The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-01
Frederic Haslkin's Leu
Coal Must Change Color.

Warrington, D. G., March ~
Black - coal" wont mean any
thing n tho Unjted States 10 an
other - yeass. because most Of
the coal which " win use then will
be brown In color and will come in
the form Of neat briqusttss which
will not soil the llneess.
This new fuel should also be
much cheaper, for the by-peoducts
which will BE- extracted In the pro-
cess OF making the hsiauettes
should more than pay fos~the cost
OF mining. 4 ton OF this new coal
will yield not only fuel for the fur
mace, but also fuel for the Aivver,
cooking Gas for the kitchen range
fsFtilisefs. high explosives, cosme:-
les and . number Of other things.
The consumer will call the new
product brown coal. but TIN scien.
lists will know it a. lignle. Lg-
mite, the poor relation Of the black
coal known today, has been despis-
ed and ignored for generations, bu;
1t 10 at last coming into its own
a. the benefactor Of mankind.
The United States has the world 4
greatest supply Of Ignite. There
are some thousand hllioa odd tons
of it waiting to b. mined. The sup.
ply is practically inexhaustible
Long after the last piece OF black
coal has been mined the Ignite
mines will still be doing business
and the many by-products of Liz.
mite will be used in the household
and shop. Ignite is, according te
experts Of the bureau of mines, the
commercial and economic future .Ol
the United States.
This heretofore despised, mem.
Der OF the coal family, they say, il
to supplement the rapidly dwind.
ling petroleum supply OF this caun.
try. 1t is we'll known that abou,
half of our petroleum production
is gone and that practically every
American oil field is on the pro.
ducing down grade. Without fue
oil and lubricating oil our arm,
and navy in time of war would BIZ
SO terribly handicapped as to in.
vite defeat. In time of peace oul
merchant marine and industries
generally would suffer.
The Fuel Shortage.
The only answer to the problem
would seem to be conservation. AnC
America is not conserving. Indica
tons are, according to government,
Investigators, that the consumption
of motor fuel will double within
the next few years. Americas in.
dustry's' life blood is petroleum
The blood is today coursing merri
ly through industry's veins, bu,
should. the supply sbe exhausted, in
dustry would perish, unless some
substitute is found.
Ignite is not newly discovered
substance. 1t is far from a mys
terry in the scientific world and it:
wonderful possibilities have lont
been thoroughly understood. Blu
Ignite has been apparently hope
less from a commercial viewpoint
1t was known as the safest, DUST
est, poorest grade of coal extant
1t was KNOWN that its physical ant
chemical characteristics lay some
where between those of peat ant
bituminous coal.
1t was unmarketable chiefly be
cause it parts with most of it!
moisture when exposed to the wea
Their and falls into dust much moN
rapidly than ordinary coal. Whel
first dug it is spongy, containing
anywhere from q to 80 per cent O
water. Once taken from the grount
its disintegration is rapid. Unless
loaded Immediately into cars il
zero weather, it Stacks with thu
evaporation of its moisture ant
cracks like dry mud, falling int
dust.
Science has now solved this prob
lem by distilling the more volatile
substances out of Ignite, and press
ing the residue into smokeles