The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-30

years to compile This work. Every big
consumer Of coal in the country is
sending for il and As = result not only
arc our ,uinc owners beginning 10 sell
their coal on tho basis of these tests
hut tho retailers are beginning TO tell
thr consumer how many heat units and
how much ash their coal contains Thus
the people generally are beginning To
he educated up 20 this now method Of
buying coal. according 10 heat units
and ash contents
To learn how many heat units 4 ton
OF any Kind OF coal contains the cX-
perts of the bureau of Mines powder
various samples taken from tho ears
COM ing from tic mineS These samples
are crushed into fine powder and
placed in a glass bowl. which is clamp
+. cd. slantwisc. into tho rim Of wheel
revolved by electricity The rcvolu-
tions gradually shake the powder to-
ecther and thorouphly MIX it, SO that
just one gram, carefully weighed rep
rcsents the avcrag" of all the coal
from tho one car sampled
saw all stages Of these tests in the
laboratory of the Bureau of Mines re-
Gently. sample gram OF coal from
IL certain mine was placed in little
platinum cup about the size OF half
an eggshcll. Through the little pile
of black powder ran an electric wire
similar to that inside an incaudcsccnt
light globe. The cup, with wire at
tached. was placed in a steel bomb
whose lid was screwed up tighHwith Il
wrench a yard long. compressed oNy-
gen was then forced into the bomb
through valve, and the bomb was
scaled in Il brass cylinder containing
water OF 4 certain temperature. Then
the cylinder was placed IN tank con
tanning running water
Like Liquid Flame.
LIGHT Uareu nm like liolliI flame from
under the water now and then, and IL
was explained to me that this was the
fash from Il row Of electric lamps
which were lighted UP by thcrmom-
ctcr whenever il cooled below II Ger
tain -hundredth OF a degree. Inn
mcdiately the heat from the lamps
warmed the water until the thermom-
cter was satisfied. but presently 1t
would warm n two hundrcdth OF Il de-
gree too much. when ii would auto
matiCaily turn on II spigot and admit II
few drops of ico water. which would
again cause the light TO flash mp Thus
the water I'm the tank was being Kept
! at q temperature as nearly even as
/ human ingenuity could devise.
Presently the cylinder containing the
! bomb that in turn contained the Goa!
powder was placed in q clamp which
! held il under the water OF tins tank.
| An electric current was turned on and
! tn, wire running through the powder
! ed coal sample was made To glow. IN
the compressed oxygen the powder was
/ burned completely. and the heat given
! eff into the water of the surrounding
cylinder was measured by an electric
| THERMOMETERS whose gauge was so dell
cate that a man sitting by the tank
had to read II through n telescope. You
will see him making this delicate
measurement in another OF the ac-
complaining photographs. This meas
urcment gave the heat value Of all the
coal represented by the sample. and
IL Is unnecessary to say that the coal
which gives OFF the most heat when IL
burns in your furnace is the coal which
you most devoutly want.
Similarly. ~ ton OF coal that contains
! the least moisture Is the one which you