The San Francisco call. [volume], August 11, 1907, Page 4, Image 4

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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IS THE DAY OF THE STEAM ENGINE DONE?
"WASHINGTON, J>. -G
HAVE we come to the passing* oi
the steam engine? f
Emtnetft engineers and others
who are constantly ranking a
«tc£y of power plant economics are all
«&swerlng In the afflrmattre.
The gas engine, the toy of yesterday, *
\u25a0>ta come Into the Industrial horizon as
'the giant of today, and already It is
irapldly crowding the steam engine back
\u25a0to the Junk pile. ' :.Y: .Y *
So marvelous has been the develop
ment of this power producer that the
.old title, "gas engine." has become ut
terly Inadequate and has almost - dis
appeared. Now the United States, and
"in fact the whole world, Is confronted
with the "internal combustion motor."
In hundreds of big manufacturing; es
tablishments the steam boiler and the
st«ani engine are being oslerlzed snd
replaced by producer gas plants with
their accompanying Internal combus
tion engines.
And there la a reason for it; in fact,
several reasons.
The Internal combustion engine has
demonstrated Its ability to produce
from two to nearly three times as much
power with a given amount of coal n«
\u25a0the steam engine. Not only this, but
It has proved that the very- poorest
oo&ls In the gas producer general
twice the power that the same coal •
does In the steam plant. Btlll further,
It has generated power from lignite
<the lowest form of coal) where the
lignite has refused to do any work un
der the steam boiler.
This will eventually mean a savfiw
cf millions of dollars a year to the
manufacturers of this country. Various
estimates place the saving in the coun
try's coal bill at from $100,000,000 to
$200,000,000.
The people's coal bill In 1905 was
$1,500,000,000. One-third of this, or $600.
000,000, It is estimated went for coal
to produce power. Thus It will be seen
fcow Important this newest factor will
become to those who buy coal for the
purpose cf making steam. ~" ,' { - :
In these days of gigantic industrial
endeavor, with the great nations of the
.earth struggling for supremacy in the
•world's marts, the prizes will go to
those countries that can manufacture
the most economically. Realizing this,
the manufacturers of the United States
ere taking an Intense Interest in the
\u25a0work now being done by government
experts In solving the problem of the
best utilization of' the fuel resources of
the country. A better utilization of fuel
means more economy in the production
cf goods and more economy means a
larger opportunity for the Yankee
manufacturer In the trade of the world.
The technologio branch of the United
States geological survey has been en
paged for several years testing coals
for the use of the government and in
these tests the possibilities of the gas
-engine or Internal combustion engine
save been developed to such a marked
degree that the entire commercial
world Is taking notice.
Tests by Government ,;v
For three years the government ex
perts labored at the fuel testing plant
at St. Louis, Mo., with wonderful re
irults. The plant so far as fuel testing
Is concerned has been moved to"Nor
folk,-Vs.. where the tests are being
BOBtliiued,
The experts at the beginning found
ttyey had a most difficult problem on 1
their hands. They found that the losses
in* the utilization of fuel for the de
velopment of power, heat and light
u-ere so great that in a ton of coal
consumed in an ordinary manufactur
ing plant, less than 5 per cent of the
total energy was available for the
actual work of manufacturing. They
also found that in ordinary, locomotives
only 3 to 5 per cent of the fuel energy
Is obtained for pulling the train. \u25a0 This '
Is about the same as, if -a house wife
took a barrel of Vflour and succeeded *
In getting but one small biscuit as the
entire result.
In the hope of stopping this tre
mendous "waste which. Is -going .-on. the
KDvernracnt experts have been experi
menting for^Bome time. A method of
combustion wuicb, it is .believed., will
eliminate this waste has been found
In , the , gas producer ana tne internal
combustion engine... '
Gas engines and gas producers have
been in operation. in the United States
for many • years, r but the development
was slow and- unimportant until the
government experts proved by . . tests
that soft coal and" even lignite and peat
could be utilized in; the producer. Prior
.to' the' year \u25a0> 1904 no>ne In this country
had succeeded in using: soft coal and'
lignite In 'this way, and with the big
prices for anthracite there was but lit-*
tie economy in the gas engine.. For
many years the. natural -fuel : of- these
Internal combustion engines ' was city
gas. but even ; this was - too expensive
except for : engines \u25a0 of small' capacity.
