Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 169, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1911 — BIG PROBLEM IN FUEL [ARTICLE]

BIG PROBLEM IN FUEL

HALF THE COAL IN MINES LEFT THERE INACCESSIBLE. Peat Bogs of Country, However, Contain Billions of Tons That Can Be Utilized In the Future. One of the most serious problems at the present time is due to the fact that on the average nearly 50 per cent of the coal in the mines is left either in or at the mines and is inaccessible for the future generations. For example, according to Cassler’s Magazine, in 1907 approximately 400,000,000 tons of coal were left in or at the same mines from which the 480,000,000 tons were taken. To stimulate the possible use of various grades of fuel and safe and successful methods of mining much material at present left in the mines are some of the problems of the United States bureau of mines? Problems of combustion are being carefully studied, by means of stationary boiler plants, house heating .boilers and a long combustion chamber; proper classification and relative "prices for coals by means of specifications and purchase by contract, and more economical use and utilization of fuels heretofore not regarded as adapted to such purposes by means of briquetting, coking and producer gas plants. Among these fuels is samples of which have been used in the making' of producer gas. The use of peat for domestic purposes in European Countries dates back several hundred years, but the extensive development in methods of mining and utilizing peat has been largely within the last ten years. At the present time in many of the European countries peat is a large source of power develop; ment through the aid of the gas producer and engine, and .the utilization of the peat bogs is becoming general. Some idea of the extent of this development may be had from the statement that Russia alone mines annually over 5,000,000 tons of dry peat. It is estimated by the United States geological survey that the bogs of this country contain approximately 12,888,000,000 tons of dry peat commercially available. At a market value of |3 per ton for machine peat bricks, this represents over $38,600,000,000. The Canadian government is carrying on extensive researches relating to the use of peat, as this fuel is fohnd in very large areas in Canada. The cost of preparing peat for the market is comparatively small. Reliable figures are not available for the United States. For one locality in .Sweden, visited in 1908, coal cost $3.75 per ton, and peat, delivered on the operating floor, 80 cents per ton.