The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-06
COAL WASTE.
Geological Survey Finds Fault with
 Mining Methods.

Geological Survey Finds Fault With
 Mining Methods.
 Washington, May 5.-Odicials of the United States Geological Survey who are studying the fuel problem. make the stateTfseht that two hundred mill lion tons of coal, enough to supply the needs of the country for six months, are being wasted every year in the United States through improper mining methods. This waste repre- sents a loss, of more than two hum dred million dollars. for the coal is worth at least $l a ton.
 Tn our investiga tions we find that in the mining operations of this coun- try nearly one-half of the total coal supply Is left under ground" said Mir. J. A. Holmes, Chief of the Techno- logic Branch. This coal is left as pillars to support the roof of the mine or because 1t Is of inferior quaity, only the best part of the coal being removed from many beds. The waste is also due to the fact that the work ing out of the lower beds of coal first, in some cases breaks and renders im- practicable the subsequent mining of the adjacent higher coal beds
 We are skimming the cream of the natural resources of the country. We are using the best and cheapest of our supplies. Each of the succeed ing generations will obtain its needed general supply, but each will pay higher prices for the reason that ow- ing to the increasing depth mining will be continually more expensive and more dangerous.
 Tt is believed that an increa stnxly largo part of this waste is preventable In most European coal producing coun- tries coal waste has been reduced to minimum by the introduction of in- proved meth ods of mining. In Van eouver, British Columbia, I am told, ninety-eight per cent of the coal is mined"
 The Technologic Branch of the Geo logical Survey Is now engaged in in vestigations looking toward a reduc- tion of the waste in mining operations and also to a better utilization of the coal that is mined. The success of the government in the latter field Is told in a bulletin just issued by the United States Geological Survey on the work of the United States el-testing plant which until the early part of 1907 was operated at St. Louis. Mo. Goals from ail over the country were tested in the steam engine and gas engine in order to determine their efficiency. The re- suits with the gas engine were ex- tremely, gratifying. Fifty-six differ ent bituminous coals were tested in the steam boiler and engine and gas
 
 show that on an average 1t took near ly three times as much coal to produce a horse power in the steam engine as in the gas engine. The actual figures for the average from all coals were I.57 pounds of coal burned to produce one horse power for an hour In the gas en- zine and 4.45 pounds per hour in the steam engine. The best coal used pro- duced a se-power per hour in the ras engine for less than one pound of cosl while the steam engine used 2.4l pounds or PAS times as much as the gas engine.
 In five tests Of llgnites Gan inferior Fas engine required 2.S7 pounds of coal to produce se.power for an bonr. ana s.2s pounds of coal for the steam engine. The best result was 1.T4 nounds for the gas engine and s.s bounds for the steam engine