The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-10-03

QuclnS 1alT q DILLON tons or
~ coal we wasted or left under
ground in such condition that
1t probably will not be recovered in
the future quarter of a billion tons
of coal; we turned loose into the at
mosphere a quantity of natural gas
larger than the total output Of artiti-
cial gas during the same period in all
the towns and cities Of the United
States; we also wasted or lost in min
ing, preparation and treatment of 9TH
er important metalliferous and non
metalliferous minerals from 10 to SO
per cent of the years production of
such minerals"
The above is the startling manner in
which DR.. Joseph A. Holmes, director
of the United States bureau of mines,
describes some Of the losses in the
yearly production of $2O00,000,O00
worth Of minerals in the United
States
The words Of the director are gen
eral summing up of a statement just
issued by the bureau, in which an in
ventory of the various mineral wastes
is given and in which the bureau
shows how millions and millions of
dollars may be saved to the people of
this country through the right sort of
conservation of it's resources.
Valuable Deposits Lying Idle.
The general statement, written by
Charles L. Parsons, chief mineral
chemist of the bureau, contains the
charge that many valuable mineral de-
posits are lying idle, while the. prod.
ucts are being imported from other
countries. Mr. Parsons further de-
clares that through wasteful use Of
certain Of the minerals the ultimate
exhaustion and dissipation of some of
the important useful minerals of to-
day, from the standpoint of the race
and in the light of present knowledge.
are in sight He urges that many de-
posts of ores of such low grade that
they cannot be mined today: should
be left in position so that they can be
mined in the future. as many ores, for
merly Of too low a grade to work with
profit, are now sources of wealth. The
wastes of the past are daily being con-
verified into the dividends of the pres
ent, he declares.
In referring to the waste in the
mining and use of coal MIR: Parsons
says: "The wastes of carbon in our
modern economy are almost incom-
prehensibe. In mining coal in this
country probably one third of the
bituminous coal and one-half of the
anthracite are left in the mine Fully
SO,OOO,OOO tons Of anthracite are now
being left behind in the mine each
year, and it is estimated that since
mining began in this country fully
2,OO0,O00,O0O tons of anthracite and
S,OOO,O00,000 tons Of bituminous coal
have been left in the ground under
conditions which make future recov-
cry highly improbable.
AFTER coal is mined the losses by
no means cease, although some of the
culm that formerly went to waste by
millions Of tons is now being used. |
AoooOit AoI OVcI IL per cent OF the |
energy in coal is being effectively |
utilized. The remainder of the energy
is lost through the inefficiency of the
steam boiler. the steam engine and the |
electric dynamo.
Boiler Efficiency.
! 1T is estimated that the boiler scale |
In locomotives alone in this country |
means loss of over 100000 tons
of coal annually. It has been shown
that one-sixteenth of an inch of scale |
means a loss Of 25 per cent in boiler
efficiency. The scientific control of the
combusticN Of coal under boilers is |
constantly increasing, but the losses
, of carbon that is still pouring from our |
chimneys, defacing monuments, build
ings and landscape, are without valid |
reason
Mr.. Parsons says that the losses in |
the making of coke by the old fashioned
process wasted $4O,OO0,OOO in the
United States last year. He calls this
an Qntiro1v neadlnss and coon;orlv