The Washington herald., 1907-08-12
TESTS TO SAVE COAL
Government Carries Expepi-
mentS to Norfolk, Va.
MAY CUT NATIONS FUEL BILL
Southern and Eastern Products 10
De Submitted 10 Examinations for
Purpose of Determining Relative
YaIues-Try to Prevent Waste.
Economy May BE SI5O,OOO,OOO.

The fuel-testing plant OF the United
States Geological Survey will begin on
August Is a series Of experiments OH
Eastern and Southern Goals that may be
OF far-reaching Importance to the gov
ernment and to the people in general.
For two years the plant was in opera
ton at st. Louis, and 50 astonishing were
the results toward preventing the waste
Of the fuel resources Of the country that
Congress ordered the work continued ut
Norfolk Already the government ex-
perts connected with the plant have in
dicated the possibility Of saving 10 per
cent Of the country's coal bill each year
the sum Of $40. 900, ,000-through increased
efficiency in burning coal. Now the fuels
OF the East and South are to be tested
under the steam boiler. IN the gas pro-
ducer and gas engines. and by bTiquet-
ting, in the hope that this saving may
be further demonstrated.
Includes Two Glasses of Work.
The law under which the fuel-tesring
plant is TO be operated c0ntemplates two
classes OF work-increasing efficiency and
preventing waste in the utilization Of the
fuel resources of the country. and test
ing Goals that arc used by the govern
ment.
Perhaps the most important tests viii
be those comparing the amount of power
obtained from certain amount OF coal
under the steam boiler and in the gas
producer
The gas engine had demonstrated IN
former tests it's ability to do from two to
nearly three times as much work with a
pound Of coal as the steam engine. Prof.
Robert II. FernaId, of 81. Louis, engineer
in charge of the gas producer tests. viii
continue the experiments Of the large 235
horsepower gas engine which has been
installed on the plant. This engine VIII
be supplied with gas made IN two large
producers and from the same fuels that
will be used under boilers. In this way
the comparative utility OF slack Goals,
culm, Ignite, and even peat will be deter
mined, for the tests made VIII show just
what all these poorer fuels can do.
May Improve Steam Boiler.
Prof L P. Breckenridge. engineer in
charge Of the steam engineering division
Of The survey, will endeayor 10 increase
the efficiency OF the steam boiler. His di-
vision has now practically succeeded in
isolating tie performance Of the boiler
from that OF the combined performance
Of the boiler and furnace. Tests viii be
made with the object Of still further de-
termining the eficiencies Of the furnace
alone.
There will also be a series Of expert
ments, tending 10 show what IS necessary
to burn these Goals without smoke. The
results will be important not only TO the
government, but 10 every city in the
country that is fighting the smoke evil.
A considerable portion Of the fuel-test-
ing plant is TO be given over 10 testing
fuels for the navy. and the entire briquet-
ting plant will be at its service.
In addition 10 all these experiments.
tests viii be made 10 discover the exact
cause Of the spontaneous combustion Of
stored coal. in order that loss from this
source may be prevented.