566 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 479. 



number of proximate analyses of Iowa 

 coals, and from determinations of their 

 calorific value by means of the Parr calor- 

 imeter, he deduced the formula that the 

 calorific value of an Iowa coal = (14,600C 

 + 12,1807 + ifiOOS) X -01 B. T. U. The 

 following table gives the results of boiler 

 tests made with Marquisville (Iowa) coals 

 of different sizes, with coke and anthracite 

 nut, and is of interest in showing the pro- 

 hibitive price of anthracite, and that the 

 fuel cost of generating steam with slack 

 coal is from 30 to 40 per cent, less than the 

 fuel cost with lump, nut or steam coal in 

 the same mine. 



Following in this line came a paper by 

 Professor C. H. Benjamin, of the Case 

 School of Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio, 

 on ' The Science of Smoke Prevention. ' As 

 Professor. Benjamin was for several years 

 the engineering expert in enforcing the 

 ordinance against smoke production in 

 Cleveland, his conclusions are the result 

 of both scientific attainment and practical 

 experience in dealing with the smoke ques- 

 tion in cities. They are as follows: (1) 

 That objectionable smoke from soft coal can 

 readily be prevented ; (2) that such preven- 

 tion will result in a higher efficiency and 

 smaller fuel bills; (3) that all new plants 

 should be subject to permits issued by 

 proper city oificials; (4) that educational 

 and legal measures combined should be used 

 in cases where the evil already exists; (5) 

 that the control of such work should be in 

 the hands of properly trained engineers 

 who understand the whole subject thor- 



oughly; (6) that the people of each com- 

 munity must see to it that they are pro- 

 tected from this evil as from poor drainage 

 and dirty streets. 



Professor William T. Magruder, of Ohio 

 State University, Columbus, Ohio, pre- 

 sented a paper entitled 'A Producer Horse 

 Power— A Proposed New Unit.' After 

 reviewing Watt's unit for a boiler horse 

 power, and that adopted by the Philadel- 

 phia Centennial Commission, he stated that 

 the rapid introduction of the use of gas- 

 engines using blast-furnace gas or producer 

 gas leads to the suggestion of a unit for 

 the horse power of a gas producer similar 

 to the unit for the horse power of a boiler. 

 As some gas engines are now delivering a 

 brake horse power for the generation of 

 10,000 B. T. U. per hour, and a few are 

 doing 10 to 15 per cent, better than this, 

 he suggested as a proposed new unit that of 

 a ' producer horse power, ' He defined it as 

 'the generation in an hour of sufficient gas 

 at 60° P. to produce 10,000 B. T. U. when 

 burned to water and gas at 60° F., or its 

 equivalent. ' 



Before availing itself of the invitation of 

 the St. Louis Engineers' Club, the section 

 listened to a paper by Mr. A. P. Greens- 

 felder, assistant engineer of the Terminal 

 Railroad Association of St. Louis, on 'Re- 

 cent Improvements at the Union Station 

 at St. Louis.' The paper was illustrated 

 by the plans for the improvements which 

 are now under way, showed the necessity 

 for them for handling the passenger and 

 freight business of St. Louis, and described 

 in some detail the methods which had been 

 adopted for changing the tracks and mov- 

 ing all the express company buildings, 

 while operating over 1,100 passenger cars 

 each day. Incidentally, the paper showed 

 the advances which have been made in 

 terminal railroad facilities by the use of 

 applied science. 



