Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-07-23
Gas will Reyolntionize Industry
and OpenN Northwest Coal Fields

Washington, July 81 Minneapolis
News Bureau Experiments cover
ing over three years, undertaken by
/ the United tSates geological survey,
have resulted in the announcement
4 that the Ignite and other low-grade
Goals of the west and northwest will
be available for all purposes of in.
dustrial2 activity through the devel
opment of the internal ombustion
gas power engine, which has been
/ pushed on the American market only
within the last few years.
4 Statements made by members of
the geological survey regarding the
future of the gas engine contain some
remarkable facts. 1t is claimed that
the steam engine will, within few
years, actually be relegated to the
funk pile, as a producer Of energy
/ for modern commercial purposes, and
that the nternal-combustio motor,
as it is known, the outgroWth of the.
experimental gas. engines of a few
years ago, will speedily take the place
OF the steam engine, wherever econ o.
my of power production is sought
Experiments made by the govern.
ment have demonstrated that the in
ternal-combustion engine will produce
from two to three times as much
power with a given amount of coal
as will the steam engine. Fully as
important, however, is the fact that
| the gas producer will generate twice
as much power from the low grade
Goals as will the gas engine, and that
it will actually produce commercial
4 power from Ignite coal, when the
latter is Of a quality as will do no
work whatever under the steam
boiler. # "Fi
In common with other departments
of the government engaged in ex-
i perimental worn, the geological sur
vey has promptly computed the "sav-
ing to result to the nation through
! the development of the gas producer
as an economic force 1t is estimated
4 that the nations coal bill will be
1 reduced from 500. 100000 to $780,
100000. In 1905 the country used coal
valued at $1,000, 900, -, and fully
one-third of this, or $500, 600, 900, was
used to produce power. s5''
K i--t. % % Ia -
h Manufacturing interest in the Unit
ed States have been watching the ex-
periments of the government with the
Il greatest interest, and rendering all
possible assistance through the use
of private plants, and experiment with
various grades of coal. The Ignite
and other low grades of Goals Of the
northwest and middle west have been
experimental with at great length
! and the results indicate revolution
in the production Of power for com
mercial enterprises, particularly
| those located adjacent to the low
grade coal fields. - r.. q =, +. Z =
! Experiments have been carried on
for three years at the fuel testing
| LIANT erected by the techno1ogic
/ branch Of the geological survey at
ST. Louis. The plant is, now being
moved to Norfolk, Va, where. the ex-
periments will be continued
In the reports of the experiments
carried on it is claimed that it has
been shown that from ton of coal
consumed in an ordinary manufac-
turing plant less than 5 per cent of
the total energy is available for the
actual work of manufacturing. In
locomotive engines, only from 5 to 5
per cent of the fuel energy is obtain
ed for pulling the train.
This enormous loss of energy
through the waste of the gases releas-
ed from the coal has been the sub
ject of great study. 1t is claimed that
the development of the internal-com
bustion motor for general use will
mean the doubling Or trebling of the
life of the coal fields of America.
Gas engines and gas producers have
been in operation in the United States
for many years, but the development
vas slow and unimportant until the
government experts proved by tests
that soft coal and even Ignite and
peat could be utilized in the producer
Prior to the year 1904 no one in this
country had succeeded in useing soft
coal and Ignite in this way, and with
the big prices for anthracite there was
| but little economy in the gas engine
For many years the natural fuel of
these internal-combustion engines
was city. gas, but even this was too
expensive except for engines of small
capacity. 1t was seldom found FEAST
! Bile to operate engines of more than
1 - horsepower on this fuel
The theoretical possibilities OF the
interna l-eombustion engine operated