The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-08

ENGINEERS DISCUSS
FUEL CONSERVATION
Saving of 100000 Tons
Yearly Possible, Expert
Declares.
GAS AND OIL GOING FAST
E. s. Carman, Cleveland,
Elected President Of Amer
ican Society.
GAS AND OIL GOING FAST

The adoption of practical methods OF
fuel conservation would gave more than
$4,000. 900 tons of coal each year In the
United States. it was declared yesterday
by David Moffat Myers, consulting en-
Eineer OF this city. in a speech before tie
forty-first annual convention OF the
American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neGs. 49,
Three thousand engineers, economists
and educators. most OF them members OF
the society. were present when the con-
vntion opened at the Engineering So
cities Building. % West Thirty-ninth
street. Tho meetings will last through
tomorrow. Tho leading subjects under
discussion are the conservation Of fuel
and the Improvement of transportation.
L. p. Breckenridge. professor of me-
cnanical engineering at Yale, presided
over the fuel section. He made speech,
giving the latest available data concern
ing the supply. production and use OK
various fuels. After giving the location
of the worlds fuel reserve and the rela-
tive production in different countries
measures which seemed to him neces-
sary to conserve the supply which is left.
Mr. Myers continued the discussion OF
coal saving.
Tighten Transport Problem.
BASED upon saving of only 75,000,-
600 tons" said Mr.. Myers, "the money
saved by the adoption of we'll known
and we'll tried conservation would be
$3.50, 900, 900 a year. or enough to pay
nearly one-half the interest of our ma
tional war debt.
1.-THE transportation of coal would be
relieved to an extent equivalent to a
million and a half fifty ton carloads a
year. or so per cent. more than the coal
carrying capacity of the Pennsylvania
Railroad lines east Of Pittsburg. The sig
nif1cance of this will be realized when 1t
IL stated that the chief difficulty in get
ting coal to-day is due to lack of trans
portation facilities.
THE services Of $4,000 miners viii be
conserved. so that the same force would
be able to handle the natural increase in
mining production. Fuel is the greatest
Industrial problem Of the age. Coal is
the life blood of industry. and anything
that improves the condition of the blood
Of industry will eventually receive the
Endorsement OF both the manufacturers
and the general public"
Mr.. Myers said every Industrial plant
in the country by common sense en-
cheering could save from 10 to 80 per
cent. in fuel. Coal Is wasted. he said. in
the boiler plant partly BY inefficient COM
bustion; in the old fashioned beehive
coke ovens (: in the improper use of steam
after IT'S generation. and by the extrava-
giant use of coal IN domestic heating.
Our natural gas is practically gone"
he said. "Our oil supply is vanishing
rapidly, and coal is the next fuel on the
list. Anthracite will be the first coal TO
disappear. and then bituminous coal
our last natural resource"
Ignite for City Gas.
o. p. Hood. chief mechanical engineer
OF the Bureau of Mines. discussing the
distillation of coal and Ignite. said there
is a great need for developing distilla-
ton process to make Ignite available for
the production OF city gas. Other papers
were read by Chester G. Gilbert, con-
sulting engineer OF Washington. ID. c.,
and Joseph Z. Pogue. an Industrial econ
omist of this city.
At the evening session Fred J. Miller,
retiring president OF the society. said
that too many Industries are conducted
on the hire. drive and fire plan" The
engineer ne SAID, TluSt increase cl-
fectiveness of labor. not by driving or
oppression but by the application of
brains in Industrial organization and by
management OF men as we'll as ma
teriais.
Edwin 6. Carman OF Cleveland was
elected president. The new vice-presi-
dents are Leon Pratt Afford OF this city,
John Lyle Harrington OF Kansas City
and Robert B. Wolf of this city. Man
ayers elected were Louis c. Nordmeyer
of St Louis and New York. Henry Nc
Coy Norris Of Cincinnati and Carl c.
Thomas, who has been professor at
Cornell. Wisconsin and Johns Hopkins.
Honorary memberships were conferred
upon Lord William Weir OF Glasgow,
ecotiand, Sir Charles Aigernon Parsons
Of London. Commentators Pho Perrone
Of Genoa. Italy; Rear Admiral p. 8.
Griffin. u. 8. N: Capt. Robert W. Hunt
Of Chicago and Samuel NJ. vauclain of
Philadelphia