost past belief when
the figures are given a second reading
could be brought about both by the nat
ural saving due to installations of the gas
producer and gas engines and by the use
of the poorer grades of coal which are
possible with the gas producer
The cost of smoke consumers to any
large city is an item of expense which
would be saved. The men making these
experiments with the use of soft coal,
pronounce the gas producer the best
smoke preventer ON the market After
plant gets into working condition there
is absolute freedom from smoke
The reduction in the cost of fuel realized
by the substitutons of the gas producer
and the gas engine for the boiler and
steam engine, made known by the dis
coveries, Is now being tested by more
than 100 installations in the United States
from 10 to 5000 horse power
Thre are at least three plants besides
that operated by the government in st.
St. Louis A IL horse power suction pro-
Queer plant for testing purposes has been
installed at the mechanical engineering
laboratory of Washington university by
Kansas City firm. direct result of the
government tests. Another plant of 80
horse power has been placed for a lime
and cement company in Missouri. Still an
other plant is being installed in plate
glass factory at Crystal City Mo. These
plants will operate semi-anthraeite from
Arkansas or plain soft coal
Authority for conducting the investlga-
ton at St Louis was contained In the
urgent deficiency bill which passed Con-
gress February IS. 1904. Thirty thousand
dolla RS was provided by this act, and two
mon tbs later the general deficiency bill
added another $4,000. making a total of
100000. Still other appropriations to carry
on the work reach almost $500 600.