The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-10

Texas lignites, and even Florida peat,
yielded more power than did the very
best Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Goals under the steam boiler.
High Value of the Ignite.
Commenting on the value of these
tests, with special reference to the
Dakota and Texas lignites, Professor
Fernald remarks:
at should be noted that many fuels
which give poor results under steam
boilers have been used with great
ease and efficiency in the gas producer,
which thus makes t2possible to utilize
low grade Goals sandIlignites that have
heretofore been regarded as practically
useless. Several" of stfie poorest grades
of bituminous coalsn have shown re-
markable efficiency in the gas pro-
Queer and lignites and peat have been
used in 1t with great facility thus
opening the way to the introduction
of cheap power In large, districts that
have thus far been commercially UNI
important, owing to lack of industrial
opportunities"
Although the gas producer is quite
new institution, the possibilities of
this form of power and it's ultimate
future Is indicated by the fact that
there are already in the United States
between $50 and 200 gas producer in
stallations, ranging in size from 1900
to 5000 horse power.
The latest and perhaps most inter
/ esting phase of the development is
the conversion into producer gas of
the waste from the blast furnaces.
At the Gary steel plant, in Indiana,
where the great blast furnaces run
night and day, the fumes and waste
which would otherwise belch from the
/ huge chimney to pollute the atmos-
phere are captured and converted into
producer gas to the extent of Great
| ing 100000 horse power. This sug
gests the fact that with the producer
gas plant there is no smoke nuisance.
| The poorest, smokiest, smudgiest coal
may be used, because there are no
| smokestacks. The gas is generated
| in a producer which has no chomney
and needs none. The coal is turned
directly into gas, which goes straight
to the engine.
The Passing of the Steam Engine.
| Really it seems as though We had
come to the passing of the steam en-
CINE, the maker Of civilization, and
that the gas engine, the toy Of yes
| terday, has doomed upon the indus
! trial horizon and grown over night
| into the giant Of today. It's appearance
means not only an eventual saving in
| the country's fuel bill variously es-
timated at from $100,000,0O0 to $780,
| 100000 annually, but certainly a wider
| distribution of industrial enterprises.
The great reduction in the cost of
power production, made possible by the
use Of the gas producer, Professor
I-FernaId says, means also rapid strides
in electrical development within the
next few years. Now that 1t is COM
mercially possible to transmit cleo
| trical power for distances of $50 miles
or more, the location of immense
power plants using producer gas will
speedily follow. A central plant could
distribute such electric current for a
/ distance of 500 miles; that is ESQ miles
In all directions from the plant. thus
covering a territory of probably 100000
square miles-an area nearly four
times the size Of Illinois. With ten or
a dozen of these great central plants
| located ct the various coal mining CEN
tiers, the great railroads of the United
States could send their trains speeding
from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast.
1t would seem ridiculous to predict
the immediate doom of the steam To-
connective, Professor Fernald says; yet
one Of the officials of the New York
Central railroad has publicly stated
that within ten years, in his opinion,
there will be no steam locomotives on
the New York Central road. Already
the New York Central has substitute
ed electric for steam power on its
lines from New York city to a point
about forty miles from the Grand Cen
trail station, and 1T is rumored that
before long electric trains will be run.
York to Buffalo.
These rapid changes are leading to
one end-the Capitalization of power
development and distribution. They
point to the time, and at no distant
cay, Professor Fernald believes, when
great central plants will be located
~ mine centers, and the electric power
will be transmitted and distributed
TO railroads, industrial, plants, cities
and the various institutions where
cleo rical energy is needed. The grea,
railroads will operate their trains by
electricity. passengers and the coun-
try-side will be freed from the an
noyance of smoke and cinders, while
disastrous forest fires caused by
sparks from locomotives will become
a thing Of the past y
Astonishing Waste Of Energy.
From the standpoint of conserva-
ton, the producer gas experiments AMI
the rapidly increasing installation 81
gas producing plants are notable ad-
vances. Stated in terms of wasted
energy, the figures Of fuel consumption
, become deeply impressive.
Incredible as it may seem, the fue
consumed in the ordinary manufac
turing plant operated by steam powei
. Yields less than per cent of its avail.
able energy in useful work; the other 81
lper cent is wasted The superintend
ent of motive power of the New Yorl
subway system, one of the most eff
ficient steam plants in existence to-
day, estimates the total losses In
, years operation of the plant at abou
80 per cent. Asa against this, 1t Is es
timated that a producer gas plan
operated on a similar scale would util
, II per cent of the available energ,
. in the fuel consumed.
Not only will the ultimate complete
substitution in the United States o
the gas engine entail a direct savin.
of millions OF tons of coal annually
but through the utilization of tn
lower grade Goals and lignites. which
would otherwise never be minded, |
! would greatly lengthen the life OF tn
high grade coal deposits.