536 



Popular Science Monthly 



At left: Charging coal in a modern gas plant. Right: Tar-separating machinery. Huge 

 plants like these will increase in number, supplanting our present antiquated fuel users 



of saving coal is brought out by figures 

 recently compiled by the Chicago, Mil- 

 waukee, and St. Paul railway. This line 

 has 440 miles of railroad electrified be- 

 tween Harlowton, Montana, and Avery, 

 Idaho. Hydro-electric powerplants driv- 

 en by mountain streams furnish the pow- 

 er. In one year's operation startling 

 results have been achieved. These we 

 make clear in the figures on page 533. 

 If all coal saved had had to be hauled up 

 through St. Paul from Illinois and Eastern 

 sources, think what a tremendous addi- 

 tional burden it would have been on the 

 railroads. Similar savings can be effected 

 on all roads. After the war the country 

 will probably make immense strides in 

 this direction. 



Says E. W. Rice, Jr., president of the 

 American Institute of Electrical Engi- 

 neers: 



"Tlic walorfalls cfjiislitiilc potential wi-allli which 

 can only Ik; truly c-oiiscrvcd hy dovi-lopnicnt and 

 use — millions of horst'iiowcr are running to waste 

 every day, which, once harnessed for the henctil 

 of inankin<l, l)c<-onie a ixTpclMai soincc of wealth 

 ami |)ro>i)cril.\-. 



"Il is really terrifyin;^ to realize ilia! -f) jxt cent 

 of the cnornions amount of coal which we are di^^in^ 

 from the earth each year is liurMe<l to operat«> our 

 ruilroa<ls uniler such inefficient conditions that the 

 avera(;«! of (i 11). of coal is re<|iiired per horsepower- 

 hour. 'I'he same amount of coal hurned in a modern 

 central i)ower station would pro<luc«> <'(|uivalent 

 to three limes that amount of |»ower in the motors 

 of an ele<'tri<- locomotive, c\<'n including; all tlu; 

 los.ses of j<eneration and Iransmi.ssion from the 

 Hourco of power lo the locomotive." 



Future of Our Coal Situation 



From all indications, the trend lies 

 in the direction of the development of 

 our waterpowers, the use of powdered 

 coal, and the establishment of gas and 

 coke plants. These last will take raw 

 coal, convert it into coke, gas, and by- 

 products. All will be efficiently used. 

 This means a great deal for the dyestufifs 

 industry, farming, and all branches. 

 Says William Hamlin Childs, an author- 

 ity on the by-products industries: 



"A four foot vein of coal will yield 

 enough sulphate of ammonia to fertilize 

 the land lying above it for 1,000 years." 



This, he means, is in addition to all the 

 coke the coal will yield, and other prod- 

 ucts. Truly our present-day boilers and 

 furnaces are inefficient in getting the good 

 out of coal. When men get to using our 

 three to five trillion tons of coal in the 

 new way, what won't it do for the 

 country? 



It may be worth noting in conclusion 

 that all England is about to make an e.x- 

 tensive experiment in fuel conservation. 

 As far as possible all railroads are to be 

 electrified, factories operated from cen- 

 tral stations, isolated plants done away 

 with, and other marked changes brought 

 about. Electric powerplants will be lo- 

 cated at mines, doing away at a single 

 stroke with railroad transportation prob- 

 lems. London smoke and fogs will be 

 cut down. 



