Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1903 — Melting Snow. [ARTICLE]

Melting Snow.

During the past winter a new device for removing snow from city streets was put in use. It Is called a snowmelter, a huge machine for thoroughly cleaning the streets. Popular Mechanics says that the melting Is done rapidly and economically by means jot a hot-air blast which is brought into direct contact with the snow. The melter consists of a double-end furnace with a large grate area surmounted by a horizontal water-jacket and a crescent-shaped cross-section with two Inverted L-shaped flues. The dimensions of the melter are the same, as those of an ordinary truck. The melter is mounted on wheels, and can be easily jnoved from place to place by a team of 1 horses. The waterjacket forms the bottom of an iron frame or box into which the snow may be shoveled direct from the street, or Into which a load of snow may be directly dumped. The furnace burns coke, and is large enough to hold a cartload at a time. The snow is plaeed in direct contact with the heated flues, and is melted as fast as a gang of laborers can shovel.