DOMESTIC FUEL. 



11 



less product for heating use, the sole objection will be turned into 

 an advantage, and the domestic fuel problem wiU be solved. 



In 1915, before the price of coal was enhanced by war conditions, 

 the average value of bituminous coal at the mine was SI. 13 a ton. 

 By way of contrast, we may tabulate the latent values contained in 

 an average ton of raw coal, giving the figures in round numbers and 

 basing the calculations on prices prevailing in 1915. 



Balance sheet showing contrast between value of 1 ton of bituminous coal at viine and 

 value of products which it contains, based on conditions prevailing in 1915. The con- 

 trast is greater to-day. 





Value 



at 

 mine, 

 1915. 



Quantity. 



Value 

 at point 

 of pro- 

 duction, 



1915. 





$1.13 



1,500 pounds smokeless fuel 



a $5. 00 



1 ton (2,000 povmds) bituminous coal contains 



10,000 cubic feet gas, at 90 cents per 1,000. . 



i 22 pounds ammoniiun sulphate ,at 2.8conts. 



2iV gallons benzol, at 30 cents 



6 9.00 



.61 



C.75 





9'gallons tar, at 2.6 cents 



C.23 









Total 



dl.l3 



15.59 









a Figure based upon approximate selling price of anthracite. 

 6 Figure based upon average price of city gas. 



c These flg^ures would be mucn higher if an adequate coal-products mdustry were in existence. 

 <J This figure shows clearly that lowering the cost of production can not be expected to lower the price 

 of coal. Even if the cost of production were eliminated, the price of coal would merely be a dollar less. 



Obviously, there should be a way for the home to get its fuel more 

 cheaply than it has, when a ton of coal selling at about $1 at the mine 

 contains about $14 worth of commodities useful to society. 



One answer to how these values may be got in full from coal 

 lies in the development of artificial anthracite. The accomplisliment 

 depends merely upon the establishment of a process which will iso- 

 late the solid-fuel portion of bituminous coal in the form of a sub- 

 stance equivalent to anthracite, and produce from the remainder a 

 number of products whose value could be made to more than carry 

 the expense of the operation. Nature has pointed the way with 

 natural anthracite, which was originally bituminous coal, but has 

 subsequently, mider the stress of geological evolution, lost its vola- 

 tile portions, forced out by the action of pressure and heat. It is 

 merely a matter of accomplishing a similar result by artificial means, 

 but with the important advantage that while nature dissipated the 

 volatile constituents and produced only one end product, man could 

 catch these values and turn them to his advantage. There are no 

 insuperable difficulties in the way of such an accomplishment. Sev- 

 eral processes capable of this attainment are already in course of 

 development, although comparatively little organized research has 

 been directed to the problem. An mtensive attack, such as the im- 

 portance of the matter deserves, would unquestionably yield an en- 

 tirely satisfactory procedure. The problem, in reality, is rather one 



