The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-17
HEAT UNITS DETERMINE.
Government Now Insists on Coal Be
ina Worth the Price 1t Paws.

The coal purchases of the United States
government aggregate in value nearly S.
800. 900 annually, and it became apparent
some time ago that more uniform basis
for buying coal was urgently needed.
Until after the establishment of the
fuel-testing plant of the United States
geological survey at st. Louis in 1904, re
liable Information in regard to the char
acter of the Goals of the United States
was difficult to obtain Coal has been
purchased by the government as well as
by the general public, on the mere state
ment of the selling agent as to its quail
ity or on the reputation of the mine or
district from which it was obtained; and
if it did not prove to be satisfactory
there was no standard for settlement or
justification for canceling the contract.
If consumer thought he had cause to
find fault with the quality of the fuel
he received. he was i'm many cases assured
that 1t must be good because. like all
the other coal sent him, it came from a
mine with an established reputation. All
the other products of mines-gold silver.
copper, and even lead. zinc and iron ores
are purchased 10 a great extent on the
basis of their value as shown by chem
lcal analysis; of coal this Is now true only
in a small degree, but the number OF
contracts made on this basis is increasing
from year to year
The United States geological survey has
been charged with the duty of Analysing
and testing the Goals used by the gov
eminent, and a summary of the infOrma-
ton on this subjest obtained to date in
coal contracts that are now in use and
analyses of some of the Goals purchased
during the winter of 1906-07, prepared by
Mr.. d. T. Randall. has just been pub
lished as bulletin No. 339. This bulletin
is distributed free of charge and may be
obtained on application to the director of
the survey at Washington, d. c. Sam
pies of the specifications used by many
of the large commercial consumers of
coal are also given.
The work was taken up by the tech
nOlogic branch # the survey. as the re-
suit of a letter written by President
Roosevelt to the national advisory board
on fuels and structural Materials a body
of leading engineers of the country ap-
pointed by the president some time ago
to deal with such questions. The advis-
DRY board referred the presidents request
poWer-plant requirements, who drew up
specifications for the purchase of coal on
its actual heating value. which were af
terward revised and recommended by the
board. Contracts were let in a number
of the departments on this basis and the
set TO work making analyses of the Goals
received. The work is now being carried
forward continuously. From time to time.
as the dealers are delivering coal. the
custodians of the government buildings
notify the survey, and samples of the
coal are taken TO the laboratory and
analysed to determine their heating value
and their content of fixed carbon. volatile
matter. ash and sulphur. If the coal falls
much below the standard set in the con-
tract. penalty is imposed: if il proves to
be of higher grade. the dealer gets a
premium A number of, premiums have
been paid by the government and an
absolute economy over the old haDhazard
methods of purchase has already been
proved