Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-21
FUEL In WASTE MATERIAL
Widespread Interest in the Compound OF
the Altoona CObbler.
VARIOUS TESTS OF THE MATERIAL
Importance of the Discovery in Con-
serving the Fuel supply and
Cheapening COst-what It
Means to Factories.

John Gilmore the humble cobbler of AL
toona, Pa, occupies for the moment a con-
spicuous place in the limelight OF Industrial
progress. The shoemaker is credited with
inventing or compromising a chemical prep
aration which, when mixed with ashes,
burns readily and produces an intense heat
! Such glowing reports of the fortune-making
possibilities Of the invention have been pub
lished that Gilmore is deluged with letters
and irnportuned by promoters anxious to
get in on the ground floor.
Since the news Of the discovery was given
TO the world, Fillmore has given many
practical demonstrations, and those who
have witnessed them are convinced that
he has a secret that will completely reYo-
lutionize industry, make the lot of human
its UNNECESSARILY brighter, not to mention
warmer, and save millions OF dollars an
nually In the cost Of fuel
To newspaper men the aged cobhler
talked of his discovery as though IT was an
everyday occurrence. But not a hint would
he drop as to the nature Of the ingredi-
ents that enter into the compound that
| transforms worthless ashes into a highly
combustible fuel.
| Demonstrating the process, Gilmore took
from bottle about teaspoonful Of brown
fish stun, much resembling sand. This he
tossed into bucket containing about two
gallons OF water. sprinkling the water over
the ashes, he declared that they were ready
! for the stove.
! In his shop is a small egg stove, and n
slow coal fire was burning, and when he put
a couple Of shovels OF prepared ashes on
the Goals flames leaped high, as though a
highly explosive oil had been thrown upon
the fire. In moment or two the fire set
tied to a steady glow, and continued thus
for an hour. The stove was red-hot in a
few minutes.
One OF the strange features Of the prepa-
ration is that after the ashes are used they
become hard, resembling coke. Gilmore ex-
tracted a shovelful from the stove, and
when It had cooled It was as hard as iron.
He then threw It back into the stove where
It was consumed.
DR.. IT. X. Hoy, an Altoona physician who
has rendered assistance to Fillmore in per-
fecting his formula. gave a demonstration
at his home that convinced skeptics that
there is merit in the discovery. Hoy claims
that he cut his coal bill in half last winter
by using the compound which Gilmore had
given him TO experiment with.
Gilmore hardly knows what TO d. with
his discovery. Inquiries are ~-vrirg in upor
him offering assistance in getting his patent
upon the market, but the cobbler is so dazed
by the sudden change NJ fortune that he
has not the slightest idea Of his future
movements.
1.-THE poor cobbler of Altoona" may be
the way future generations win speak nj
John Fillmore II as a result of his comhus-
ton secret gas sells at 80 cents thousand
railroad fares are half what they are to-
day. rents are cut 40 per cent. blast fur
naces are run at one-hah the expense they
are run at now and the supply OF coal =
so conserved that danger Of eXhausting Il
will be removed. The possibilities that may
follow the practical utilization of Ellmore'r
method OF extracting heat from waste ma
terial. says the Chicago Inter Ocean, ar,
so far-reaching as to stagger the imagin-
alton
The total value Of the output Of the blast
furnaces OF the United States Is now be-
tween $S5O,OOOOOO and s90OOOOOOO a year
Taking the increase in the demand in the
last FIVE years for iron and steel products