Evening star., 1914-01-25
Fighting
Smoke,

u
points in the summary of study which
| has just been concluded by DR. Her
bert H. Kimball. professor of meteor
| ology of the United States weather bu-
reau, and in his report under the sub
| ject of Meteorological Aspect of the
| Smoke Problem" he shows that in some
cities the loss of light because of the
presence Of smoke is considerably great
er, and that in Pittsburgh. where he con-
Quoted his study, the amount of light is
| only about 60 per cent of what it is in
Sewickley, small residential suburb.
| DR.. Kimballs study was made in CO.
operation with the Mellon Institute of
| Industrial Research of the University of
Pittsburgh. and his calculations on the
| loss Of light offer additional data which
| make it appear that Pittsburgh deserves
| the name of the Smoky city" DR.. KIM
| ball also brings out the fact that in the
| business section Of Pittsburgh the pres
ence of smoke and fog reduces the dis
tance at which things may be seen to
about one-tenth of the limit in the open
country.
Conditions at Pittsburgh are of espe-
cial interest,"" says DR.. kimball. "Ac-
cording to the statement Of Mr.. Henry
Pennywitt. in charge of the United
States weather bureau office at Pitts
burgh, previous to 1885. when soft coal
was almost exclusively used for fuel for
both domestic and manufacturing pur-
poses, the air was ordinarily filled with
smoke and SCOT and many dark days
were the result. About 1885 natural gas
became very plentiful and cheap, largely
| supplanting soft coal as a fuel, and the
air became comparatively free from
smoke. The price of gas was increased
about 1895. and the use of soft coal was
again resorted to- with the result that
| the air was again filled with smoke. In
| the years 19O5-19O7 many days with dense
smoke were recorded, but the panic of
| 19O7-0S resulted in a diminished use of
coal in manufactures, and there has
| been an improvement in domestic fur
naces and in methods of stoking. SO that
| the volume of smoke has again been
greatly diminished. However, the air in
| the vicinity of Pittsburgh is never free
| from smoke except after rain or snow
storm and with high westerly Winds
The people of Pittsburgh realize that
the smoke nuisance is bringing about a
great economic loss because of the less
ened amount of light which is afforded
| them for work during the day. and also
because of the damage done by smoke
! to both buildings and merchandise. The
Mellon Institute has been conducting
| series of studies Of the smoke problem
| for many months, and four other reports
similar to that which has just been writ
| ten by DR.. Kimball have been issued.
| The Smoke and Dust Abatement League
| of Pittsburgh has been formed. and its
literature will likely prove a model for
| work along the same line which other
| cities will carry on in the attempt to do
away with the smoke nuisance. In sum
| marizing the need of meeting the smoke
| problem now the Pittsburgh Smoke
Abatement League has issued the follow
! ing statement:
| Smoke is not only a cause of expense
| to the maker of it but a nuisance and
| a cause of expense to every man. woman
and child in the community. We may
| well speak of The High Cost of Smoke
"It is injurious to health; it destroys
vegetation: it increases the density and
| aids. in the persistence of fogs: it cuts off
sunlight: it increases the cost of living
| through extra laundry and cleaning bills
| and extra household expense, and it
causes the deterioration of buildings and
| building materials.
| There is nothing mysterious or i'm
| possible about smokeless combustion. OF
course the prevention of black smoke is
| not always easy-there are conditions that
must be taken into consideration. How
| ever, Pittsburgh engineers unit in
| saying that in a great majority of cases
| SmokelesS combustion is possible, deSir-
| able and economical.
The studies of the smoke problem
| which have been made i'll Chicago. Cieve
| land and Harrisburg Pa. have all given
much important data, of which use is
| being made by those who are making
| study of the Pittsburgh smoke problem.
| The government, through the United
| States bureau of mines, is also taking
practical interest in smoke abatement
| work by operating smokelessly its own
power plant, connected with its expert
| ment station at Pittsburgh.
The intensive study which the Pitts
| burgh people are now making of the
| smoke problem is likely to bring forth re-
suits which will prove valuable to the
| people in every city of the country where
| there is the slightest amount of smoke.
according to government experts in both
| the bureau of mines and the United
States weather bureau. They say that
cities are gradually awakening to the
quantities of black smoke is not an indi-
| cation of manufacturing progress. but,
| on the other hand. is an indication of
great economic loss through the continued
| use of out-of-date plants, in which the
| combustion of coal is imperfect and
| smoke is thereby caused.
| In the studies of the smoke problem
| made in both Cleveland and Chicago con-
| servatiVe business men estimate that the
actual cost of smoke to the people in
their cities amounted to more than the
taxes annually collected to run the cit
| les. The presence of any smoke what
| ever in the air. engineers say, destroys
| to degree any beauties that the build
ings may possess. increases the cost of
cleaning of buildings. of carpets, furni-
! ture and clothes and brings about great
| loss in dry goods each year to the mer-
| chants because of the SoilinS received
| from the smoky atmosphere before the
| goods are sold.
| That the present generation is living
! In time which might well be called the
cement age is indicated
| The Age of by preliminary report
| oA completed during the past
| week by the United States
geological survey, which shows that ap-
proximately 90, 100000 barrels Of Port
land cement were produced by Ameri-
can manufacturers in the year 1918. an
| increase of nearly 100000 barrels. or
12 per cent, over the production of 1872
and the worlds record for production by
| any country during a single year.
These figures mean little to the aver
age person until he is told that this tre-
mendous output of the product which
| is today one of mans most useful build
ing and paving materials has Increased
| by leaps and bounds from less than
1. COO. 900 barrels in 1895 to nearly loo