It .was seldom found feasible to operate
engines of more than 75 'horsepower
on this fueL \u25a0 , - , . . ..7
The theoretical possibilities of -the in
ternal combustion engine operated upon
cheap fuel promised so much that the
practical' difficulties were . soon . over
come, with the result, that s the internal
combustion engine at once became a
serious rival of \u25a0 the steam engine. '•\u25a0 The
development of the ; gas engine in point
of size has been exceedingly rapid. It
was only -a few years ago that a 600
horsepower engine exhibited :at the
Paris exposition' '.was regarded? as> a
wonder, but today, four cycle, twin ; tan
dem, double acting: gas engines 'run as
high as 8,000 horsepower.; .... ."TV"
Robert:. Heywood Fernald, i professor
of mechanical engineering, Washington
university," St. . Louis, Mo., and engineer,
in charge of producer- gas tests cf the
United, States, geological ; survey- fuel
testing plant, sees immense possibilities
in this new. mode, of powers production.
In ; speaking ; of the results of , the t in
vestigations' he^ paints a rosy picture
for the future, not only In • tne f cneaiK,
enlng of* production,- but also In v tb«
abatement of I the smoke -tttdßano*
throughout the. United States, - for; th«
producer makes no smoke In its .genera*
tion of power.*v'« ; " , ', ." <
"The value of ; the results of these In
vestigations is of ieourse not llmtted
to, the coal producing - eection of . the
country," says Professor Feroald, ?T>ut
extends through .every state ' and;ter-«
ritory where coal or other mineral fuel
is -used as asource-^of. power. , Thus,
in the New England states ' no coal *Is
mined,' but in the, year 1902 the steam
power produced' through the consump
tion of coal and used for. manufacturing
purposes in> these 1 states cost;; approxi
mately I $50.000)000. T^ The ;' development
of this power through the more efficient
method , suggested *by these ' lnvestlga-.
tions' would mean a. saving to the man
ufacturers in these states of $15,000,000
to $20,000,000 per annum. <i""-<--' - :
:*'Agaln,;thetotal:consumptlbn of coal
In ; St. Louis, M 0. ,; for" industrial /pur
poses; alone '. amounts :to~ 'more * than
5,000,000 tons annually. ,. If .; gas T pro
ducers and gas engines j were : substi
tuted for the steam plants this tonnage
would be reduced l 2.soo,oo0 r to 3,000,000
tons and at the same time' smoke would
be: practically, eliminated, f^y, |||||§11
Great ! Saving ; on ' Ships *
"Further, • If t gas j producers ;• can X be
introduced ; on i ships and t rlver^boatg
not , only . will , millions Ibe j saved in coal
but \ far .. less '•> room ;will \ be ; requlred|on
board . for s i£s ; storage.'^ * ' W^ith ; thlsj much
cheaper, gas operation, steaniboats|and :
river "traffic ,will ; - no \u25a0 dbubttsbecomei-a
much more powerfulcpmpetitor to rail
.ways than: heretofore. Vi "v-;
"Another' Important factis that many
fuels that are not fit f«r use unfier
or dl nary j steam boilers have been used
with the greatest eas«'ln the gas pro
ducer. This opens the way to the utlll
\u25a0 station sof j many ; f uels. J that \ have ! here
tofore. been | regarded •as % practically of
no :, value. & Several &of the £ poorest
grades of bituminous coals have ahown
remarkable' efficiency: in "the rgas" pro
ducers -and the- lignite* and peats have
responded vwlth great '< readiness •to ;'the ,
-demands of » this > new/ generator, vA* re*
'xnarkable feature : of 'the tests ; was ; that
North and' Texas 'brown » lignite
and- Florida peat yielded more power
In' the* gas producer ; than [ the \u25a0 very ; best
"West Virginia, coal- under/ the ; steam
boiler. ..The 1 lignite \u25a0fields; of iNorthjDa
. kota^ and (Texas • are i almost i inexhaust-
Ibloand as very, little use commercially
i; has 7 been i found ,; for I the \ lignite lin ? the
.past this s will develop!' a'^new^ industry
for those i states ; thatS.will> grow,i into :
immense 'proportions "as 'the years' ad
-vance.:",' : ... -' -\u0084; , -~.\u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0 : '-. : \u0084\ ' - •\u25a0
t "The possibilities of j this \u25a0. form ." of
.power fliave- been received^ with .such
confidence ;and enthusiasm by /engineers
and \managers ; of -\u25a0' large' plants »* that
. tßcre,"are:already'*-ln'the'United-. States,
alone over.. 150 Igassnroducer; iristana*
tions ranging in size from 1,500, t0 8,000 .
