THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 21 



" terial nor energy is wasted, that is, a furnace which ensures the 

 " complete union of calcium and carbon without loss and with no 

 " escape of heat in the process, we know that one ton of carbide 

 " would require for its production 1,750 lbs. of lime and 1,125 

 " pounds of pure coke. 



" It has also been calculated from thermo-chemical data that 

 " i^ electrical horse-power hours will be almost precisely the right 

 "amount of energy to produce one pound of carbide, or 3.000 

 " horse-power hours per short ton of carbide, 



" Consequently, if L is the cost of lime in dollars per ton, C 

 " the cost of coke per ton, and P the cost of electrical horse-power 

 " hour, a theoretically perfect plant would yield carbide at a cost 

 "per ton, exclusive of labor and fixed charges, of 0.875 L + 0.5625 

 " C + 3,000 P. 



" For example, if lime (assumed pure) costs $2.50 per short ton, 

 "coke (assumed pure) costs $2.75 per short ton, and an electrical 

 " horse-power of 300 working days of 24 hours each cost $12 at fur- 

 " nace terminals, (0.1667 cent per working horse-power hour), the 

 "limiting cost of carbide in a perfect furnace would be $8,73 per 

 " short ton. 



" We may therefore summarize as follows: Calcium carbide 

 " by the electric furnace cannot be manufactured cheaper than $8.73 

 " per short ton for material and power, exclusive of electrode car- 

 " bons, labor, depreciation, interest and other fixed charges. 



" Owing to impurity of materials, and departure from theoreti- 

 " cal perfection in the electric furnaces, we found at Spray the ac- 

 " tual cost of material and power, irrespective of electrode carbons, 

 " labor, etc., is 1.335 L + 1-125, C + 5122 P. 



'■' Under favorable conditions such as we believe can be real- 

 " ized in particular localities, the total cost per short gross ton on a 

 " plant whose output is five tons daily might be $20. Under the 

 "actual conditions existing at Spray during our tests, we find the 

 " total cost to be $32.76 per short gross ton if the plant were worked 

 " continuously." 



In the above lowest estimate of Messrs. Houston and Ken- 

 nelly, they place horse-power at $12, whereas Mr. Willson has se- 

 cured water power at Spray, and also in Canada, at a cost not ex- 

 ceeding $5 per horse-power. 



