The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-03
Will Be Smokeless.
 Noise1ess Craft.
GAS ENGINE THE FEATURE
Fuel Experiments Are Now Being
 Made.
Coal Impossible to Use as steam Pre- dueer May Be Used With ExeeI- Ient ResuIt--ExperimeHt
 On Lakes.
BY ALFRED J. STOPPER.

ALE1&E SEOE Ek.
 Washington. August 2.--(speciaL)-- rhs war vessel of the future will be swift. smokeiess. noiseies craft, iy- Ing low in the water. with every vul- nerable part below the water line. the entire deck being given over to the work of the guns. There viil be no smoke. because there will be no smoke stacks Tn the night time there will be nothing to betpy the presence of this invincible fighting demon to the | enemy.
 This prediction was made by Robert Heywood Fernald mechanical engineer who has for several years been con- nected with the fuel investigations of the United States Geological Survey.
 Mir. Fernald believes that the gas engine. or internal combustion motor as 1t Is called by engineers will be installed in naval vessels of the United States within the next few years.
 q expect to see the United states ahead of every other nation in this innovation" said MT Fernaid. "Ths gas engine. In my opinion. is feasible on any vessel because of its economy over the steam engine. but It is espe- cially desirable on the lighting ship for the reason that 1t makes no smoke. The gas Is generated in producer. which has no chimney and needs none. The coal is turned directly Into gas which goes straight to the engine.
 "The smoke nuisance has been Q serious problem to the navies of the world for q number of years. In the day time. the presence of an eneniy's ship has been discovered miles away hy the smoke from It's stacks and In the night the flames belching from the tops of the stacks hava Spoiled many \ well laid plan of attack W
 'sThe elimination Of the smoka ia sufficient to call for the installation of the gas engine yet there are many other features in it's favor. The ves- sel would have a free deck for the play of its big guns. There would be no towering stacks to puncture or destroy thus perhaps crippiing the boat Then 1t would be unnecessary ta carry as much coal, gor the same power can be developed with one-third Jess than the steam engine uses. The gas producer and the gas engine would take up less room and weigh less than the same power Scotch boiler and steam engine. If 1t were necessary it would be possible to carry more coal which would give the vessel a radius of travel far greater than at present
 "Of course, do not expect to sec the gas engine confined to the use of tho navy. The fact that it showa such economies will compel its install lation in ali sorts of vessels. One of the big items of expense to mod ern ocean liner is it's coal bill These vessels will consume 10000 tons of high grade coal on a round trip. With the gas engine this could be reduced to 5000 or 1000 tons, a saving of several thousand dollars Then what a boon 1t would be to the citizens of New York. Philadelphia. Boston and other seaports to have all the vesselz entering equipped with smokeiess en- zines. Tn New York harobr, a con- siderable percentage of the smoke comes from the river craft.
 "One of the big steamship companies of the Great Lakes is about to take the initiative in this movement. Plans have been made for freighter that will use A 2O0O horse power gas engine. This company is not making the experi- ment because of the smoke from tho stacks of it's vessels. but in order to demonstrate the economy of the gas engine over the steam engine. At present this. concern Is paying &3 ton for coal. and it's managers figure a considerable saving if the gas engine proves a success in marine work, and I see no reason why 1t shouldn't A- ready the marine type of gas engine has been designed up to 1000 horse power The future win see much larger units"
 The government, through the United States Geological Survey has been ex- l and gas engine for several years and has demonstrated that this type of engine l in A stationary plant Is capable of generating from twice to three times as much power from a given amount of coal as the steam engine. It has also shown that the gas engine can develop more power from a low grade coal, such as the Ignite of North Dakota. then the steam engine can with the same weight of the best bituminous coal
 The purpose of the government has not been to develop the gas engine. but to increase the efficiency in the utili- ration of the coal supply of the coun- try. which is now being used at an enormous rate. Experts declare that If the present increase in consumption keeps up the better part of the coal will be gone before the close of the next century and that the nation will long NeIOTe that tFtA tue tAASClo pA NiAG waning supply. The government itself spends S10,oO0. 900 yearly for coal and It was primarily to get the best results from this expenditure that he investi- cations of the gas producer and gas engine was taken up.
 The tests in the gas producer at the government plant have shown that many fuels of such low grade as to be practically va1ueless for steam furnace purposes including slack coal bone coal and Ignite. may be economically converted into producer gas and may thus generate sufficient gas power to render them of high commercial value In this way. Ignite beds underlying from 20.000.0o0 to S0.oO0,000 acres Of public lands, heretofore supposed to have little or no commercial value. arc shown to have a large value for power development. This is of importance to the West and makes possible a great industrial development there.
 The Geological Survey recently aa- sued a bulletin on the .present gknkvlm
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