Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-08-15

was found to be about equal to crushed coal in
the units of heat produced.
Crushing coal before feeding it into the fires
of factories has been found to be ef1caclous ana
economical, resulting in economy in the amount
OF fuel needed for the production of any partic-
ular amount of heat energy; and an additi9nal
naces exactly as required, an imposslolhty with
lump coal.
Atomized coal or peat is fed into the furnaces
after being mixed with air, the mixture being
floated or waited into the fires without sub
stantial pressure to form the feeding stream of
air. Crushing coal for fuel purposes is a grow
ing industry, one concern in Minneapolis alone
crushing and distributing over 500 tons of coal
daily for nearby factories. Similar crushing
plants are being started at Duluth and ITS
neighboring city, Superior, Wisconsin.
Must Use Machines.
In turning to the American peat supply for
fuel, it was realized that the use of laborers for
digging and drying peat was out of the ques-
zion, as it would make the cost of production so
high that the production could not be marketed.
Peat dug mechanically and dried by artificial
heat or chemicals was out of the question also
it was found, as the margin of profit between
producing cost and marketing price must nee
essarily be small. Machines were perfected,
therefore, and are in use and declared to be sue
cessful and practical, which will dig up the peat,
pulverize it and lay it out in flat strips for dry
ing, all in one operation. These machines, II Is
claimed. can prepare the peat fuel at a cost
less than 81 per ton, and a great market Is open
for the peat fuel at the low price now possible.
1edI Is HOlIIIS IlOlO Ia Va
partly decomposed vegetable matter occurring
where still but stagnant, water has been IN the
past. The peat occurs underneath sun standing
water. The depth of the peat deposits VIII range
from five to ninety feet, that nearest the top
being lighter and less decomposed than the
lower layers.
ninety per cent of moisture, and the problem
of making the substance commercially valuable
as fuel is to eliminate as much as possible OF TINS
moisture. Artificial heat has been used success
fully, the peat being put through a kind OF pax
ing process, but this is too expensive to make the
finished product an economical fuel. Chemicals
have been used successfully, but this also makes
the fuel cost too much money when it Is ready
for use. Out of the necessity for a cheap but ex-
cellent method of preparing peat for fuel the
Garnet system was developed.
The Garnet machine runs over the peat de-
post, lifting a continuous broad slice OF peat
INTO itself as it moves forward. This peat is
macerated and mixed with water until the COM
bination has about the consistency OF tar or
thick paint. This mixture is discharged by the
with just enough consistency to retain its shape
while drying in the open air. When air drying is
complete, the resultant slabs have their moisture
content reduced to twenty-five per cent or less.
In this slab form it can be used as fuel In the
home or in factories, but when it is ground up
and made into atomized fuel still better results
are obtained.
Much Money In Peat.
1t is figured that this fuel peat, commercially
dry and loaded on cars for delivery, Will COST
only $3.50 per ton. 1t is hoped that the cost
will never run above So per ton. Then, If the
whole peat supply in the United States were
valued at a selling price of $3.50 per ton, to In
clude a profit for producing 1t and transport
tation charges. the total wealth represented IN
the peat beds OF the country Is the stupendous
sum of S45, 500, 900, 900. The deposits in Mime
sofa alone would represent $24, 500, 100000, a
sum almost equal to the cost OF the World> war
10 the limited States.
Where the peat deposit is only five feet thick,
the yield of peat is a thousand tons of COM
merciaIly dry peat to the acre. Over a large
area thirty miles northwest of Duluth the peat
1--z-.. ;. -;,nt, foot thirr which means that
the yield per acre will be Is, 900 tons. The Gar
rett process enables one machine to make from
three to five tons of dry peat fuel in an hour.
Other machines are IN process OF development,
some of them in use. One, machine IS designed
especially for making the peat into brlquettes
for home use. This use of peat is leading to
the installation of small peat plants near COM
munities where there is no great amount OF com
mercial use for peat, but where housenolds
make a market for the fuel, saving freight
charges by digging it close to where 1t is TO pc
used.
Peat fuel can and will be used in gas pro-
ducers for it developes gas easily and regularly
and this process allows the saving of the valu-
able by-products that the peat contains. Some
of these are ammonium sulphate. ctecsote' pc
troleum, oils, asphalt and charcoal. The Eu-
Iopeans. particularly the Germans. have deVel-
oped this phase under the pressure " necessity
the report is that they are now doing about
everything ~omi with peat that they
once did with coal.
Nor is this the limit of this unused wonder
worker. The black humihed peat makes fine
cattle feed after being dried down and screened;
This peat powder acts as an absorbent ana
roughage for the high power feeds made from
the residues from beet and sugar refneries and
it is very easily digested. Peat is also used as a
fertilizer filler and absorbent of the more Voli-
tile constituents. 1t has a steady market for
this purpose. And it is to be remembered that
the burning of peat for fuel will make for clean
er homes and cities. Peat produces very little
smoke and a small residuum of fertilizer ash
which is mighty good for the garden.
Mr.. Richardson. whose government work
IL him n n1ncn ct1I6ant of thn great laDOca-
tory of all out-of-doors. has talked and pleaded
for consideration for the peat wealth for many
years. Now he feels confident and comfortable.
The peat movement Is on ana, apparently, j..
has come to stay and develop quickly into a