The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-04-21
CHEAPER FUEL IS PROMISED
 TO FAIRBANKS

mana coal magnate, Fairbanksans will enjoy reduction of nearly fifty per cent in their fuel bills once the rail communication is had between Ne. mana and Fairbanks.
 MT. Burns states that the ratio between coal and wood will be about one ton of coal as the equvalent of one and a quarter cords of wood. Should. the transportation scheme work out and everything else be in accord with the present plans he be- lieves that the coal will sell on the Fairbanks market at about six dol lars a ton. The coal which will be delivered for domestic use will be of much better grade than that now produced. being screened and slack ed, great percentage of the mois- ture being taken out of the coal.
 MT. Burns Is highly optimistic over the future outlook of his pro- ject and sees a relief for the pres. ent high price of fuel to the people of the interior. AS soon as steel connects the two towns shipments of coal may be expected in Fair banks. In an interview MT. Burns stated as follows:
 We expect to have coal in Fair banks by October. A large amount of grading has been built between Nenana and Fairbanks and under the present regime rapid and efficient railroad construction can be ex- pected.
 "The work accomplished by the present taff of the Alaskan Engineer ing commission since starting the new line in July, is worthy of the highest praise. Approximately fifty miles of railroad has been completed in few months. Assuredly trains will be running to Fairbanks by Oc- tober.
 Regarding the coal. improvements will be made at the mine toward in- creasing its efficiency. In the case of boilers and furnaces. a compara- lively simple arrangements, which will pay for itself in a short time, can be made which will carbonize at the place it Is consumed. Of the efficiency of carbonized Ignite, an extract from technical paper No. IFS. U. s. Bureau of Mines, speaks 
 "'Tests of this product in carload lots have proved 1t to be an excep. tional and unexcelled fuel for the purpose. It's chemical composition, as shown by analysis. Is about the same as that of Pennsylvania an- thracite."
 "The essential features of this ap- paratus are:
 O A carbonizing chamber.
 (2) A combustion chamber.
 (3) Means for directing the course of the hot gases.
 (4) Incline shutter gates, so con. structed that screenings and dust are prevented escaping into the ash pit.
 (5) Dumping grates so construct ed that ash may be dumped while live coal is retained on the inside grate.
 .(6) Coal hopper of sufficient ca. pacity to keep furnace operating "A hours on two charges.
 (7) Rear arch placed at sufficient distance and slightly inclined from the fuel bed so as to lower the temperature and thus greatly reduce the possibility of clinker formation.
 (S) Constructed so that the coal will be readily ignited and burn con- tlnuously, thus maintaining a uni form temperature over long period of time.
 (9) Means provided for a thoro mixture of hot gases and hot air 80 as to obtain complete combustion.
 "The points of merit of this appa. ratus are:
 I) Complete combustion of vola- tile matter is obtained.
 (2) Combustible matter--the ash is reduced to a negligible quantity.
 (3)' Feed Is automatic. (4) There Is no soot or smoke.
 (5) There is no danger from ex- plosions.
 (6) The complete output of . mine can be efficiently burned.
 7) The furnace is easy to ope- rate and control.
 with such an installation the fuel reaching the fire-box Is comparable with anthracite, and when figuring the relative cost between the wood and the coal we would not base our estimate on raw Ignite as mined and wood. but rather make our cal. culations on fuel efficiency of an. thracite coal and wood.
 "An apparatus of this kind will be brot in this summer which can be used by local shops as a pattern.