New-York tribune., 1907-08-12
GOVERNMENT FUEL TESTS.
The NaUy and ill Manufacturers In
terested in Results.
rFronn The Tribune Bureau /

washington Aug 1.-THE government fuel test
tng plant. which moved from St Louis several
months ago 10 Norfolk. will begin this week
series Of experiments Goals. gasolene and other
heat and power producers that will be Of far reach
ing importance TO the government and to the peo-
pie in general
For two years the plant in operation at St
Louis and SO astonishing were the results toward
--erentfng the waste Of the fuel resources of the
country that Congress ordered the work continued
a. Norfolk Already the United States Geological
Surrey experts in charge Of the plant have indi-
Gated the possibility Of saving 10 per cent of the
countrys coal bill each yeaT-the of s160enoeO
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 producer and
engines and by briquetting in the hope that this
and other economies may be further demonstrated
The plant is located near the main entrance OF
the jamestown exposition, and already has at
tracted thousands Of visitors. many Of whom were
manufacturers deeply interested in fuel expense
The law under which the fuel testing plant is TO
h. crarared contemplates two classes Of wUk-in-
creasing efficiency and preventing waste in the
utilization the fuel resources Of the country. and
testing Goals tha< are used by the government.
especially on warships.
Perhans the most important tests will be those
comparing the amount Of power obtained from a
certain amount OF coal under the steam ooer ana
sn the gas producer The gas engine mas Demon
strated in former its ability 70 do from two
10 nearly three times much work with pound
of coal the steam engine Professor RoDert IL
Fernalaw engineer in charge Of the gas producer
tests VIII continue the experiments of the large
eho-sepovrer internal combustion engine installed
in the plant This engine Will be supplied with
made in two large producers and from the same
fuels that viii be used under boilers In this way
The comparative utility slack Goals Culm Ignite
an6 even peat will he determined, for the tests
made win show just what all these poorer fuels
car do.
professor / P Breckenridge. engineer in charge
Of the steam division viii endeavor 10 increase the
efficiency Of the steam boiler His division has
nov practically succeeded in isOlatIng the per-
fornaance Of the hoiler and furnace Further tests
viii be made with the object Of still further de-
rerrining the eficiencies Of the furnace alone
series Of important experiments with fuel under
boilers recently completed indicate that statiooary
,,,is,e o,,ght 10 do ten TO twenty times as much
ork 20 the unit Of heating surface they do now
There will also he a series of experiments tend
snx TO show just ahat is necessary 10 burn these
Goals without smoke The results will be important
-,or onl., 70 The government. but 20 every city in
.e country that is fighting the exasPerating smoke
evil
a considerable portion of the fuel testing plant
IS % be given over testing fuels for the navy,
and the entire briquettiDg plant will be AT its serv-
See Three briquetting Ilachines are almost ready
for work one recently received from Germany is
for hrj0tlerring lienifes Of Texas and the North
-rnv. 1,fs machine is of great power and is the
only one Of its kind in the United States second
machine is of English make and has been used
for some tine at the plant in ST. Louis The third
IS an American made machine, of which much is
expected The experts hope 70 snow tflat the or1-
o,,efres have more efficiency than lump coal from
srnokeless the latter condition being as big factor
90 the navy as the first. The results already OBJ
.ained from hriQuettes prove that on boilers re-
curing forced draft. ike locomotive boilers, the
r~icslerte SO increases efficiency TO more than
OFFSET the increased cost of making. These bri-
er,erfes are made by mixing waste or slack coal,
,ur-a Ignite or peat with sufficient tar other
binding material hold the coal together, the
whole sefng pressed into blocks by machinery
Five small 15- horsepower gasolene engines have
,,eon erected al the plant and these engines
important tests viii be made Of the relative er1-
cheney of sasoiene for producing power and light
rs compared with kerosene. denatured alcohol ana
other liqud II is expected that the CONNER
cfal of these fuels producers of power Will
be enhanced by these tests. But little is known at
The rresent time OF the efficiency OF these fuels
under proper conditions In addition 10 all these
extersrnents, efforts viii be made TO discover the
OF the spontaneous combustion or
stored coal in order that precautions against loss
from this source may be recommended