Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-30

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again caGse the lights % flash up. Thus
the water In the tank was being kept at a
temperature as Eearlk even rs human in
gcnuIity could devise.
Presently the cylinder containing the
bomb that in turn contained the coz
powder was placed ia clamp which held
il under the water ~ this tank IN cleo
trio current was turned on and the VIZ.
running through the powdered coal sam
pie was made Ia GLOW Iii tie compressed
oxygen the powder was burned complete
~. and the heat gwen OF into ihe water
OF the surrounding cylinder was measured
by an electric Thermometer whose gauge
MAS so delicate that 4 wan sitting hv III,
tank had 10 read il through I telescope
You viii see him making this delicate
measurement IN another Of the accom-
panying photographs. This neasur. ment
gave IN. heat value 81 AL tn. coal rep
resented by the sample, and 1 * IN
necessary 10 say thai the coal when
gives of the most heat when IL burns III
your furnace is the coal when YOU mos
devoutly want.
Similarly. q ton Of coal that contains
the least moisture l. the one which YOU
should value most. although you have
never given this phase Of the .a~l prob
lem thought. To measure ti., moisture
i'll their sample lie bureau of mines ,x-
perts carefully weighed out another
gram OF the powder. nat. il in platinum
until the mo sture was an drioG ouf and
then weighed il again on their wonderful
scale. so delicate thar il would tel you
the difference in The weight OF the two
smallest baby fleas eyer Matched from
their eggs BY comparing the two
weighings the amount OF moisture in the
coal Was readily determined
You would want for .our lin also
quality of coal containing the least posi-
bic proportion OF ash ami Other waste
To measure the proportion 81 THIS waste
the experts III this Interesting laboratory
take another gram OF the powder put
il in an electric furnace at high tenn
perature. burn all Of the coal OF and
then weigh the residue. II was through
s'ich careful tests that Cncl. Sam com
piled his new coal book. for which there
Is now such a demand among eousum-
Natural gas is also receiving the at
tention of the bureau 81 mines experts.
Al the recent conservation congress the
state geolog.st of West Virginia stated
that the worst economic crime IN Anlef-
lea was our reckless waste of natural
gas. Should veins Of coai 10 iaid
bare AL over the country. and should
some Nero put torch 10 lhcm and bara
all OF the coal supply of the country, inc
waste would not cQsal in money value
in one year from careless methods.
Coal oil 's found in pools. AT the ioP
OF which Is ma tural gas. Ia Oklahoma
and other regions where new oil pools
are being tapped the producer, wanting
the oil primarily. wastes the gas 20 get
at the liquid fUei Six months aGo =
Okla homa 2.5o000.c9o cubic Feet OF ratu-
raj gas n day was being wasted IN this
Way and there WAS a general belief. even
among conseTvationists. that this IDEAL
fuel could not De saved. But Pro-. J. \.
Holmes. director OF the federal bureau 81
mines. thought otherwise.
In California he found 4 ,nan 1ho
claimed to have solved the problem.
He sent him 70 the Oklahoma oil fields
and oil expert Of tho bureau 81 mines
accompanied him. They tested the pro
posed process of economy and j worked.
I
1t was very simple and very ci.ap. A
tnud-laden fluid was pumped into the well
while the drill was going down and While
the drill was turning il threw Hiss iluid
into tn. underground crevices a. Trey
We're struck. Thus tile open ends ct the
crevices were sealed ana The escape OF
gas blocked. While TIE experiments were
under way there Went ~ from tn oil
fields Of the soutllNes; great howl and
cry about book scientists and their ef
forts TO teach practical men new tricks.
But these practical men Were soon falling
over one another to learn the neW trick.
They are now adopting the method as
fast as they can learn ii, ana il Is csti-
mated that it is Saving oiir natural gas
at the rate Of. S25 Go0.r1e a year. All
amount many times the total annual cost
Of the bureau of fnis,es
rs old King Coal giving out very asst?
How soon will he b. a;teTiy eNhausted?'
I asked these questions ths morning Of
r. y. Parker. coal expert of the United
States geological s;irrey-the expert VINO
sat on the famous Roosevelt anthracite
strike commission CT a dog, years ago.
Mr.. Parker told re tnat Americas
known coal supply is about 5000 times
as great the number Of tons being
produced in the country this year. Count
ing i'm also the amount of or coal being
wasted. his estimate is that our coal viii
last 400 years more IL prediction re-
mains at the present annual rate. Put
as 4 matter OF fact production is rapidly
increasing. He thinks, however, th'J after
reaching its h:gh-water marx, some time
between the Years 1870 and 2ae) Il w!ll
remain for awhile fairly constant and
then gradually decline.
so We need moi lie awake anticipating
the demise Of King Coal within oar life
times nor Of those Of our progeny living
as far ahead OF us as the time of Christ
is behind Us
Copyright. 1912. Icy John Eifrs,h watkin<)