Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-12

ing conditions II is believed by many that
this Russian engineer has solved at last
the problem OF energy utilization. II his
invention proves to be the success he be
lieves il TO be, the results will be more
far-reaching than anything that has oc-
CURED in the engineering world since the
time of Watts and Stephenson. Under
present engineering practice the uuliRa-
tiosl Of 10 per cent OF the energy contained
in the fuel used is about as mucn as the
average establishment can hope 70 do. The
other - per cent Of this energy is Abso-
lutely wasted II the invention Of the Rus
sian works well we may be using the q
per cent and wasting only the 10 per cent.
rhis would 50 affect the conservation prob
lem as to remove fuel from the class of
things demanding the pressing attention
Of the conservationists. 1t also will over
come nearly all OF the trouble experienced
as result OF the smoke nuisance. There
WIFI be no occasion for chimneys 10 fac
tories. as the Russian intends that his
boiler shall be a chimneyless one
The use of oil as a fuel in the operation
Of steam engines Is rapidly being proved 20
be more economical and more efficient than
the use OF coke A significant lesson was
taught recently by the experiments that
have been made with the United States
cruiser Cheyenne. With coal as the fuel
used. the steaming radius OF this vessel
was 100 miles. Since the Introduction ot
oil burning furnaces it is found that the
steaming radius has been increased 10 $50
miles. II this ratio were kept UP on all
the war vessels OF the navy it would be
an efficiency hitherto undreamed OF. Not
only has the introduction Of oil as fuel In
creased the steaming radius of the Chey.
enne. but IT also has made IL a faster
vessel.
A crusade is being waged by the steam
engineers of the country against boiler ex-
plosions At the present time these ex-
plosions occur at the rate OF about two
| day throughout the 1913 working days Of the
! year. In thirty years in Germany, ending
with 1897, there were seventy-two fewer
boiler explosions in the entire empire than
there were in the United States in the year
! 1909 alone. There we're only one-twenty-
seventh as many fatalities connected with
boiler explosions in Germany in that time
than there were in the United States dur
! ing the year. This ratio is maintained also
| in the factories OF Great Britain, showing
that American boiler explosions are more
the result of carelessness than of necessity.
Not long ago boiler explosion occurred
In factory in Canton, O., the results Of
which were unusually gruesome. The body
of one of the victims of the accident was
hurled distance OF more than so feet.
II passed entirely through house. break
ing through the Misunderstanding at both
sides as IL 1t had been a cannon ball. The
body continued on its flight for fifty yards
after having pierced both walls of the
house
When a boiler explodes II Is not in
Simultaneous action, but serious OF actions
following in quick succession. First there
is a small hole opened at the weakest
} point. and the explosion takes place through
the extraordinary tension of the gas in it's
anxiety to get through the hole at once.
The energy in a cubic foot of highly
, heated water is equal to that in a pound
: of gunpowder In a boiler with 100 cubic
J feet of water space and 50 cubic feet of
{ steam space, the total energy amounts to
10, 100000 foot pounds. II this were eX-
$ banded directly in driving a 1O.OO0-pound
steam boiler It would be enough to hurl II
! into the air more than two miles.
, Several Of the journals OF the engineer
e ing profession devote considerable space
TO a discussion of methods for the pre-
vention of boiler explosions. Those dis
' cussions take the form of correspond
1 ence school lessons In boiler operation. II
= is pointed out that much of the danger
done to steam boilers is through careless
e firing at times when the boilers are not
a in actual operation. When a factory ia
e fired up in the morning before beginning
S operations 1t is usually done by the night
0 Waterman, not by me engineer force
. The Waterman knows but little about the
9 principles of boiler operation. There is
e movement on foot among the engineers
= of the country to have all state legisla'
$ lures enact laws requiring ali operators
5 of steam boilers to be licensed before
], they qualify as engineers.
n By FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Bankers Associa-
ton.