— 251 — 
It was consequently desirable that practical experiments should be made to 
demonstrate the possibility or otherwiso of employing national coal as a source of 
energy. 
This was done on the Central Railway of Brazil and it is the regult of the 
trials there carried out that I now have the pleasure of bringing to the knowledge 
of the Engineering Club. 
The first trial was made with a special passenger train carrying His Ex- 
cellency the Minister of Industry, several gentlemen and the superior staff of the 
Central, travelling from here to Sio Paulo. 
As the Engineering Club will have seen from statements made in the Press, 
the journey was spleadidly accomplished, the train in question being subject to 
the ordinary time table of express trains. 
This first trial at once demonstrated that it was possible with the Santa Ca- 
tharina coal to work a locomotive such as those attached to the Central passenger 
trains with the pressure necessary for obtaining high speed. 
This was a first victory for those who believe in the possibility of the exis- 
tence of fuel suitable for utilization in our industries over those who absolutely 
deny such a thing and who base their disbelief on a comparison of the results 
obtained in laboratory analyses as against the best coal in the world and which 
constitutes the type taken by the Central as a basis for eompetitions, 
Further experiments were made however both with Santa Catharina coal 
and with that from Rio Grande do Sul. with the following results: 
FIRST EXPERIMENT — COAL FROM RIO GRANDE DO SUL 
NOT SCREENED 
Locomotive n°. 271, with low escapment and tubular bars only 
Trial made on the 5th, July 1904.. 
Trains SS 3 and SS 8 (Santa Cruz Branch) coasisting of 2 cars series B 
(1st class) 2 series D (2nd class) 2 series Q (luggage) 126 units, 
Coal consumed during therun. . . . . 2.238 kilos 
Coal consumed per kilometer . . . .. . 19.8 » 
Consumption of water . . . . «© 2 = 10.760 litres 
Evaporation per kiloofcoal. . . . « « + Alt.S  » 
RESIDUES 
Clinkers and ash from the furnace and ash pan. 578 kilos 
Ash fromthe smoke box, . . . . ‘ 102.» 
Totals si % <a. yee, es 680 » 
Smoke. gow Gon ep we 30.4 */o 
The production of smoke is not great and resembles that from Cardiff in its 
yellow color and quantity. 
The irains kept the time throughout the journey. 
