Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1922-07-28
ehoiNeERs ARE SAID TO HAVE
FOUND METHOD TO UTILIZE
IT WHEN RAW OR WET.
n PRODUCES POWER CHEAPLY
Wsier Content Called an Asset, Not
LIabllity-country Has Vast GUAM
2ltjes of Peat, Chiefly In North Gen.
4ral States.
BY JAMES P. HoRNApAY

SSpgical survey, the bureau of mines
aad the bureau of standards are watch
iQa with keen interest the development
81 a process by persons not connected
with the government service for utilIz-
eng raw or wet peat for power pur-
poses, The process, 1t is asserted, mas
Dsep developed to point where sue
eass Is reasonably assured. The un-
dAftakIng Is to convert the moisture
eoptept and the combustible content
OF peat into steam and gas by means
of a pressure engine.
Reports have recently been made to
fbe three government bureaus above
mentioned that engineers appear to
Aavs discovered: (1) That peat of a
nigh water content can be burned In
deiinitsly as a fuel and used for all the
power processes Of manufacturing
plept, (2) that water in the peat is an
ASsst and not liability; (8) that 80
cents worth Of peat will produce as
mpeh power as ton of bituminous
cea!I az that the process would re-
cover a large per cent of by-products,
sneiadlng coke. ammonia, light and
heavy oils and tar for dye base
t5} that other carbonaceous fuels
might be employed the same as peat.
The government experts In the geo.
gogiaal survey, the bureau Of mines
AND the bureau Of standards say that
AZ the process that Is being developed
fprps out successfully, the effect will
De 10 turn to commercial uses the i'm
nisnse peat beads which are to be
found IN some twenty states. The larg-
est OF these beds, according to the geo.
togieal survey, are In Minnesota, Wis
aoRaln, the Dakotas, Michigan and In
diana, The lake beds in northern Indi-
ana are nearly all composed of peat.
r~Ss Vast Quantities of Peat.
II Is estimated by the bureau of
snlhss that the peat available In the
paited States is approximately 12,0O0-
10000 tons. and that about half Of
xAI@ amount Is, in Minnesota. 1t has
also been estimated that there are be-
.SReen two and three billion tons of
peat available In the state Of Wiscon-
AIN, The total swamp area of the
GIFTED States. exclusive Of Alaska, is
Apont l39,655 square miles. The geo
Logical survey estimates that 8 per
cent Of this area has peat beds of good
quAIify, The depth Of peat over this
ekAE area Is assumed to average at
least nine feet, giving 200 tons OF dry
fuel per acre for each foot Of depth.
The geological survey has for many
years been calling attention to the
enormous supply of peat--a supply
chat thus far has practically remained
saptouched-and has all along main
saIned that the time would come when
t5is supply would be utilized as a sub
ststuts for coal and fuel oil. From time
80 time the survey has asked the con-
grass TOR money with which to expert
S1snt with the use Of wet peat as well
~ dry peat but the legislative body
las ney6r shown any interest In these
seQnssts, and 30 1t remained for engi-
sssrs In their private capacities to
take mp the work.
o.
Tbs fact that most of the peat con-
taIns about 80 per cent of water In its
natural state has, the government ex-
peFts say. held back the development
OF the peat fields; and If, as seems
probable. engineers are successfully
developing a process under which the
water In the peat can be converted
into steam while the dry peat can be
converted into gas, and the two powers
ut!liged together. it will not be a great
while until development of peat bodies
will be undertaken on large scale.
The Wisconsin geological survey has
compiled some interesting statistics
showing the value Of the peat deposits
~ the country on the basis of full de-
seiopment including by-products Peat
c0ke, s.f08.s0O, 900 tons, value $2e, OO5.-
100000 Illuminating oils, 257, 1900 900,
Re.T4a.T00 1000; labricating oils, 90
100000. $4.474, 100000; Paraffin wax.
B8.100.00O, 81, 4S7, 100000; phenol, 1877
DOC, 900. sec. 845. 100 900; asphalt, 35.-
100000. es24. 200. 900; wood alcohol, 49,
100000. 1884. 600 600; acetic acid 5e..
10000; ammonium sulphate, $780,
600. s2.777. 100000; and combustible
gases. 7ss.4OO.O 900. $8.5O1 100000.
Obviously. II substitute for the
tueys now available, cheaper, more
widely distributed and more readily
available. could be discovered the
ssoe OF Industrial life would be
transformed. For years chemists and
tnglnsers have labored to decrease the
etdoiency of electricity and steam and
20 cheaper the processes whereby they
are produced. A still cheaper com
modify than coal or oil is water, but
often water cannot be employed fol
power unless It Is impounded. and the
tmpounding Ii very expensive. Is there
II hand lying under the eyes and
noses and feet Of mankind. a fuel
stu better adapted for power Dur.
kh.r n4,I iii -