Show Pulverized Coal May Be New Competitor of OilIn Oil In Power Development By HARDEN COLFAX Special correspondent of The Standard Copyright 1927 Consolidated Press Association WASHINGTON July Coal 9 8 Coal so fine as u to resemble nothing other than gritty dust dut may m y be the answer to the search for a more efficient and cheap cheap- cheaper er fuel for industrial and transportation tion uses and possibly for household consumption also Pulverized coal for power uses will mil be consumed In the United States this year ear to the tune of some tons whereas a bare half dozen years ears ego ago the practical use of powdered coal for such purposes was considered a amere amere amere mere dream For cement production because gf special requirements of that industry pulverized coal has been used for a quarter of a century about tons tans a year ear while the metallurgical Industry also uses around tons annually SHIP TESTS PLANNED When the United States shipping board announced this week authorization tion of a pulverized coal Installation on the steamship Mercer it turned the eyes of the marine world toward the experiment For two years the merchant fleet corporation of the shipping board co cooperating co- co cooperating cooperating operating with combustion engineers and manufacturers man of apparatus has been conducting experiments with powdered coal for the operation of steamships at League Island yards Philadelphia The Thc results have been so 0 encouraging that the board is wil wil- willing ling Ung to expend on repairing the tha Mercer row now laid up at Norfolk and then to put more thousands Into apparatus to feed pulverized coal un un- under un- un under der her boilers Not only the United I States navy but the th fleets c of every nation ea I with hn a stake on the high seas will watch the future fu fu- fu future ture career of the Mercer with the most vital Interest Oil may find its old rival coal forging ahead In re re- re reJuvenated rejuvenated form lorm If It this experiment proves successful MORE COAL THAN N OIL It would be too much to expect that pulverized coal even If It proves effective in marine operations will crowd oil off the map So long as the supply of petroleum remains plentiful plen plen- plentiful and its price is consequently rea rea- reasonable reasonable that is not likely to occur But the national defense must look forward and commercial competition must gaze ahead also There Is more coal than oil In prospect during the coming decades The Inland Waterways corporation owned by the Federal government and operating barge lines on the pi and Warrior or rivers also has s been experimenting P I with w pulverized coat coal r. r Trial runs of a self propelled barge equipped to burn powdered coal have ha Indicated a 1 sating savins In fuel cost of nearly 50 10 per cent Uncle Sam thus is taking the lead In these thes experiments with the new fuel for marine use us So far tar as known In Washington no other nation has progressed as much with its research In fn this field For industrial power uses pulver pulver- pulverIzed pulverized coal already has found a R den den- definite definite nite place The tendency is toward unit installations that Is those where here ordinary coal is stored and ground up practically at the mouth of the boiler fire box bo for Immediate u In powdered pow pow- powdered dered form rather than t t and ard the grinding of large quantities to be stored stared It is unit typo type that must be applied to marine use Railroads now are looking Into this subject They use about ab ut third one o e of the bituminous coal mined in this country If U they can reduce their consumption they will save and the mine operators will have a new lem lcm With the locomotives as with marine boilers bolle the problem Is the enormous fire box required for pulverized pul pul- pulverized coal Various factors of the coal Indus Indus- Industry Industry industry try are experimenting with this sub sub- loot t also Enthusiasts foresee the day when slack coal now sold at a very low price if marketable at all may bring as great a II price as M prepared coal and thus reverse present mining I practices |