The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1917-05-10
BR|QUETT|NG
L|GN|TE WITH
ITS OWN BINDER
PLANT OF JOHNSON FUEL CO.,
At SCRANTON, N. D., IS
NOW TURNING OUT BIG
QUANTITIES
PROCESS A SUCCESS
Million Dollar Plant is Now to be
Put in to Handle Enormous
Scranton Ignite Field

]. w. Parmley of Ipswich, otter
styled "The Northwest's Original
Booster" stopped over in Mobridge
Thursday while en- route home from
a short business trip en- route home
of the Johnson Fuel company
Scranton, N. D. Samples of the new
Scranton binderless Ignite briquettes
had been received in the city sew,
eral days ago, but not until Mr.
Parmley started to xeplain the pro-
cess and the Scranton plant did the
people of this city fully realize the
magnitude of this industry so close
to home.
The Johnson Fuel company started
active operations last January when
Emil Fernholtz, inventor of the bin
derless Ignite briquetting process
moved his single unit plant from Los
Angeles, the freight alone on the
shipment amounting to $4,000
Charles A. Johnson of Fairfax, the
alfalfa King of the Rosebud
president of the First National Bank
of Fairfax and a string of banks
throughout that section, was behind
the move and has handled it COM
paratively alone through its perfect
ing process until the success OF the
experiments has been demonstrated
to the northwest.
Million Dollar Plant
The wonderful prospects for the
future, however, are so rosy that
stock company is now being formed
to handle the project Of installing
a plant costing 100000 to mil
lion dollars for turning out briquet-
tes on huge scale.
1t is now planned to put in Sl4'-
600 steam shovel for mining the coal
and all additional briquetting units
100000 each, Immediately. When
this is done the company will have
a plant that will be large enough to
turn out approximately 1000 tons OF
briquettes every "a hours at cost
under 50 ton.
The company has lease on hall
section of land near Scranton, and
it is estimated that the supply will
keep a plant of this size busy day
and night for thirty years.
Process of Manufacture
The process of making these bri-
uuettes or bricks" as they are COM
monty called is not all complicated.
The coal is mined and hoisted into
a crusher where it is ground fine,
the particles passing through screens
which allow only the pulverized coal
to pass into the dryer. This dryer
is steam revolving cylinder. Here
the powder is subjected to a strong
heat which eliminates all the mois-
ture in the natural Ignite and partly
melts the pitch. From the dryer
the heated substance passes into the
super-heated briquetting press where
a million pound pressure is applied
to each brick. The heat and the in
tense pressure tend to melt the re-
naming pitch in the coal, and this
pitch forms the natural binder which
has made the briquette unique and
in a class by itself.
Upwards of 10 per cent of the nor
mai coal is eliminated by the dryine
and pressing processes. Heretofore
this weight represented in moisture
was shipped to the consumer he pay
Ing the freight and getting but half
as much coal for his money as he
can now secure in the briquette
form.
Mr.. Parmley states that it is a
wonderful sight to see the finished
bricks coming from the press at a
rate of 100 minute-one for each
revolution of the two huge fly
wheels-the finished product being
ready for shipment just % minutes
after the coal is taken from it's bed
in the mine.
Just Pure Cosl
The pound bricks as they leave the
machine contain nothing but pure
Ignite coal bound together with the
natural pitch Of the coal itself. All
moisture has been eliminated by the
patented drying process. The brick
is clean and can be readily handled