The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
time smoke would be practically ellml-

time smoke would be practically ellml- mated.
 Further, if gas producers can be intro duced on ships and river boats not only will millions be saved in coal, but far less room will be required on board for It's storage. With this much cheaper gas operation, steamboats and river traffic will, no doubt, become a much more pow erful competitor to railways than hereto fore
 Another important fact Is that many fuels that are not fit for use under ordi- nary steam boilers have been used with the greatest ease in the gas producer. This opens the way to the utilization of many fuels that have heretofore been regarded as practically of no value Several of the poorest grades of bitumlnous coals have shown remarkable efficiency in the gas producers and the lignites and peats have responded with great readiness to the de- mands of this new generator. A remark able feature of the tests was that North Dakota and Texas brown Ignite and Flo rida peat yielded more power in the gas producer than the very best West Virgi- nia coal under the steam boiler. The Ignite fields of North Dakota and Texas are almost inexhaustible and as very little use commercially has been found for the Ignite in the past, this will develop new industry for those states that will grow into immense proportions as the years advance.
 The Possibilities.
 "The possibilities of this form of power have been received with such confidence and enthusiasm by engineers and man agers of large plants that there are all ready in the United States alone one hun dred and fifty gas producer installations ranging In size from 15OO to 90Oo-horsa power. The number of installations and the persistent increase has led the national board of fire underwriters to issue special rules and requirements for the "(construc- ton, installation, and use of coal gas pro- ducers)." The economical success of these plants and the possibilities of using vast fields of coal, lignites and peats heretofore considered of little value for industrial purposes are a strong indication that the gas producer of power will, within the next few years, develop far beyond pres- ent calculation.
 There is no better smoke preventer on the market today than the gas producer After the plant Is in working condition, there is an absolute freedom from smoke The general adoption of this economical system of power production will mean the almost complete elimination of smoke
 ''The great reduction in the cost of pow CT production made possible by the use of the gas producer means also rapid strides in electrical development within the next few years. Now that 1t Is com mercially possible to transmit electrical power for distances of 250 miles or more, the location of immense plants will speed fly follow. central plant could distri- bute such electric current for a distance of 800 miles. that Is, 250 miles either side of the plant, thus covering an area of al- most 100000 square miles, an area nearly four times the size of the state of Illinois. With ten or twelve of these great central plants located at various mine centers, the great railroads of the United States can send their trains speeding from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast.
 The Locomotive.
 'It would seem to some chmerical to predict the doom, in the near future. of the steam locomotive, yet one of the of 1cials of the New York Central railroad has publicly stated that in his opinion there will be no steam locomotives oper- ating on the New York Central road in ten years. Already the New York Central is arranging to substitute electric power on its lines from New York City to a point forty miles from the Grand Central station, and extensive tests In the use of the electric locomotive are being made be- tween Rochester and Buffalo. The Penn | sylvania Is now operating electric trains between Atlantic City and Philadelphia l with much success. The New York, New l Haven and Hartford railroad is operating | it's trains from Stamford, Conn, to New | York by electric power.
 These rapid changes are leading to one l end-the centralization of power develop ment and distribution. They point to the ! time, and at no distant day, when great central plants will be located at the va rious mine centers and the electric power will be transmitted and distributed to railroads. industrial plants, cities and the various institutions where electrical en- ergy is needed. The great railroads Will operate their trains by electricity, and the passengers will be freed from the an- noyance of smoke and cinders; and the railroad locomotives and the railroad yards which are now the most unsghtly places in our cities will become compar- atively clean and free from smoke. Fur thermore, the introduction of cheaper electric power win displace the scores of smoke-belching chimneys and tho pe- logged atmosphere of our cities will be cleared and the city clean and comfort able, will become reality and not dream"
 Cost of Operation.
 Professor Fernald but recently com pleted an estimate showing the difference ;o coot and onera tion Of A horse power