138 



The National Geographic Magazine 



If the rate of consumption of 1905 

 were maintained indefinitely, without 

 change, our coal would last approximate- 

 ly 4,000 years, but if the constantly in- 

 creasing rate which has marked the con- 

 sumption during the past 90 years be 

 maintained, our coal will practically be 

 exhausted within 100 years.' 



The question now remains, Will this 

 increasing rate hold? In order to an- 

 swer that question we must analyze the 

 present consumption to see whether all 

 of the factors composing it will probably 

 continue to increase in the future as they 

 have done in the past. 



A large part of the coal produced in 

 this country is consumed by the rail- 

 roads. According to an estimate pre- 

 pared by the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission, the amount of coal consumed by 

 locomotives in 1905 amounted to 

 106,000,000 tons. Will this increase or 

 decrease in the future? While it is pos- 

 sible that railroad building in the future 

 will not be so active as it has been in the 

 past, there is every prospect of a great 

 and growing increase in the traffic of ex- 

 isting lines, and this will lead to a con- 

 stantly increasing consumption of coal 

 unless some new source of power is dis- 

 covered. The same argument applies to 



steamship lines, to manufacturing, and to 

 domestic consumption of coal. In view 

 of these considerations, it does not seem 

 probable that the rate of increased con- 

 sumption will be affected materially for 

 a great many years to come, and hence 

 the estimate of 100 years will be nearer 

 the truth than 4,000 years. The real life 

 of our coal fields probably will be soire- 

 where between these extremes, and it 

 seems probable that it may be about 200 

 years. 



If this estimate is even approximately 

 correct, is it not time for the government 

 to take some steps to prevent the remain- 

 ing coal of the west from passing to the 

 hands of corporations, to prevent waste- 

 ful methods of mining and use, and to 

 conserve for the use of the common peo- 

 ple even this small fraction of the total 

 coal of the country? No doubt there is 

 a great difference of opinion on this sub- 

 ject, but it is hard to see how any fair- 

 minded person interested in the good of 

 the people of this country rather than the 

 corporations can look upon the present 

 situation with other than concern, and 

 can fail to unite in an effort to avert the 

 evil consequences that may be in store 

 for future generations. 



EFFORTS TO OBTAIN GREATER ENERGY 

 FROM COAL 



REALIZING the rapidity with 

 which our coals are being con- 

 sumed, the government several 

 years ago established in connection with 

 the United States Geological Survey a 

 coal-testing plant to ascertain ( i ) means 

 by which more energy can be obtained 

 from coal, and (2) whether some of the 

 coals and lignites previously considered 

 of little value cannot be utilized. The 

 waste of the energy of coal in the ordi- 

 nary steam boiler is tremendous, it being 

 calculated that only from 5 to 7 per cent 

 of the energy is secured. The remaining 



93 to 95 per cent is lost, owing principally 

 to wasteful and imperfect methods of 

 combustion. Prof. Joseph A. Holmes 

 summarizes the work thus far done as 

 follows : 



In connection with the work of the 

 United States Geological Survey fuel- 

 testing plant at St Louis, where a large 

 number of coals from very nearly every 

 state containing coal has been tested, 

 some important results have been devel- 

 oped which would tend toward conserv- 

 ing the coal supply. The most im- 

 portant of these results show that the 



