Show I r SMOKE SMOKE BY FRE PREVENTION J. J HASKIN I I 11 THE iii International Association for the THE I lre of Smoke will m meet t In Iii 1 annual convention In Minneapolis ll 1 to to from rein nit nil the Principal l cities dUes of thu tho UnIted States SiCkles Canada t. with ninny visitors from tom abroad will be bo In attendance Reports as to ta the success of or the tho crusade against smoke unoko will be heard from Crom the tho various cities of America and these will show that much Rood good OO line has a proceeded from Crom tho ho cutlet crusade that 1 has lut been made mado during during dur dur- ing the tho past few tew years year Jt r Man Many of the tho principal prin- prin i i cipal cities of oC the country h have hc c L gent ent smoke anti laws and they arc are being enforced witha 1 determinatIon Uon n never ver before forc evident Now New 11 York has the smoking locomotive loco loco- motive and Chicago k-ii- k i 1 Is trying to bring Frederic H Haskin about the tho elect cation catlon of Us its railroad rail rall- road rond t terminals There are arc at a dozen cities In the tho United States where the cm crusade wide against the hO smoke nuisance has accomplished nearly all aU that can reasonably rea rca be desired During the tho past tow fow ow years ears public spirited men n have made a careful study of the economic losses caused by the 31 prevalence nce of the smoke nuisance In largo large cities clUes St. St Louis was ono one of th the tho first municipalities municipalities mu mu- seriously to take tako up tho matter matter matter mat mat- ter and the results of Its studies of ot the tho question are arc quoted wherever tho the anti anti- smoke agitation Is la carried It was concluded concluded con con- as a result of these Investigations that tho the loss to tho vegetation of or the tho surrounding country countr by of smoke amounted to at least 4 per cent It was aso found that great damns to th the books In the libraries of cities and to tho pictures In Its It art galleries was caused ca b by the tho presence of ot smoke In tho the atmosphere atmos atmos- phere photo Tho The city of Cleveland has some seine fOO ro- ro tall tail dry goods stores doing business ranging from to a year ear earn It n was estimated by tho the Cleveland Cle smoke that on all aU whito goods the merchants sustained a toss loss of at ot least 10 per t tent nt through damage by tho the presence of smoke Taking tho single Items of underwear shirt waists linens lineD and white while dress goods eleven cleven stores placed their combined d lo loss s on these lines lineR because of tho the smoke nuisance at a year ear Taking nil all Items of loss sustained the Cleveland authorities figured that th tho nuisance was costing the people of the city several million dollars a 0 year When tho the Chicago authorities came carne to Inc investigate the thc cost of smoke moke to Its iUt people peo peo- pie the tho figures became surprisingly large One department store alone alono declared that Its annual loss through tho the prevalence of smoke moKe amounted to at I least ast It was estimated that the yearly early lOll loss Ions to the tho business houses alon along State street amounted to Taking the tho lie whole city t together It was calculated that the smoke of Its factories s cost the elt city approximately as much as Its people paid In taxes The people of the United States spend nearly annually for heat light and power It has been beon estimated that the tho damage wrought rought by the smoke nuisance In America amounts to at least half a billion dollars donars Someone has figured figured fig fig- that there them are are arc at nt least men In the smoky districts of tho the United States State who wear white shirts and amid collars and as man many women who wear white clothes at nt times He Ho figures figure that tho the added expense e of their laundry bills b by reason n of the prest presence of smoke In the tho atmosphere amounts to an average of 10 cents per week On that lint basis tho the outlay o for clean linen alone would amount to at al least In addition to this mu must t bo be taken Into consideration the great groat loss lOlls to vegetation the blackening of public buildings and the Injury to the public health Some men nien have hare nl asserted erl d that tho the smoke nuisance Is not Injurious to health yet ot this seems contrary to the tho testimony of ol tho the statistics It was shown In the case cage of the tho heavy London fogs fops that the tho death rate was greater by hy thousands during the prevalence of or the tho fogs fops than at other times Tho The spread of pulmonary diseases has been la largely ely In keeping with the tho growth of Industrial regions region Nearly all of the serious students of or the smoke question agree that the presence of smoke In n the tho atmosphere causes lles much damage to health The Tho figures secured with reference to tim tile tho prevalence of or smoke over London ondon show that till pall pail contains at least fifty tons Ions of solid car carbon on Ono Ommo authority ce ell ell- 8 that lint the tho annual consumption of ol coal In that elt city releases nearly a n. million mil million mil mU- lion tons tops nf or sulphuric acid neld If JC on ono one has hns ever had 0 occasion to noto note Jho the tho daml damage l wrought upon animal and vegetable life by sulphurous fumes Cumes he will w b begin gln to ap- ap predate ato the possibilities of tho the London fog foe an and 1 the American smoke It Is said maid that lint tho the area of smut from tho the J London on oll smoke pall extends for more than Cort fortY miles Into Inlo the tho surrounding country When hen hen the tho wind wine