Evening star., 1922-07-30
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

tf through a combination Of
| coal found in the waste
| from the coal fields and from the rail-
road, municipal and industrial ash
pile. with the waste from the oil
fields, through a simple, quick and
cheap process, is interesting govern
ment technical experts, Industrial en-
gineers and coal operators The
product is "amalgam,'' which has
been manufactured and tested on a
| commercial scale and stood all tests
Those who have followed the tests
+, say that the amalgam process will go
long way toward removing the un-
economic and physical causes for the
recurrent coal problem.
Herbert Hoover, who is President
Harding's right-hand man in the coal
strike situation. made. elimination of
\ waste in industry the very corner
stone of his organization for making
and keeping the United states pros
porous.
| In a recent article, the writer
quoted officials Of the bureau of mines
regarding the fuel of the future
and was told that a gas age is COM
| ing, when science will find a way to
remove all the valuable oils and tars
from coal before it is burned under
the boilers, thus cutting out a great
economic waste.
! President Harding told the Wash
ington correspondents the OTHER day
| that he believes one of the important
| steps in solution OF the coal problem
will be to provide storage facilities.
! Fits in With Program.
| Amalgam seems to fit in exactly
| with all of these forward-looking
opinions of great economists and
technical experts. who are studying
the general welfare. The future of
amalgam in no way considers driving
the coal operators out of business or
| taking work from the coal miners. or
taking either side in their industrial
| scrap.
The coal problem is caused priEci-
pally by the fact that it has been unable
to store bItu:ninous (industriaD coal
consequently the mines could not oper-
| ate the year round, and so could give
only intermittent employment. BY the
establishment Of an amalgam coke pla mt
at a mine all of the waste could be
| used, automatically eliminating the
cost of haulage to the dumps of impure
Ignite. anthracite culm and slack or
screenings. All of the valuable coal
| tars and oil could be recovered from
this waste and a high grade coke made.
Continuous operation. steady employ
ment and heightened life for the mine
| would result. .
This process has come out of the gov
ernment 1aboratories-it was worked
out in the bureau Of standards and
! tested in three stations Of the bureau
of mines 1t has passed through a sue
! cessful commercial test. A plant where
three men can turn out 500 tons a day
| is in operation at the Virginia ship
building plant in Alexandria. Va. About
5000 tons have been turned out while
the machinery was being perfected.
Being Used in Washington.
The product is now being used to run
the Alexandria and the Hyattsville gas
/ plants. 1t is being used in several Office
buildings and hospitals in Washington.
There are more than 500 customers on
the books and more than 1,70o orders
have been filed. Six hundred people in
Alexandria used the amalgam fuel last
| winter.
The actual performance of amalgam
in the furnace has been most satisfac-
tory. Take the Hyattsville gas plant
as nn illustration. and remember that
President Humphreys Of the Stevens
Institute of Technology, one of the
greatest gas experts in the country. is
the principal owner Of this plant. Man
ager Edward C. Bucklin was in desper-
ate need for coal. He got 200 tons OF
amalsam, which he mixed in about
equal portions with regular gas coal
He has kept a record which shows he
has reduced his charge" or amount OF
fuel, about 20 per cent, increased his
production about 20 per cent and got a
| richer gas and a better quality Of coke
This record has been studied by the
consulting engineers for the Washing
ton Gas Light Company. Thus. 1t would
seem, that the amalgam process should
lead to a reduction in the price of gas
to the consumer.
To BE Tried in France.
So much by way Of a glimpse a.
what has actually been done in the
nature of a commercial test. But tnis
now plastic fuel process. which is alb
solutely without cinder or ash, is mol
confined to q little plant in Alexan'
dria, even though there Is space or
the present site to enlarge that plant
| one hundred fold. Other subsidiary
CORPORATIONS are to operate plants al
over the world. A plant is to start
operation next week in the coal fields
of northern France, run by combi'
natio, of coal concerns and railroads
The engineer representing the British
Iinterests is now in Washington and
has been with Walter e. Trent, met
alurSical engineer. during all tests
of amalgam. Other corporations
have been formed or are being formed
lin Mexico, Portugal, Spain. Greece
lItaly, 'Czechosiovakia, India. Brasi
and other countries.
The Alexandria plant will treat nex'
week 100 tons Of a low-grade Brasil
ian coal shipped to it by the Bra
xilian government. Engineers rep
resenting the Brazilian government
will watch the manufacture of ANAL
IT Il