Show The ByProduction of Coal Burning In using raw coal for heating purposes pur-poses these valuable products are not only absolutely lost to us but in the atmostphere too well known to I the denizens of London and other large towns as smoke Professor Roberts has calculated that the soot r in the pall hanging over London I on a winters day amounts to fifty tons and that the carbonic oxide a I poisonous compound resulting from the imperfect combuston of coal I may be taken as at least five times that amount Mr Aiken has I shown moreover in an interesting paper communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburghlast year that the fine dust resulting from the imperfect im-perfect combustion ot coal is mainly instrumental in the formation of fog each particle of solid matter attracting to itself aqueons vapor these globules of fog are rendered particularly tenacious and disagreeable disagree-able by the presence of tarvapor another result of imperfect combustion combus-tion of raw fuel which might be turned to much better account at the dyeworks The hurtful influence influ-ence of smoke upon public health the great personal discomfort to which it gives rise and the vast expense ex-pense it indirectly causes through the destruction of our monuments furniture and apparel are now being be-ing recognized as is evinced by the j success of recent smoke abatement exhibitions The most effectual remedy would result from a general recognition of the fact that where ever smoke is produced fuel is being be-ing consumed wastefully and that all our calorific effects from the largest down to the domestic fire can be realized as completely and more economically without allowing allow-ing any of the fuel employed to reach the atmosphere unburnt This most desirable result may be effected by the use of gas for all heating purposes with or without the addition of coke or anthracite Popular Science Monthly December Decem-ber a |