New-York tribune., 1907-10-06
SUBSTITUTES FOR COAL.

As to ossible substitutes for coal. there will
be in the near future larger use Of running
waters for power and light development There
will also continue diminishing development of
heat and power through the use of wood In the
New England, Atlantic and some of the middle
Northern states there will be some utilization
of peat for similar purposes. limited future
of alcohol made from wood and barn prod
uCtS. for heat and power purposes is proba BILE
but not certain Petroleum and natural gas
will long continue as large local. but in meas
temporary contributors to the comforts and
industries of the nation. And it is occasionally
suggested that the heat of the sun NAV he
stored from day to dav In sufficient quantity
fOr continuous power Development but the
suggestion has yet too indefinite a basis TO
permit of its serious consideration In the pres
ent connection Indeed the sum of all these
possible substitutes in the nations supply of
heat and power and light cannot now be
peCted seriously to lessen the rate of increase
In the nations enormous demand for fuel. and
We must revert again with renewed emphasis
70 the necessity of lessening the waste and in
creasing the efciencies In the utilization of our
coal supply.
The people OF the United States consumed In
the last year about 415.OOO.OOO tons of coal,
besides large quantities of oil and gas ard wood.
The total cost of this fuel in the furnaces ap-
proximated $20O0000OOD The future growing
scarcity of wood gas and oil and the increas-
ing cost of mining the coal as the surface beds
exhausted and the deeper ones must be
reached will naturally increase the aggregate
expenditure for fuel even faster than the ton
mage increases but the welfare Of the nation
demands not only that the future shall have
coal supply but that the cost of this supply be
kept as low possible.
we cannot continue this enormous consump-
ton of our fuel resources and at the same time
perpetuate the supply of cheap fuels The only
solution of the problem is that we must learn
to use our fuels more efficiently. We must stop
this enormous waste.
The recent Investigations conducted by the
geological survey indicate great possibilities in
this direction. 1t has been demonstrated that
the low grade GOALS, containing as high as JC
per cent ash which in our coal mining OF the
last fifty years have been left under ground ana
wasted because they could MT he burned in the
ordinary furnaces can now be used advantage
ously for power and heating development by
means Of the gas producer and gas engine. IL
has also been shown that with this new form OF
equipment the better Goals hereafter be
made to Weld from two 20 three times the
amount Of power that they are now yielding III
ordinary steam furnaces. II has been demon
stratcd further that the quality Of many OF
these dirty. inferior Goals can be improved by
various washing processes.
"A study of coal mining conditions is demon
strating the fact that in the mining operations
q much larSer percentage Of coal can be
lieved 10 be practicable Further Investigations
along these lines indicate possibilities in the
way or waste prevention and increasingly efii-
cient use In connection with the utilization or
our fuel supplies. Upon the progress along
these lines depends the future welfare ot IN"
whole people Of the country
"In every civilized country the conservation
OF fuels and other great resources or pubic
utilities is properly coming 10 be regarded as a
national problem. because in every country these
fuels serve as a basis of national welfare. The
individual citizen looks to the present. He sees
little beyond his individual interest of to-day
The nation. while helping the citizen to-daS,
must safeguard the welfare of the citizen OF to-
morrow by n judicious conservation of these re-
sources which In reality belong not 20 the i'll
6ivIdual but to mankind