The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-01
F. B. Keiser Says There Is
No Smoke Consumer
Which Is Practical
COAL COMBUSTION
MUST BE PERFECT
Geismer Says Question Will Solve It.
self if Given Time-McGeeyer
and, Lovelady Express
Their Views

opinions as to the impraetieability Of
the Weatherly smoke ordinance do not
come from any one class of men.
citv smoke Inspe cter W. O. Mat
thews Is quoted as saying that $1,000
spent on Birmingham's manufacturing
PLANTS will kill the smoke nuisance.
Expert opinion of the issue in aues-
ton is now furnished by some of the
best known and most efficient engi-
neers in the Birmin ham district, men
who look at the question from scien-
ti0c and technical standpoint.
"rhe smoke ordinance is not prac-
tical.. stated Franklin B. l<eiser, of the
engineering firm of keiser x Geismer,
,ocated in the American Trust building
and who has been in the birmingham
district for many years. 1T Is not prae-
teal" continued Mr. keiser, and l
do not approve of it for the follow
ing reasons;
Smoke Consumer Not Practical
"First. there Is no such thing in
existence as n smoke consumer which
Is practical. The cnly way to get rid
of smoke. theoretically is not to make
any. that Is, by proper combustion,
There is no mechanical device OF ma
chine which will actually consume or
destroy smoke after it has been made
and which at the same time Is prac-
teal, practical enough 10 be placed in
manufacturing plant where all
things must be practical to be of any
value.
"If automatic Or mechanical stollers
can be used and tho boiler capacity of
a plant be large enough so that the
fires will not have to be crowded in
the least, then combustion of the fuel
can be made to conform TO a degree
of perfection as near as possible and
made Even then there is some smoke,
but not enough to be considered a
nuisance in my estimation.
Must Double Boiler Capacity
ITO do this, however, the boiler ca
pacity of practically every small man
ufacturing plant IL Birmingham will
have to be doubled and the plant Will
have to install the mechanical stoker,
which is a very expensive device. The
SlOktf anu tie uOdbic boiiti N"po1itS ,
speaking in general, would no doubt
cost as much and In some cases more
than the plant itself has already cost.
Therefore the small manufactures can
not do 1t. ii would break him up. This
device can be handled In large plants
such as the Birmin gham Railway, light
and Power company and others, for
there it ia not only . matter of elm
mating the smoke but is a case of
actual economy.
These so-called smoke consumers
and smoke burners which are on the
market at SIS or 500 are worthless.
They may work for a day or two. but
as | say in the end they are not prac-
teal and will not produce the results
required. You might as well go to the
haberdashers and pay 75 cents for a
hat when YOU have been used to wear
| ing a 81 or So hat
"The first time you get 1t wet you
know how the hat will look and how
lit will answer the purpose which you
desire of It, It's the same with the $75
smoke consumer as compared with
the mechanical stolSers and ample boiler
capacity"
Nothing Compared to Dust
40 The smoke OF Birmingham Is not
one-ten thousandth part as much of a
nuisance or as Injurious to the health
of the community as the dust from the
filthy streets. avenues and alleys. For
years my offices were one of the cor
ner rooms of the Brown Marx building
where could watch the smoke from the
Sloss furnaces. The smoke Is hot when
lit comes from the ovens and naturally
lrises into the air and floats away across
1.-The mountain, far above the heads of
the citizens. I've sat and watched IL
many times, while at that very time
1.-The germ laden dust from the filthy
ktreets, filled with expectorations from
ltubercnlar and other diseased people,
swooped up to my office several floors
above the street and came in the win
idow. Men who work about the coke
lovens in the smoke are among the most
sturdy and long lived citizens of the
district
Experience Around Furnaces
For many years when ! first came
10 birmingham | lived at Thomas, right
in the midst OF the furnaces, coke ovens
and industrial plants. When / first went
there people said the smoke Would in
lure my health and that clean lanndried
CLOTHES could not be hung on the line
outside because the smoke would ruin
them | prepared to wear dark shirts.
etc. In order that ! could avoid the
dirty smoke. but | soon learned that 1t
all was a fallaey. ] wore white shirts
and white collars and they did not get
dirty any sooner than in any other
community. And during my residence
lin that community | never suffered
from any of the alleged bad effects
of the smoky atmosphere.
"The city commissioners should de-
vote more attention to getting rid of
the dust nuisance of the city and not
bother so much with the smoke nut
sance, which IL the lesser nuisance of
the two. and the abatement OF which
lis largely based on theory. The manu-
featuring plants of Birmingham are
largely responsible for the growth and
prosperity OF the district They must
make some smoke or they cannot exist
Solves Itself if Given Time
MY third reason is that the smoke
nuisance and the problem of getting rid
of it will solve itself II 1t Is given time
The question will come to a natural
solution in the course of time and al
though Mr.. Weatherly Is acting in all
good faith and according to his belief.
he is actually doing a lot of harm
"In connection with the anti-smoke
agitation resulting from tthe smoke or
ldinance the Birmingham Railway, Light
and Power company Is making an ac-
Tive canvass of the power using plants
of the city Offering attractive PROPOSE
tions looking to the signing of con-
tracts for electric power. Also right
now we have coming into the Birming-
ham district the enormous Industrial |
and mower producing company known as
tbe Alabama Interstate Power company
rrhev are Investing hundreds of thous-