Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-21
Smoke Can Be Prevented.
To the Editor Of The Star:

l notice that request has been made
to exempt portion of the District from
the operation Of the smoke law as an in
ducement for the establishment of manu-
features in that section. This is entirely
unnecessary. for, as has been demonstrate
ed time and again, furnaces, if properly
without producing visible smoke. All that
Is required is perfect combustion. for
when that is had there is no smoke, and
1t IS not difficult to do Besides, it is
much more economical. Each ton of coal
burned produces from 10000 TO 12.UOO GU
Die rect OF gas, and smoke is simply the
nne particles of uncOnsumed carbon car
RED by this escaping gas out of the fur
mace and smOkestack. Any one can read
lily see that IL this escaping car bon and
gas are burned in the furnace, as ii ought
to be. ii would produce large amount
of additional heat and would greatly les
sen the amount of fuel required, saving
of from ten to twenty per cent. as proven.
AS there can be no combustion without a
proper supply Of oxygen, the great point
is to supply that by the admission Of the
requisite quantity of air at point where
IL can mingle with the gases to cause
them and the fine particles of carbon to
burn before escaping from the furnace
That is all that is required. and it can be
easily done by slight change in the fur
mace and without resetting the ordinary
steam boiler. From ten to twenty per cent
of the fuel can thus be saved. and as coal
has increased in price, the subject is be-
ginning 10 attract attention here. as it
has in England for long time. l see it
stated that 80 per cent of the smoke from
locomotives has been eliminated in Chi
cago, as it can and should be here and
elsewhere. In New York it has been ac-
complished almost entirely by electrifying
the railroads. as ought to be done here.
Boston the scene Of much manufacture
ing and heavy railroad traffic. is practi-
cally free from the smoke nuisance. and
Philadelphia is awaking to the importance
of the subject. In the November number
of the Worlds Work there is a very in
teresting article on the subject. and
among other statements is one that IAN
electric company In Chicago burns 300
tons of coal per day without a sign of
smoke from its stacks" If 1t can be
done there, il can be here and elsewhere.
The injury produced by smoke is far
greater than Is generally supposed. AS
was said by Frederic Law Olmstead. jr..
You can draw plans for the most beau
tiful park in the world, but you cannot
have grass and trees while you have
smoke The park commission of st.
Louis reports that more than 400 trees
were killed in Forest Park in 1907 and
the city of New York has spent So 900 in
cleaning the CRIME from it's soldiers and
sailors monument. erected less than ten
years ago. A good illustration of this evil
is shown by the recent cleaning of the
front of the Columbia National Bank on
F street. 1t does not look like the same
building since being cleaned. Eleven big
storekeepers in Cleveland estimate clear
loss of 10 per cent must be figured on
all white goods sold by them. amounting
to $4,000 a year. which Their customers
lose in consequence of the smoke. But
the injury Is not confined to property
alone for. as stated by Chicagos health
officer. diseases produced by smoke and
bad air are increasing alarmingly; and
other physicians say that the smoky at
mosphere shows its influence In nervous
troubles and in throat and lung diseases
The Civic League is using its influence to
educate the public on this subject and is
trying TO abate what has grown to be a
national nuisance. 1t will be overcome in
time, no doubt, but it seems to be very
difficult to induce those who produce the
smoke and waste their fuel to make the
necessary effort. If Congress would au-
thorze the expenditure of few thousand
dollars for practical demonstration of a
successful plan for abating the evil here
in Washington it would not only greatly
benefit the National Capital, but greatly
expedite the work throughout the country
The saving In fuel alone would soon re-
pay the expense, and that saving would
continue for all time; and as the geolo-
gists assure US that our supply Of coal
will be exhausted in comparatively
short time-some say in seventy-fve
years-it would seem to be a matter Of
national importance and proper thing
for Congress to do. w. c. DODGE.