The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-02-10

terest on the capital invested. The plant
saw at Chicago produces more gas
every day than is used in that city, and
this gas is employed for heating the fur
naces and in producing the power that
runs the steel mills. The sulphate OF
ammonia takes the place of nitrate OF
soda when used as fertilizer. There
is said to be enough of it wasted each
year in the beehive ovens We are still
operating to supply sufficient nitrates for
the farms of the United States, and
enough in the coal smoke of the whole
country to maintain the fertility of our
country for all time to come. The by
product ovens are rapidly increasing.
They are driving out the beehives, and
the day will come when the coal made
into coke will be SO consumed that moth
ing is lost
But this saving relates only to the
coal used in the making of coke. which
is something like 60,000ooo tons every
year Why should not similar saving
be made as to the remainder of bitumi-
nous coal we consume? The amount is
something like 500o0o,ooo tons. l asked
this question of one of our expert geol-
ogists who has made special study or
the saving of by-products. He replied:
1.-The chief difficulties as to the crea-
tior. of such plants for small factories
or for saving the by-products in house
hold consumption is the enormous cost
OF the new ovens and in the marketing
OF the by-products. The plants now in
use each cost $4,000 and upward. and
they have their own market for the gas
saved in the great steel plants with
which they are connected. By-product
plants could not be erected to serve small
| communities or individual household con-
sumers, but / see no reason why one
costing, say 10000, should not be in
vented that would serve for the heating
and lighting Of cities OF 10000 population
or more They might be Installed by the
municipalities, or they would pay II
! owned by private capital In such cases
| the plant would furnish all the fuel and
| gas for tie town. The fuel would be
ma de OF the tar and coke IN the bitumf-
| nous coal and it would be fully equal 10
anthracite in quality. The gas in the
same coal would supply all the gas need
ed for cooking and lighting.
Moreover. this could probably be done
at such a low cost, in comparison with
what the two cost at present. that either
the light or the heat would be free. The
cause OF the great freight congestion
/ Just now is largely due to the demand
| Of the people for anthracite coal. Our
| anthracite comes from one little field in
ca stern Pennsylvania. and IL has to be
shipped from there all over the country.
/ The people like it because it burns with
| out smoke and has high heating quail
! ties. The by-products plant I suggest
| would mean the creation of a little an
thracite mine at every large town in the
| country. 1t would supply a fuel, made OF
| the coke and tar in the coal combined
into briquettes. which would have the
! same heating value as anthracite and
burn without smoke. The briquettes
would be the same as those now made
at the mines of anthracite dust with tar
rs q binder For every ton of bitumi-
nous coal consumed there would be sew,
en-tenths of ton Of fuel equal to an,
thracite.'
"Just what would such by-product
plant saver" | asked.
THAT would depend upon the prices
which the town is now paying for Its
coal and light For every ton of an.