Fuel and Water 149 



smoke, which meant the burning of coke. 

 As sufficient quantities were not available 

 from the local gas works, it was necessary 

 to erect coke ovens at various parts of the 

 line, and there waste the most valuable 

 product of the coal. Here and there the 

 retorts were used and coal gas manufactured 

 for railway purposes in order to secure the 

 coke. 



It was one of the tasks set our early 

 engineers to find a means of burning coal, 

 and so stop the very serious and costly 

 waste of this valuable mineral. Beattie, on 

 the London and South- Western, did a good 

 deal of experimenting, and found means of 

 adapting his stud to coal burning, but his 

 process was expensive to instal, and rather 

 difficult to work. The complications were 

 often beyond the grasp of the engine-men 

 then employed; possibly they were not too 

 keen in mastering the details, anyway some- 

 thing simpler had to come along, and it 

 was simple in the extreme when, at long 

 last, the use of exhaust steam in the chimney 

 did all that was really necessary. By this 



