The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-21
Especial to The Herald.)

Washington, July 20.-Have we come
to the passing of the steam engine?
Eminent engineers and others who
are constantly making a study of
power-plant economies are all answer
ing in the affirmative.
The gas engine, the toy of yester-
day, has come into the Industrial hori-
ION as the giant of today, and already
it is rapidly crowding the steam engine
back to the junk pile.
So marvellous has been the develop
ment of this power producer that the
old title, "Sas engine" has become ut
terly inadequate and has almost disap-
peared. Now the United States, and,
i'm fact, the whole world. is confronted
with the Observation-Disclosures motor"
In hundreds of big manufacturing es-
adjustments the steam boiler and the
steam engine are being Oslerized and
replaced by producer gas plants with
their accompanying internal cOmbus-
ton engines.
And there is a reason for it: IN fact,
several.
The Observation-Disclosures engine has
demonstrated its ability to produce
from two to nearly three times as much
power with given amount of coal as
the steam engine. Not only this, but
il has proved that the very poorest
Goals in the gas producer generate
twice the power that the same coal
does in the steam plant. Still further
it has generated power from Ignite
Uhe lowest form of coaD where the lig-
mite has refused to do any work under
the steam boiler.
Saving of Millions.
This will eventually mean a saving
of millions of dollars a year to the
manufacturers of this country. Va
rious estimates place the saving in the
country's coal bills at from 800, 900, 900
to 5000 000. 000.
The peoples coal bill in 1905 was
81. 800, OOO. 900. One-third of this. or
$500 600 900, it is estimated. went for
coal to produce power. Thus it will be
seen how important this newest factor
will become to those who buy coal for
the purpose of making steam.
In these days of gigantic industrial
endeavor. with the great nations of
the earth struggling for supremacy in
the worlds marts, the prizes will go
10 those countries that can manufac-
lure the most economically. Realizing
this. the manufacturers of the United
States are taking an intense interest
in the work now being done by gov
eminent experts in solving the problem
of the best utilization of the fuel re-
sources of the country. A better util-
iZatiOn of fuel means more economy in
the production of goods, and more
economy means a larger opportunity
for the Yankee manufacturer in the
trade of the world.
The technOlOgic branch of the United
States geological survey has been en-
"a ged for several years testing Goals
for the use of the government, and in
these tests the possibilities of the gas
engine or inteTnal-cOmbustion engine,
have been developed to such a marked
degree that the entire commercial
world is taking notice.
For three years the government ex-
perts labored at the fuel-testing plant
at st. Louis, Mo, with wonderful re-
suits. The plant so far as fuel-testing
is concerned has been moved to Nor
folk. Va, where the tests are being
continued.
Problem Was Difficult.
The experts at the beginning found
they had a most difficult problem on
their hands. They found that the
losses in the utilization of fuel for the
development of power. heat and light
were so great that in a ton of coal
ing plant less than per cent of the
total energy was available for the
actual work of manufacturing. They
also found that in ordinary locomotives
only to per cent of the fuel energy
is obtained for pulling the train. This
is abOu. the same as if a housewife
took a barrel of -four and succeeded in
getting but one small biscuit as the
entire result.
In the hope of stopping this tremen-
dous waste which is going on. the gov
eminent experts have been experiment
ing for some time. A method of COM
bustiOn which, il is believed, will elm
mate this waste has been found in the
gas producer and the internal-combus
ton engine.
Gas engines and gas producers have
been i'm operation in the United States
for many years, but the development
was slow and unimpoTtant 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 using soft coal and
Ignite in this way, and with the big
prices for anthracite there was but lit
tie 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