horsepower. The number? of installa*
t tions and the: persistent Increase has
. led , the I national board of fire under
\u25a0 writers 'to Issue special • rules . and . re
ctulrements.for : the "construction, in- t
etallation and use of coal ga^- pro-,
ducers. The - economical 'sucoess i ofi
these' plants and the possibilities of'
using ' vast fields of 1 coal, lignites and'
peats heretofore . considered of little
value : for. Industrial \u25a0:- purposes are a- A
strong Indication that the gas producer ,
i form Jof power will . within the next .
few .: years develop far beyond \u25a0 present '
calculation^ "t , > . -v;:'-:
/V'There is ; no better, smoke preventer
onfthe market todaythan the gas pro-"
ducer. After the pla.nt ; is -in working}:
condition there ' is . an * absolute' f reedom -
from- smoke. ', The .general adoption; of •
this economical * system of J power pro
* ductlon will ' mean ?• the almost complete
' elimination of smoke!
|The great>reduction In :.the '"cost \u25a0of
9 pow^er ! production J made possible by, the
use ' of * the? gas f producer ' means, also, ,
rapid strides in electrical development
"within the : next ' few 'years, i. Now 'that \
it s is commercially : possible ; to ' transmit
electrical power for . distances of 260
I miles \u25a0: or more, ; the' location 'of -Immense
* power "plants j will i speedily •' follow. >A i
: central plant, could distribute* Buch elec
tric current for a distance of 500,mlles-^«
ithat iis. ?26C£mIIes •either^slde of ' the>
, plants—thus - '"covering '\u25a0' an • area, of al-V
most " 200,000 • square r 'miles, :: Q ah r : area ':
' nearly^ f ojir > times -.the size o* the , state,,
*of Illinois. , "With 1,0 0r,12 of thege'great '
central 'plants located ;. at - the .various ;
v mine 1 centers; the" great} rail roads of .the \
"United g States <; can / send f their j trains ,;
speeding; from ;' the ) Atlantic 'to the Pa-
ClfiC COaSt. . '\u25a0'\u25a0;'-. '.'.• V/: : . ,'^r- .-'*\..' '^'- '
"It would !j s'eemVto .; some v chimerical
': to predict the doom, . in -, the near /future. ,
f of ;the * steam < locomotive, '\u25a0 yetl one ;of
* the :i officials of? theiNew .York, Central '
* railroad \ has; publicly stated that \ in' his \
; opinion there;': will ?,be . no .steam Jloco-
i motives"^ operating ;. on yJ the ; New.- , York'\u25a0k '\u25a0
Central road^ in 1 10 • years. >;v; v Already j the
i New. York ; Cen tral ', is Tafrari glng % £o sub- \u25a0
stltute": electric] power^n 'its'linesifforo :'
.New,iY6rk:city i toJ'aYpolnti4o miles from*
- ; the \u25a0 Grand | Central i station,*;: and f exten
sive It^«t3 : in^ the *Use?of f-tlid';. electrio?
Rochester and Buffalo. Tim S"enos7J
vania la ; n«wr '\u25a0 *>T>£T*t*ng itwrtrio * tr*!""
between Atlantic City and Philadelphia
with .'. muoh ' success. ; Tho New * Y crjc.
New Haven and t Hartford railroad ts
operating its trains from Stamford.
>Conn., to New Torlc by eleotrio power,
• : >. "These rapid changes are leading . to •
one ' end— the ; centralization A of .: power
. development /' and - distribution, '\u25a0 They
point to the time/ and " at v no
day, .when ' great central plants Twill -be ;
located at the various mine centers and
the i electric power .will be "transmitted
and to railroads, industrial
plants, cities 'and the? various Institu
tions where electrical energy is needed.
The; great railroads will operate their
trains :by electricity," and ' the * passen
• gers .will be freed from the annoyance ]
of ,' smoke ; and ' cinders, and the railroad !
, locomotives ' and ;/ the * railroad yards,
.which are .now the .'most '.unsightly
t places in . our; cities, will . become clean
and .free s from smoke. Ftirthermare.
