1072 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A BRIQUET MACHINE IN THE BUREAU OF MINES PI^ANT 



At this station coal dust is made into briquets by enormous pressure, without the use of any 



bindinof material 



fuel which, it is stated, can be handled 

 and stored with greater facility and less 

 loss than natural coal ; as a steam pro- 

 ducer it is most satisfactory and its use 

 conserves the country's resources. In 

 France Doctor Holmes found the bri- 

 quet being widely used and purchased 

 by the government railroads under defi- 

 nite specifications. The absence of smoke 

 and cinders in traveling on these briquet- 

 using trains was noticeably agreeable. 



The Red Star Line steamships, ac- 

 cording to a statement in the "Black 

 Diamond," use bituminous briquets from 



Antwerp to New York, but on the re- 

 turn trip have to burn American soft 

 coal. The opportunity presented for 

 practical comparative tests is an ideal 

 one. From reports on both classes of 

 fuel, better time and at lower cost is 

 made when running on briquets ; it is 

 estimated that ''nearly one-third of the 

 average coal bill is saved." 



0UTI.00K GOOD EOR AMERICAN BRIQUET- 

 MAKING 



The conditions in the United States 

 would seem to favor the gradual and 



