Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-08
Object Lesson Furnished by TEST
Plant at Fair.
TWO FURNACES WITHOUT SMOKE
Although the Plan. Has More Than
1000 Horse Power, Visitors DO
Not Know It is on Grounds Until
They Enter Building.

The thousands of citizens through
out the United States who are de
nandinE smokeless cities can find an
excellent object lesson i'm the fuel
testing plant now being operated by
the tcchnologic branch of the United
States Geological Survey at tho
jamestown Exposition. With moro
IMAM 1000 horse power, the plant is
being operated practically without
smoke. as the exposition management
can attest. Usually plant with as
much horse power as this one would
he nuisance inside the grounds OF
beautiful exposition. but so fur none
OF the thousands of visitors has had
any cause to complain. The general
comment is that visitors do not seem
10 know that the plant is in operation
until they enter tho building.
or the total horse power. there is
cav on the three boilers and 90 on
the gas engine. While the gas for
this engine is being made at the plant,
there is absolutely no smoke from IL,
In the boiler room. two of the fu-.
naces, equipped with stokcrs are he.
ing operated without smoke. Tho
third boiler, which is hand.fircd makes
Il little smoke, but hardly enough to
sec unless the attention Is directed
TO the stack. Here scientific firing
is being shown to the visitors.
while tho purpose of the plant is
10 snow the economies In fuel. n sys.
tematic study in the abatement of
smoke is going on. a series of tests
mas been outlined in advance and thcv
are being followed out with much snc
cess, although the experts will not
aunt by any means that the smoke
problem has been solved Some of
,hese tests have been aimed to mako
me chimncys smoke. lat fortunately
cor the exposition visitors. very LITTLE
smoke has come forth. When this
work was first started the early tests
showed that the abatement of smoke
WAS Il much more complex problem
IMAM nj first anticipated. 1t has been
learned that the problem is as much
ior the physical chemist as for the
engineer in that the chemistry OF the
combination OF coal is involved. For
this reason five EXPERTS in such lines
are now working alongside of the On.
gincers. ''' o'''
One of the most efficient methods
10 produce smokeless conditions CON.
sists OF several serricd rows M
ine-Drick piers on the bridge wall of
inc furnace. The stream OF gas leay.
ing me CRATE is split. mixed ana rc.t
eoihDincd several times before leav.
ing the combustion chambe~to entor
inc cold boiler. II is declared that
me flames should nowhere touch
coih.heating surface until tho lntas.
possible moment They should touch
only white-hot friedrich walls mi
roof of the furnace.
So far. it is said. chemists ana on.
Eineers do not know enough about
me destructive distillation of coal 10
leSieh furnace and stoker with co...
,ainty. However. 1t is the expectation
o' inc Survey to clarity many dorbt.
lni points and to make the design for
! a new coal plant a matter of reaeon.
able security.
Already the steam engineering d,vi
SION of tho technologic branch. bend.
"a by Prof. l.. p. breckenridge has
peen able to deduce some new ana
unexpected results along those limos
ana officials of the survey state tbot
MANY of these findings will he given
10 thosc interested soon by applyinr
10 me Geological Survey.
This work is hcinc undertaken ,,,.
the government in the hope of CON
serving the fuel supply of the. coun-
Try perfect combustion meaning econ.
omv in coal The smoke tests o-a
Under tho immediate charge of wal.
Ter i. Ray. engineer The entire worl,
Is under the direction of j. A. Holmes