Mance: Quarry Industrij of Southern Indiana 113 



has allowed it to compete successfully with the gas and the hydro- 

 electric plants. In the consideration of producer-gas installations 

 there are two factors that count against it strongly when an opera- 

 tor or a group of manufacturers is deciding on the kind of power 

 plant to install. First, the gas engine is a comparatively new 

 power unit, and the natural conservatism of the men often causes 

 them to decide to stick to the old way of doing things. This 

 does not mean that the gas producer and gas engine are an un- 

 tried project, for in fact in foreign countries, especially in Germany 

 and England, they are taking the place of steam plants wherever 

 large power plants are being built. In this country the Bureau 

 of Mines of the United States government has made very ex- 

 tended tests and has indicated its satisfaction with this type 

 of power plant. This would not be so if these installations were 

 not a success in every way. In the second place, the higher 

 first cost is a deterring factor because it is hard to interest capital 

 in making a large investment when a smaller one would do the 

 work, even if higher ultimate returns could be shown for the form- 

 er. But as the competition in power becomes more keen and the 

 cost of coal increases, gas installations are sure to displace steam 

 plants. 



Further figures would probably be of no interest to the stone 

 operators, but I desire to say that among the letters received from 

 the manufacturers of large power-plant machinery, I have figures 

 on steam plants including Sterling boilers with chain-grate 

 stokers and coal and ash handling machinery, economizers and 

 superheaters, and turbo generators with high vacuum condensers, 

 ranging in size from 2,300 to 2,500 kilowatt capacities, in 

 which the power cost was as low as .47 cents per kilowatt hour. 

 I also have received similar figures from producer-gas plants 

 of this size which claim a power cost of .43 cents per hour with- 

 out by-product recovery. 



The power problem of the stone belt is so closely related to 

 the similar problem in the coal mining district of the State, 

 which is located comparatively near the stone belt, that the 

 ideal solution seems to be one common to both industries. 

 Power production at the present time in both districts is costing 

 too much, and this fact is becoming more and more plain to both 

 groups of operators. Large power plants could be located in 

 the coal fields at the mines and the power used in the stone|dis- 

 trict carried over in the form of high voltage current The ideal 

 power units for such plants would be gas producers and gas 



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