blows from London heavy henvy deposits de deposits do- do posits of matter arc aro made mado on tho the snow Fco Ico or vegetation at that distance Prot Professor Pro Pro- t fessor Rollo Russell placed tho the annual damage by r reason ason of tho ho London pall pan at nearly While hUo great losses aro are b by the tho prevalence of smoke these losses lessen are aro small In comparison to tho the estimated losses OS R b by rea reason on of th the tho deficient combustion combustion combus combus- tion ion which produces the smoke moke No o question question ques ques- tion In the tho engineering world has been so sone ne neglected as that of advantageous conversion conversion conversion con con- version of fuel mb Into power flOwer It ha has Iia been stated frequently that not moro more than 5 Ii l per er t cent cont of oC all nn the latent heat In coal IscO Is cO converted rt d Into power under pre present nt C con cOn- II- II It II Is said that tho thio production of pow power r through tho tIm medium of producer gas Jas gives twice as much energy to the driving shaft shan HB RS Is la given Iven by the use of Iho tho f same amo quantity of fuel through tho thio mo- mo or of steam Not only Is this thin rom remark romark- ark ark- ablO saving Moving effected In tho the energy of tho the coal used but at the tho same samo time the tho smoke nuisance Is entirely overcome since tho the producer gas engine needs no I smokestack It Is la believed that tho thio future will witness wit wll- ness fleas tho the establishment of or great power- power producing stations onH at tho the mouths of the coal mines of or the the- country and that here hore will bo be produced the power which will drive the machinery of at tho the future futuro It Ithan has han boon been shown that electricity can b be transmitted at nt least O miles advantageously ant ad and th that l thus a a. largo large producer plant could serve a territory of ot practically square miles Such a territory ry would bo about four times Umes as 88 large largo as aa the tho area of the tho state of Illinois Furthermore Further urther more moro the conversion con of the lowest grade of or coal Into gas S yields Ields as much power po as the tho best bituminous and thus thul may bo be made highly available a tho the billions of ot tons of lignite In the United States that otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise would bo be all but unavailable If It this hits era of or producer gas with electricity as ns Its Hs aid ald shall como coma a about out the day of the smokeless factory may not be an idle dream It Is also said to bo be feasible to heat tho the houses of the tho urban population of ot the world from central heating stations In BO some me cities this has ham been tried on a ft more or less Ices extended scale and It has haa proved a a. great greal boon The Tho furnace that needs constant attention Is no longer to bo be bothered with The coal coat bin Is relegated to oblivion and tho the ash ash- can with all Its dust and bother Is banished forever The crusade against the tho smoke nuisance nuisance nui nul- sance sauce is by no means a now ono one As far fai at back as 1306 a a. royal edict was Issued In London fixing d death ath by hanging as tho the penalty for allowing smoke to escape fron front frona fronta a chimney In the tho reign Telen of Elizabeth coal was forbidden to he be used In London durin during tho the sessions of parliament on the tho ground that It would endanger tho the health of tho the lords and of the members of or the tho lower loer house Europe has always alwn's led the world orld In opposition to the smoke nuisance nul- nul sance lance and tho the Prussian government maintains a staff state of traveling Inspectors whose duty It Is to go 10 about tho the country countr and instruct furnace men in tho the art o of firing Wherever r thero there has been a 0 crusade against it has been found to be tho the best policy to secure tho the operation co of manufacturers rather than tian to fight them through the tho courts As long as Cleveland tried to compel Us its manufacturers manufacturers to abate tho the smoke nuisance 1 it met with but little success but as soon as tho the appeal was mado upon tho the ground of civic lc pride tho the manufacturers readily agreed ed to the tho program When Mayor Ia or Bus Busse e of Chicago came to appoint a smoke Inspector he chosa a a. man of experience Ho lie went about the tho city and where he found violations of tho the smoke moke law he visited th the tha violators and T out to them methods by which they could abate abato the tho nuisance When 1 It was necessary ho he called Into consulta ion tion a a. number of power experts who assisted assisted assisted as as- in drafting plans for such changes as a. would overcome tho the difficulty These plans were presented to tho the violator without without with with- out charge In Ia this way the tho mayor succeeded succeeded suc sue In having ha hundreds of establish establish- ments merits equip their plants with smoke preventing preventing pre pro venting apparatus Tho The nece necessity for or smoke prevention Is shown by tho the patent Washing ton More than 1500 1600 different patents have havo been taken out with tho the purpose put o of promoting combustion and eliminating smoke The great majority of these havo have proved unavailing and worthless Some of thorn them however have been adopted and are giving KI satisfaction Among these are tire various types of stokers which keep a 0 constant supply of or fuel on the fire tire and thus thu prevent black clouds of ot smoke caused by Irregular firing tiring Tomorrow Tomorrow American American Nurserymen i |