The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-23
coal Waste IN LOCOMOTIVES.

~ q 3rLSlA 4A4s- szsH 4E4l@l~As51 IL
the Des Moines Register and Leader
Hon 8 G. BeTyhiM suggested that Il
ELe people OF Des Mofnex would econ
oTzizs az DO sae railroad coEH Dsnfss
ne sooty smoke that hangs over the
ss11ys especially during the winter
months. would vanish In the same
connection be recalled that not so
u1ang years ago-sn fact, not more
thar eight Or ten-4ocomotives were
permitted to beich forth great clouds
Of dirty smoke about stations and
while 10 motion. A keen railroad man
realized that the smoke was uncon-
stunned carbon. He argued If the To-
connective was fired differently this
CARTON would be utilized TO generate
steam and effect large saving TO the
companies SO. instead of allowing
the ireHsen to bank the fire boz To
the doors as had long been the Gus
tom. and allowing the exhaust to shoot
tons Of unburned coal out the stack
to fall unused by the side Of the track,
this man suggested that the coal
should be spread lightly over the Goals
on the CRATE. This, he argued, would
result In more complete combustion.
and, In addition to giving greater
energy for the generation OF steam,
would effect considerable saving in
coal biIIa. The result was thus stated
BY Mr. Berryhill:
The experiment, as / recall, was
tried first ON the old Burlington, Cedar
Rapids & Northern. The results were
80 amazing that 1t was estimated the
new method would effect a saving OF
$4,000 year Other railroad man
agements took up with the new plan,
and today one never sees a cloud of
sufocating smoke pouring from
railroad locomotive. Now, what |
Fgtarted out to suggest was that If peo-
pie would pay more attention in their
home TO effecting more complete com
bustfon of their coal supply they
would not only get better results. but
they would effect a yer. material cav
Ing In coal bills and Incidentally rid
Des Moines Of one of It's greatest
blemfshea- coal and dirty SCOT
l Notwithstanding the large saving
that has been effected In the use OF
coal in locomotives, as pointed out by
Mr.. Berryhill, there IL still plenty OF
room for Improvement. as appears
from some facts just made public by
the United States Geological Survey
According TO the findings OF the sur
] yey. ninety millions tons of coai--one-
fifth OF the total production OF the
/ country were consumed By the $1,000
locomotives In the United States In
1906 IN hauling freight and passen-
ger trains. This fuel cost the railroad
companies S170,500,000. This enor-
nous consumption Of coal by the rail-
roads led the Geological Survey
through It's Technoiogic Branch to CON
4 duct a series or tests on locomotive
to determine whether or not there
could be saving to the country In
the amount Of fuel used, and the re-
suits have Just been announced In a
bulletin OF the survey
Professor w. r. ~ Goss. now dean
Of the University Of Illinois, who had
charge Of the experiments makes the
statement that Of the total 10000, 900
tons Of coal used, 1D0S0,000 tons are
lost through the heat in the gases
that are discharged from the stacks
Of the locomotives; $4,000 tons are
lost through cinders and sparks: s.
. 100000 tons are lost through radia.
tion, leakage OF steam and water;
, 2,SS0,000 tons are lost through uncon-
. slmed fuel In the ashes; and 100000
), tons are consumed in starting fires, In
moving the locomotive To It's train, in
: backing tralDs into or out Of sidinga
! and In keeping the locomotive not
a while standing. Professor gogs says
: that under ideal conditIong of opera
. tion much Of the fuel thus used could
be saved and 1t Is reasonable to ex
4 pect that the normal process Of eyo
i. luton In railroad practice will TEN
!. gradually to bring about some rednc
ton in the consumption thus account
ed for. The loss represented by tn,
.. heat Of discharged gases offers an at
r. tractiye field to those who would i'm
" prove the efficiency Of the boiler Th,
u fuel loss in the form Of cinders pass
AZ ms 'uh VI LIE bLdEk III SdlU Dy PIC
q lessor Goss to be very large and ma,
IN readily be reduced A sure road /,
"a improvement In this direction, he sue
. gests, Hes In an increased CRATE area
nj Opportunities for incidental saving ar
le to be found In improved fame way
- such as are to be procured by the ar
.. plication Of brick arches and othe
= devices. II is also suggested tina
~ losses may be reduced by greater car
- ID the selection OF fuel and In tn
~ preparation of the fuel for the servic
- ID which 1t is used II is not unreat
- enable to expect that the entire loa
~ covered by this item will in time b
w overcome. The fuel which Is lost b
OF dropping through CRATES and minglin
with the ashes is a factor that d.
Ponds on the CRATE design, on til
at characteristics Of the fuel. but chief
re on the degree Of care exercised /
managing the fire. More skillfuI n