The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-16
Immense Resources Which
Might Supplement Nations
Supply Of Coal
EXTENSIVE BEDS
IN NEW ENGLAND
Estimated That There Is Available 12.-
00o,000,000 Tons, Quantity Which
Could Supply Heat and Power to the
Country for Years.

WASHINGTON, March l6-Com-
mercial development of the vast peat
deposits in the United States would
materially relieve our present shortage
OF fuel, according to the United States
Geological Survey. Although peat has
never been largely used as fuel in this
country because Of our abundant sup
ply of coal, which can be more readily
prepared for consumption and in nor
nal times more cheaplv brought to
the consumer, it has long been used in
Europe, where 15,000,O00 to 10000
600 tons are consumed annually in
generating heat and power. The at
tempts made in this country to manu-
facture peat fuel on a commercial scale
have not been successful, but the fail
ure appears TO have been due, not to
n lack Of market for the product, but
to the lack of sufficient capital, to the
ineNpcrience of the operators and to
prevcntable engineering errors. It is
said that air dried machine peat, which
IS but little inferior in calorife value
"a man. grades Of Ignite coal, can be
produced al cost ranging from -
cents to $3.50 a ton. the exact figure de-
pending on the size and the efficiency
Of the plant; and it is believed that
| in some parts Of the country it could
successfully compete with other fuels
for both domestic and industrial use
/ II burns with little smoke and ash, and
wherever il has been used in this coun-
try it has proved very satisfactory and
/ has found ready sale as fast as it has
| been produced.
! The wide interest felt in the larger
usc Of peat in the United States is ex
4 pressed in recent messages from the
/ governors Of Maine and Massachusetts
! to the legislatures of those states. rec.
/ ommcuding an investigation of the
( local deposits of peat and its possible
uso 10 relieve the present shortage OF
/ fuel. The lack Of other fuel in many
/ European countries is now being sup
/ piled in part By. an Increased use OF
! peat. According to United States Com
marec reports. 2l6 peat machines were
/ IN operation in Norway in 1917, com
! pared with s. in 1916 and 80 in 1914
/ Among these were two automatic ma
!, chimes. each costing $1,000 having {
/ daily capacity OF 30 to 40 tons of fuel
! and requiring onlF two men for It's
operation
Peat consumed in properly designed
sas producer yields gas Of good qualit,
and In abundant quantity in compari
son VITA the Weld from coal, as wei
"a many valuable bv-proluets. Thi
+ 4. pyl ba
ton of peat fuel for generating hea'
aud power, because peat that is 10 h,
/ used in this way does not need to b,
SO carefully prepared nor 90 thoroughly
dried as peat that is to be consumed
under steam boilers. Specific informa
ton with regard to the use of peat il
gas producing plants and for other pur
poses is given in a bulletin prepared
under the supervision of the United
States Geological Survey, but pub
lished as Bulletin it of the Bureau o.
Mines, from which copies of it may b,
obtained.
Peat is a dark brown OF black resid
uum produced b. the partial decompo
Sition of MOSES, sedges, and other veg
ctable matter in marshes and like we
places. Most of the peat deposits O
this country occur in depressions an,
poorly drained areas in regions whert
tho temperature of the air and tn,
soil is low III summer and the humidit,
Of the air is high. The most extensiv,
peat beds are found in New Englan,
and around the Great Lakes. whcr
the climate and the topography ar
favorable to the accumulation of partl,
decomposed vegetable matter. Man
deposits are found also in the Atlanti
Coastal Plain. from New Jersey south
ward to Florida. In regions Of hcav,
rainfall along the Pacific coast pea
I boys occur wherever the drainage i
so greatly interrupted that the soil be