Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-07-09
COAL SAVING SCHEME
st. Louis Man Burns 1t With
Limestone.
HIS FUEL BILLS CUT IN HALF
Alexander Marshall Obtains Intense
Heat by Mixing Limestone With
Coal - cIinkers Eliminated - Smoke
Reduced to Minimum.

Coal - CIinkers Eliminated - Smoke
Reduced to Minimum.
Alexander Marshall of st. Louis
told the other day how he has solved
an important problem that may great
ly reduce the worlds consumption of
coal.
He claims 20 have discovered meth
cd whereby the cost of coal, by the
use of limestone, In furnaces of any
kind may be reduced to one-half. The
limestone exists In sufficient quanti-
ties in the Piasa bluffs along the
Mississippi river to supply Alton with
fuel for centuries to come. MarshalIs
scheme proved generally successful.
"You see, 1 throw in plenty of coal
to get a redhot fire in the furnace"
said Mr.. Marshall to a reporter of the
St Louis Post-Dispatch. "Then |
throw in equal parts in bulk of coal
and limestone. In a few minutes
white heat is generated which has alb
solutely no smoke"
A strong limelight blaze at once
fared up in the furnace. The former
dark black smoke from the stacks be-
gan to be transformed into a light
airy gas-carbonic acid gas released
from the carbonate of lime. The heat
was intense, and in Il few minutes it
seemed as if the seams of the boilers
would melt
Coal alone never gave such heat"
remarked Mr.. Marshall. "In a few
weeks I shall have a testing appara
tus here for the purpose of finding
out exactly the amount of heat units
in Il given quantity of coal and then
the number of units in coal and lime
stone"
After the test the residue left was
exhibited in the CRATE. There We're
no clinkers. The coal had evidently
all been consumed.
'The residue makes n good fertili-
zer," Mr.. Marshall said. "Of course
the ashes are not so good ms the lime
stone before burning, for that con-
tains 40 per cent more of carbon. The
advantage lies In the fact that use
has already been made Of the coal.
Left in the ground for a longer length
of time the burned limestone will bring
about exactly the same effect as the
pure limestone-that is, in correcting
the acidity of the soil"
Mr.. Marshall then explained that the
coal he formerly used up to the eve of
/ his limestone fuel discovery short
time ago cost $40 per ton. The actual
cost of limestone is co cents q ton.
| AS the limestone and coal are used
half and half the actual cost of ton
| Of the Marshall heating material is
$50.
THE use of my discovery" said Mr..
! Marshall, would insure smokeless
heat which I'm sure would do away
with the big city smoke annoyance
Then there are no heavy clinliers to
deal with, and, besides, we have an al
most perfect fertilizer in the ashes. to
say nothing of the prime consideration
the reduction IN fuel cost.
"My explanation of limestone's value
as fuel is that it contains 1913 per cent
of pure carbonate of lime. This IS not
combustIble unless heated, but wheI
heated in a redhot blaze becomes com.
! bustlble, sending off carbonic acid gas
giving a limellght fire in the furnace
which is many times hotter than the
ordinary coal fire. In order to make il
smokeless we must shut off as much
oxygen as possible, which is partly done
! by closing up the furnaces.
Il intend TO build what IS called a
Dutch oven q class of furnace into
which coal is dumped at the top by Il
sort of mechanical conuivance which
prevents any air from escaping when
the furnace, which is otherwise closed
is being fired.
Il have been studying this matter
ever since | read of the experiments OF
Mr. Ridder of the waterworks plant at
Baden. He made gas for lighting by
heating limestone red hot in retortS over
the fire. l wondered at once If the gas
could not be made right in the furnace
and retained there TO increase the heat
of the fire under the boilers. BY Il Sc
ries Of experiments lasting over a
month l learned that 1t could be done
and | have been doing 1t successfully
ever since in our plant ut Elsah."
Dir. Marshall resides in Carondelet
He is fifty-three years of age and is o.
Scotch descent. He wears large red
dish beard, which reaches below his
coat lapel.
+. y. Bixby of St Louis is president
and one of the principal stockholders
In the Whiting plant where the Mar
shall demonstration is being made.