The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-04-18
TO STOP THE SMOKE NUISANCE


cities has been conquered by science.
according 10 the statement of federal
experts who have been studying the
problem for a number of years. They
not only make the assertion that
smoke prevention is possible. but
stand ready 10 prove II by actual dem
onstratlon to anyone sufficiently In
terested and are proving it every day
at the United States Geological Sur.
4ey experiment station, at Pittsburg
Pa. In that smoky city the plant
is being operated absolutely without
smoke and the experts are burning
coal considered refuse by the trade,
costing, delivered at the station,
eiehty-one cents a ton
Some may say that this can only
be done at an experiment station and
not at commercially operated plant, -
said II. NJ. Wilson, Chief Engineer
technologic branch. United States geo
logical survey, but the Investigation
conducted by the government leads to
e different belief. Employees of the
survey visited Industrial establish.
ments in the larger cities Of Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky. Maryland. Miohi-
gan, Missouri. New York. Ohio, and
Pennsylvania and found more than
200 plants being operated without
smoke and with gain in economy,
for smoke these days means waste
The investigation indicates that tho
clean. comfortable American city with
a normal amount of sunshine is not
far of. Smokeless cities only await
q quickened public conscience to the
fact that this nuisance means un,
cleanliness, poverty, wretchednesS
disease and death. The public has
only to realize that smoke in the
cities costs in merchandise In stores
and warehouses, more than SIX hun
dred million dollars year. This loss
In money is based on the statement
of the Chicago smoke inspector that
his city suffers loss each year of
fifty million dollars. ndore than a
third Of the people OF this country
live in the great and moderate sized
cities.
The geological survey has been en-
deavoring for several years by ex.
perlments TO increase the efficiency
with which the fuels of the country
are being used and this led to a study
of the smoke problem. for smoke is
waste due to imperfect combustion.
The statement Is now made that in
fifty per cent OF the industrial plants
Of the United States, more than ten
per cent of the coal bill can be saved
each year by the smolleless burning
OF coal and five per cent in the other
plants. This would amount to several
million dollars.
The experts who had Immediate
charge Of this investigation were D.
T. Randall and w. II. Weeks
engineers of the technoogic branch
of the survey. and they have lust
made their report which will soon be
issued by the geological survey as
a bulletin. Mr., Randall makes the
statement that not only can blum
inouS Goals high in volatile matter
be burned without smoke. but also
that large plants carrying loads that
nuctuate widely, where boilers over
banked fires must be put into service
quickly and fires forced to cnpacit,
can be operated without producine
semoke that is Objectionable. Mr.
Randall maintains that II is not neces
sary 10 use any one certain patented
furnace to obtain smokeless condi
tons On the other hand he declares
that there are many types of furnaces
and stockers that burn coal wlthou,
smoke.
Credit is to be given TO any one kind
OF apparatus only in SC far as tho
manufacturers require that II shall
be so set under the boilers that tn,
principles of combustion arc rosnect