Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-03

$1,000 or $4,000 His services and
equipment under order could, with
| some notifications. be utilized should
| an impartia commission decide on
| economical grounds that the Mall site
| was not the most adyanta geous.
| These facts show the reasona bleness
of a suspension of work on the new
power plant pending thorough eco
nomic investigation
There seems to be no central office
or bureau of the government that has
complete information regarding all iuei
requirements, equipment and operation
of the power plants in the District OF
Columbia. In other words, the gov
eminent has no clearing house for such
! informa ton.
| TT would appear that the Treasury
| Department. from diffidence, oversight
| overconfidence or some other cause,
not only failed to avail itself OF the
expert services of the fine arts commits
| sion, but also it has not sought the
expert services of other branches Of
the federal service in lines of investi-
cations dealing with some of the
phases of the problem at hand. / am
also informed that the chief engineer
of the Treasury Department did not
visit all the present power plants in
| operation to take stock of their posi-
! ton, capacities and potential posi-
bilities.
| ."rhe bureau Of mines is that branch
of the federal service specifically au-
|
cations regarding the most efficient use
| of fuels.
'The chief metallurgist of the bureau
Is F. G. Cottrell, who has gained wide
smelter smoke. By gift of the rights of
\ his electrical precipitation process for
| forty states of the Union he founded
| the altruistic research corporation.
Total Consumption Of Coal.
According to reliable estimates the
total coal consumption for the federal
and District governments for the fiscal
lyear 1914-15 is more than 100000. tons
and is distributed at some 40 plants,
without counting the schools and fire
departments.
| According to the testimony of Mr..
Wetmore before the library committee,
1.-The buildings that are to be served at
first by the proposed Mall plant are:
| agriculture, Army Medical Museum,
bureau of engraving and printing.
Court Of Claims, District building. fish
cries, Mills building, post Office build
ing, 18th and Pennsylvania avenue:
Smithsonian Ian group state; war hi,df ana
Washington Monument, White House.
Winder building.
| The appropriation of s1,4bs.1o4 for
| the Mall plant requires that the plant
I
vide for the contemplated buildings for
the Justice, Commerce and Labor de
partments, and for cross service with
the Capitol power plant.
| proposed additional buildings to be
| served by the Mall plant. for which a
further appropriation of $4,000 is
| asked. are:
| "Johnson-Walker frented by the Navy
| Department), Lincoln memorial, 1nte-
rior Department building new and the
| fal hi (Red
Crosse.
the relative distances of all the build
ing from three centers-viz.: The Capt.
toll, the Mall and the navy yard power
plants. 1t also gives the estimated
tonnage and prices per ton for all
the thirty-five selected main coal-con-
suming plants and buildings. which are
the new Mall system, using about 49,
900 tons. costing $141.000. and twenty
one in other important points. using
1s1 900 tons. costing s431. 900. total OF
10000 tons. costing $4,000.
THE mean distance from each plant
of the total coal consumption Is FOUND
by multiplying each distance from
oh plant by the coal used and d1vid
ing by the total consumption OF 10000
!, This mean distance for each is. Capitol
$3.50 feet; Mall. 300 feet; Navy Yard
$3.50 feet.
Il Cost OIL Coal OlueTS.
THE cost Of coal per ton at the diff
ferent plants varies because of the
different varieties of coal used. ant
because of the different distances o.
wagon haulage: the latter adds from
r rs to so cents per ton to its raj
{ cost. The average prices are: Fol
Ibituminous. 1915. and anthracite. s5.27
1.-THE average for anthracite includes thu
steam sizes as well those for domes
tic use. The price per ton Of $2.S8 pait
at the Capitol station is the lowest OIL
!, the list.
Considering the thirty-ive points o
large consumption, the Mall plant pro
t vides for the Capitalization and re
placement OF only % per cent of thi
T coal consumption.
THE Potomac Electric Power Com
pany supplies power to those thirty
FIVE different places in various guam
r titles and at VARIOUS rates. No data ar
/ the federal and District government
3 requirements, but certainly Shout,
l. street and park lighting and other Dis
= trict needs be included 1T woul,
n | amount to 100000. / have made
I more successful effort, however, to oh
a | tain the electric purchases for group