. introduction' of "cheaper '\u25a0- electric
;- power ', will ~ displace the ; - scores '. of
; smoke belching chimneys " and the be
fogged atmosphere of * our- cities . will
;"? be cleared, 1 and - the city clean and com
i fortable",wlll become a reality and not
Difference in Cost
\u25a0'.-iPrjofe'ssor Fernald'but'recently com
' pleted an estimate i showing \u25a0 the differ
ence 2in ; cost; " and operation .of a . 600
'. \u25a0horsepower^ internal . combustion 'engine
and j aj6ooi horsepower," steam engine,
• al3o; the -difference, between «the f cost
-and f ; operation, ! a; 6.000 .horsepower
; internal? combustion engine' and a 6,000
horsepoweri;steamVeng!ne.V> In ; offering'
Hhe V estimates;? Pr.ofessor* Fernald de- 3
f TKe San-Prandsco Sxmday OalL
Clares he has ciafie tfco best possible
showing for the steam engine, while
that of the. producer gas plant is but
a fair figure. In conclusion ha adds:
"I believe 'that the producer gas plant
can better the figure given, but I doubt
very much whether the steam plant
figure can be excelled, even IX it can
be reached."
Professor Fernald gives the cost of
the 600 horsepower gas plant at $43,000
and the steam plant at $40,000, a dif
ference of $3,000 in favor of the steam
plant. Operating both plants 500 days.
24 hours, a da.v. the 'total cost for coal
In the producer gas plant would be
$3,880, In tlie steam plant $5,250. The
total operating cost and fixed charges
for gas^roducer plant for the year is
$16,262; for the steam plant $21.37?.
The total saving per year by operat
ing the producer gas plant is given at
$5,116. With the increased cost of the
gas producer plant over the steam
plant it is estimated that it would take
19 months of operation of the producer
plant to pay, the difference by saving
in operating expenses.
Professor \u25a0 Fernald finds there Is no
difference In the cost of a gas producer
plant of 6.000 horsepower and a steam
plant of the same horsepower, the cost
being placed at $420,000. Running thes*
plants continuously" for one year
the - gas producer plant would require
21.000 tons of coal at $2.50 a ton, or
$52,500, while the steam plant would
consume 42.000 tons at a cost of $107.
000. The total operating expenses and
Bx«A charges of the 6,000 horsepower
gut producer plant are given at $141.
775, while the steam-engine would cost
$219,535. The Jotal saving per year by
operating the gas producer plant of
«,000 horsepower over the same h/>rse
pow»T steam engine Is placed at $77,
580, surely a figure that would appeal
*s to the biff manufacturers.
ots Engines in Europe
s&at the TJWtea States has not taken
Bp.thls question too soon is shown In
th« agitatlqn now going on In Europe
•*atn»t the waste cf fuel. The gaa en
«ta«-bas already obtained high de
, velepmenfc In Germany," and England
has pronpunceCL It a success. An emi
nent $rtusa cpgtneer. in discussing the
•rasta of ths fual resources the other
d»JS said in a London paper: "It has
tx«n estimated that some 52,000.000
tons cf coal are annually converted into
ste»m power at mines and factories In
the United Kingdom, and that, oa an
average, the consumption of cost per
indicated horsepower per hour Is five
pounds. ? When •It Is remembered that
In an economical plant the consumption
-should be but two pounds ©er, Indicated
horsepower per hour, some idaa wHI fee
gained of the enormous amount of
v waste that Is going on In our industries.
- "In other Industrial operations there
Is probably a further 30,000.000 tons con
sumed, while for domestic purposes, the
consumption exceeds 30.000.000 tons per
annum. Of this 162.000.000 tons nearly
25 per cent Is wasted in various ways. It
{is truism to state that the backbone
of our industrial prosperity lies In hav
ing, enormous supplies of. coal at our
doors, " and .. that . our - Industrial position
as a nation must suffer in the long run
in proportion to the amount of waste of
coal that Is goins; on."
.": James McKechnJe. engineering di
rector at Barrow-la-Furness, In a re
: cent- lecture at the Technical college,
Glasgow, referring particularly to the
application of the gas producer engine
for. power purposes., estimated that s the
'gas-engine. If universally applied,
might result In the saving of $50,000.
0Q0:In the annual coal bill of British
factories, and alao that the waste heat
from metal furnaces might produce gas
enough, to run continuously engines 'of
'\u25a0- 500.000 horsepower.
• Professor; F.>W. Burstall. In lectur
ing recently before the Staffordshire.
Eng., Iron and. steel Institute, said that
-the large "gas engine had become a
commercial r success on the continent and
no doubt" it,; would, ultimately achieve
; equal success In England- .In tests he
conducted the gas producer used but a
third aa much coal aa the steam ensi««.