74 



use it for cooking, becomes laot only possible, but attractive as a means of 

 economy. 



The establishment of centralized heating plants of sufficient size to 

 justify the maintenance of smokeless fires therein, and in such number as 

 to serve an entire city, constitutes a problem presenting no serious en- 

 gineering difficulties. Such a system would need to be developed under 

 sufficient municipal control to insure satisfactory service to all portions 

 of the city and to guarantee to the consumers of heat a cost not greater 

 than Is required to insure a fair return upon the investment made. Enough 

 has already been accomplished in heating from central stations to insure 

 the practicability of such a scheme. While the loss of heat in transmis- 

 sion is necessarily large, this loss is more tlian neutralized by the use of- 

 low grade coal in the central station, in the place of high grade fuel now 

 employed in domestic heating, so that, basing an estimate on the heat de- 

 livered, the cost should not be greater than under present conditions of 

 domestic heating. Attention should be called to the fact, however, that 

 such a system would be easily practicable even at some advance in cost. 

 for freedom from smoke and tlie convenience of a supply of heat from out- 

 side sources are matters for which people will be willing to pay. 



7. Locomotive Fires. These, in railroad centers such as Indianapolis, 

 are prolific sources of smoke. .Aloreover, if soft coal is permitted to be 

 used in fire-boxes the delivery of smoke from locomotive stacks can not be 

 prevented. As a consequence, prohibitive legislation in various American 

 cities has thus far had but little eft'ect in reducing the amount of smoke 

 delivered from locomotive fires. It is not the fault of the railway man- 

 agement ; it is due to the difficulties which are inherent in the case. There 

 are, in fact, but two ways out of the difficulty, and the acceptance of either 

 solution will involve railway companies in heavy expenditures and will 

 entitle them to concessions or direct aid from municipalities. The first and 

 simplest is to be found in the requirement of all steam locomotives oper- 

 ating within the smoke limits of a city, to be supplied with smokeless fuel, 

 that is, with anthracite coal or with colie ; the second solution is to be 

 found in the prohil)ition of tlie use of steam locomotives and in the sub- 

 stitution of electric locomotives within the smoke limits of tlie city. 



'J he development of either of these plans will involve the establishment 

 of locomotive terminals upon every road outside of the smoke limits of the 

 city, iiy tlie use of such terminals the road locomotive of an approach- 

 ing train can be stopped before reaching the city, its place being taken 



