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Show Power at Half Present Cost. "Recent tests at the United States geological survey coal tostlng plant." writes Crittenden Malrlott in Technical World Magazine, "demonstrates that under certain conditions soft coal and even lignite hitherto considered almost worthless will produce more net horsepower horse-power than the best quality of anthracite. anthra-cite. "Considered simply on their merits, without comparison with anthracite, the lignites and bituminous coals tested yield two and a half times as much power when used in the gas engine as they do when used under boilers for producing steam, and thus ure shown to be available for fuel where before many of them were practically useless, "The value of the results of these Investigations is. of course, not limited to the coal-producing sections of the country, but extends through every State and Territory where coal or other mineral fuel is used as a source of power. If coal can be mado to yield two and one-half times as much power an it has heretofore, It means that only two-fifths as much coal will be required re-quired to produce a given amount of power. That Is, our coal bills will bo cut in half, although paradoxically, the price of coal will not be reduced. For Instance, in the New England States, where no coal is mined, the annual C03t of the coal consumed for producing produc-ing steam power for manufacturing purposes Is approximately $50,000,000, The development of this power through the more efficient methods suggested by these investigations would mean a saving sav-ing to the manufacturers In these States of $15,000,000 to S20.Q00.000 per annum. an-num. And so in other sections of the country." |