Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-01
Gas ENGINE AS COAL SAVER
Geological Survey Makes Discoveries
of Much Value.
GREAT ECONOMY IN FUEL
Tests show Low Grade Lignites of
West Produce Power and De-
velOp Power Equal TO Best
Bituminous.
lFrom a staff correspondentO

IdClb leCtuNly u0Ndll1h oN 'AaN
White House conference with the governors
Of the states concerning the tremendous
waste in the use of the natural resources
of the country and the dire predictions OF
their early exhaustion have not only been
realized for a number of years by the gov
ernment experts, but a systematic effort
has been going on to stop these drains on
the future prosperity of the country
The geological survey has peen an Inn
portant factor in this movement for many
years, and while its work has been to a
certain extent altruistic in that the i'm
mense benefits will come to the generations
of the future, II has already saved millions
of dollars worth of resources for the people
of today. The surveys geologic and topo-
graphic work have resulted in an inventory
Of the natural resources, a stock-taking
such a prudent manufacturer takes once
year. This has disclosed the waste that
has been going on and led directly to the
conference of the governors. The study and
classification Of the coal deposits of the
United States and especially those on the
public domain have established the value
OF these Goals and nave prevented the
thoughtless disposal of the 100000 acres
Of government coal lands. The values of
the mineral deposits on government land
have been Appropriated to such an extent
that it will now be impossible to dispose Of
them without getting fair return.
While there have been many immediate
benefits from the topographic work and
study of the water resources of the country,
their value to the people will be many fold
greater in the near future. Without an
accurate topographic survey Of the land
| and water the contemplated improvement
of the waterways, the drainage Of swamps
and the great irrigation projects would be
| impossible. The work already done along
these lines will push these big improve
ments forward several years and result in
the saving Of much money.
| In its endeRvors to check the great waste
of the natural resources, the survey a few
years ago extended its field by taking up
the subject of the utilization of the fuels
of the country, and so fruitful have been
these Investigations that there is every
promise of a lsavng Of millions of dollars
within a short period. These investigations
appeal directly to the manufacturer, the
business man and the consumer. for they
show him how TO realize immediate econ
omies he never dreamed of before.
Gas Engine vs.. steam Engine.
Authorized to test the fuels owned by
or for the use Of the government ITSELF the
| survey mas mace a nufnDer or discoveries
of the greatest Importance to ths entire
people. At the governments fuel-testing
plant, IT has been shown that the gas en-
gine is capable OF generating from two and
a half to three times as much power. using
a given amount of coal, as can be obtained
from steam engine. This means, 1t is
declared, that 800 horsepower gas engine
will save 5000 a year in its coal bill over
the same power steam engine and that the
| saving on 5000 horse power gas engine
ought to amount to $4,000 a year.
The gas engine has also opened the way
! for the use of millions of tons of low-grade
fuel, much OF which has heretofore been
| thrown away as useless. The tests have
shown that Goals, practically valueless
under steam boilers because Of their high
percentages of impurities, have generated
sufficient power in the gas engine to rem
der them of high commercial value. Goals
as high in ash as As per cent have been
used successfully in the gas engine.
In the west, where the supply of high
grade coal is inadequate, the low-grade
lgnites dhe poorest form of coaD of North
Dakota developed as much power when
converted into producer gas as did the best
| West Virginia bituminous Goals when used
| under the boiler of a steam engine
To the west this discovery OF the govern
ment scientists is of the utmost impor-
tance, 1t makes possible the introduction
of cheap power, and therefore, the estab-
lishment of an Industrial empire of i'm
mense proportions. There are many mil
lion acres of ligntes in the west an almost
inexhaustible supply of fuel that has so far
been practically useless, the people being
compelled to send a great distance for their
coal and pay big freight charges on what
they did use.
Third of Coal Consumption Saved.
In the average steam engine today, but
per cent of the coal energy is transformed
into work. In the gas engine, this per,
centage of efficiency is 12A per cent. The
coal used in generating power in the United
States last year amounted to about 10000
900 tons. With the universal use OF the gaI
engine, IL is estimated that at least 100.
100000 tons of this coal could be saved
IN testing the efficiency of Goals under
the boiler OF a steam engine, the survey
engineers suggest still another way tC
save the fuel. Recent experiments indicat,
that boilers ought to perform two or thre,
times the work they do now. In New
York City, a\certain large corporation hai
almost doubled the capacity of its powe
plant by placing furnaces in the rear o.
its boilers as well the front This wal
/.
: sand dollars, as II would have been neces
sary TO purchase additional land. held at ,
high figure. to carry on the work
The tests OF different Goals under tn,
steam boiler al the government plant hav,
also showed the possibility of increasinJ
the general efficiency of hand-fired boiler
10 to Is per cent over ordinary Commercial
? results
Big saving i'm Uncle SANS Coal Bill
The survey is also engaged in a gen
! eral analysis of the Goals OF the coun
try These analyses have resulted in III
government purchasing coal on definit
specifications based upon its heatinI
lvalue. Under this system a better grad
Of coal and coal better adapted to tn
types of furnaces in the government
buildings has been obtained without an
Increase In cost, which in itself Is a saw
ing TO the government These investiga
. tions. by suggesting changes in equip
i ment and methods. are also indicating
the practicability OF the government
purchasing cheaper fuels, such as btu
minous Goa, and the smaller sizes o
anthracite, instead of the more eX
pensive sizes. With new boilers In IN
heating plant Of the state, war and nav