The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-30
DRIVING rEAT-rIErn rnEss AZ WORK.

ter having been thorouehly ground into
pulp. IL is autumatically fed to car
operated by cable running alouCsidc
the track. Another photograph shows
the car in tho act Of dumping tho
maccrated peat into field press or
spreadcr' which moids the fuel into tho
rows Of bricks seen upon the field.
One o. the finished bricks was shown
10 m. by Mr.. Davis. 1t is about half
the size of an ordinary clay brick is
a rich brown in color and about "a
light as wood. Tie tells me that about
three tons Of these bricks viii give a
little more heat than two tons OF coal
lie estimates that peat in this form,
should he produced in the United States
at a cost under s. per ton. Indeed. some
authorities on the problem claim that
II can be briCkcd at a cost Of 81 per
ton TO the producer Where offered in
the market thus far IL has been sold
without difficulty nj 81 per ton where
anthracite sells for between 81 and s..
Better Fuel Than Coat.
You can burn peat wherever You can
burn coal although u larger nrchoX
a finer crate and less draft than used
for coal give bottcr results Certain
railroads OF Europe. prcfcrrinG il to
coal use ii for their smaller locomo-
tivcs whenever they can purchase IL in
sufficient quantities In Germany one
electric plant of 5000 horsepower ami
another OF 1000 horsepower use il al
together. while several peat burning
power plants have been opened in Rus
STA within the past few years.
The housclicCpcr viii prefer peat 10
coal according to MIR. Davis. She Will
hnd IT cleaner II gives no black
smoke and burns into Il fine powder.
leaving no cindcrs or clinkcrs. and
only very small amount of ashes
\ To-
die, and while 1t is burning one would
hardly know. except from the change
! of temperature, that there is fire in
the house. For CRATE fires it is even
better than wood.
! American suspicion OF peat results
largely from the overoptimism and
many failures of stock jobbinc con
Germs. which have hitherto attacked the
problem without first gaining a tech
meal knowledge of its intricacies. SO
| The Bureau of Mines is carefully in
quiring into the possibilities of our de-
/ posits-what can be done with them
and what cannot. 1t is testing tho
various methods OF economic produc-
/ ton and is making field survey of
: the quantity and quality of the various
American deposits BY proper cx-
I pioitation and management with ma
chinery already in the market profit
able business in peat production can
! no built up by skilled men in our States
where the product is abundant, and
especially in those regions far from
our coal fields. This is Mr.. Davis's opin-
ion. Such an industry could give a To-
! cal relief from high prices now charged
| for othsr fuel. Ile sees no reason why
American peat cannot he produced
cheaply enough to sci! probably for
| SO n ton.
HousehOlders VIII benefit.
The householder will profit Indirect
~ from another series OF Investigations
now being prosecuted by George s.
Pope. chief of the fuel section of the
| Bureau OF Mines One of the fruits Of
Ithis work is n hook showing careful
tests OF 5000 samples OF coal from
1000 different mines in the United
states. 1t has taken six or seven