PROCEEDINGS OF THE POLYTECHNIC ASSOCIATION. 613 



The anthracite coal is piled up in the Lehigh and Schuylkill re- 

 gions, mountains high. In the Lackawanna district, it is piled up 

 in the same manner. A plan has been adopted of mixing fine 

 coal with clay and making bricks of it. 



Mr. Yander Wej^de. — All the coal in Germany is found in a 

 powdered state, and blacksmiths before using it, have to put 

 water on it for the purpose of solidifying it. You very seldom 

 find it in lumps, and it is not very useful for gas. 



Mr. Latson. — One objection to the soft coal of this country is 

 that it is overcharged with sulphur, thus destroying the grate 

 and bars. I was the first man who ever burnt anthracite coal to 

 smelt iron with. I have owned the Yellow Springs, in Pennsyl- 

 vania. 



Mr. Hedrick said that in burning fine coal he thought they 

 had too much air instead of too little. He suggested that bitu- 

 minous powder might be mixed with anthracite coal and then be 

 burned. 



Mr. Latson said that could not be done. 



Dr. Yander Weyde. — If you use lumps of coal large enough to 

 let the air pass freely through them, they will burn well. If you 

 take fine coal and use it without being wetted, it will not burn, 

 but if you wet it it will. 



;Mr. Latson. — I have found that Lehigh and red ash coal pro- 

 duces a very good fire. 



Mr. Dibben. — There is a great difference in anthracite coal. If 

 you have the right kind of a grate and the right kind of a blower, 

 you don't want a better coal than the finest coal. A friend of 

 mine uses fine coal every day in his office which costs only $1 a 

 ton, and it gives a beautiful fire, but has to be set going with 

 other coal, and to have a good blower. If the blower be taken 

 down it goes out in a few minutes. 



Yisitor. — Do you burn with grate bars or perforated bars ? 



Mr. Dibben. — With grate bars, 



Yisitor. — How about the quantity? 



Mr. Dibben. — A ton of fine coal will give as much heat and 

 last as long as a ton of large coal. If you get 2,000 deg. tem- 

 peratures of fire heat, and boiler heat of 300 deg., then you must 

 conduct accordingly. I think the burning of fine coal will pay 

 as well as the burning of large coal. 



Mr. Yeeder. — Would not a benefit be derived by introducing 

 the air above and below ? I used pea coal successfully some few 



