The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-01-05
PRODUCES GAS
POWER FOR FARGO
INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERT
AS TO THE FEASIBILITY OF THE
PLAN SHOWS 1T COULD BE
ECONOMICALLY ESTABLISHED
AND OPERATED.

T. L. Daniel, power plant expert
from the twin cities visited Fargo, and
when asked about producer gas power
for the new pumping plant was en-
thusiastic about it's achievements. Mr.
Daniel Is an experienced steam plant
man also, but lays claim to no knowl
edge outside Of power plant work. He
was the first producer gas engineer
to come into the west and his ex-
perience for the past five years with
actual commercial plants in this sec
ton of the country is interesting, in
structive and valuable. AS Fargo is
establishing a new power plant his
views are of interest.
There is no section of the United
States where producer gas demands
the attention that it does In eastern
North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Minnesota" said Mr.. Daniel This is
because of high fuel costs, bad and
scarce water and the extraordinary
saving with producer gas power. To
illustrate: The fuel bill in pumping
plant of the size at Fargo will be
the biggest single item of operating
expense and will amount, in a steam
plant to about $4,000 yearly. 1t would
not be at all unusual to reduce it to
$4,000 with producer gas power and 1t
might be reduced to less than $1,000,
depending on the condition of the pres
ent plant. This saving would pay the
cost Of a plant of the size at Fargo
within two years-in other words
would pay so per cent on the invest
ment which ought TO look good even
considering the high rates of interest
usual in North Dakota
TT must be remembered, too" he con-
tinued, chat Fargo is growing and 81 is
the price of the fuel. This increases
the fuel expense in a kind of progress
sion calculated to make thinking peo-
pie think. Added to these very evil
dent and material advantages, is the
reduction in labor of handling one ton
of coal and ashes where three to eight
are handled now, also the entire alb
sence of smoke and unsightly stack
on the proposed picturesque site, also
the satisfaction of having the latest
and best and that which can be per-
fectly expanded into a complete and
harmonious whole municipal water
cannot be excelled."
THAT listens pretty good to me-" in
terrupted the reporter.
5"Now, does it not ?" answered Mr..
Daniel warmly, land | hesitate to
say more for fear that to the ex-
perienced it will seem impossible and
yet when you consider all that has
crept into general reading, to say moth
ing of technical engineering literature
Of late and the work of the u. s.
government and the persistence with
which it reappears 1t is easily believ-
able that there is something unusual
about It."
1--WE have been told" continued the
reporter that producer gas power
was not as dependable as steam"
who said it and about what kind
of a plant was it said" demanded
Mr.. Daniel
1T came to us from the east and was
reported to be true for small plants
such as required at Fargo" answered
the reporter.
THAT is easily explained then" said
Mr.. Daniel and he added laughingly,
another case Of going way through
the woods and picking UP crooked
stick. But seriously it is just this
kind of loose jointed information that
is misleading to the layman or even ,
to the trained man If he gets out of
his special field and unless he is on
his guard. @s
But let me say right here before
forget 1t that l would not sacrifice a
single atom of reliability for all of the
very desirable advantages mentioned
Now let us return to our
eastern friend who is advising about
local western conditions with which
he is not familiar and let us remember
that this is an age of specialization
and that the great Daniel Webster was