COAL - Clpdigital.org

coke heretofore known for all purposes.
Circumstances, however, will often defeat a
thing of great merit, and it would not be a wild
statement to make, that in 1892. when the retort
oven was introduced in this country by the building
of twelve ovens at Syracuse, N. Y., if the
44,000 bee-hive ovens then in use could have been
replaced by the present pattern of by-product
retort oven, and no more bee-hive ovens constructed,
a large sum of money could have been
realized from what has otherwise gone up in
smoke, with no particular advantage to anyone,
or in other words, assuming that $1 is a fair estimate
of the value of by-products in a ton of coal
coked, we can figure that about 350 million dollars
have gone up in smoke from bee-hive ovens
since 1892.
This theory is good reasoning from the coke
and iron maker's standpoint, only providing the
retort coke would have done the same work in a
blast Itirnace as the bee-hive product, using the
same coal, and I will not try to discuss that at
this time. It is safe to say, however, that the
principle of retort ovens will sooner or later be
adopted generally, as it has been in the old world.
It has not been popular in this country for many
reasons, and one is that while a bee-hive plant,
of say 40 ovens, with all of the operating accessories
would cost $40,000, the retort device, with
same number of ovens, would cost $350,000; about
nine times as much; the additional expense being
necessary for the elaborate chemical apparatus to
be used in the distillation of the byproducts, requiring
the most skillful labor, and so much more
of it. The idea was also probably passed for
the reason that coal, such as the best Connellsville,
in early days, was apparently of no great
value for anything except coke, and did not represent
much money for that purpose. At that
time an acre of coal with vein seven to nine feet
thick, making 9,000 to 12,000 tons, would mean
only from one to two cents per ton of 2,000 pounds,
based upon $150 to $200 per acre for the coal in
the ground. Now it is worth ten times that
amount, and is an item to be considered seriously.
Another thing has probably defeated the retort
oven in past years, and that is the disposition of
the products to an advantage, other than coke,
especially the surplus gas, which should be used
locally. To be able to
REALIZE PROPERLY FROM THE SALE
of the by-products, means that the coke from a
retort oven costs less than any other device, notwithstanding
the investment is the greatest, as is
also the labor necessary-
It means that the retort oven must find a location
among factories or industries to use its
surplus power or gas. To place tne retort ovens
where our coal mines and bee-hive ovens now
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 51
are, and ship the product in the same manner, has
not been practical, nor would it be to-day, hence,
in my opinion, the retort or scientific and economic
devices for the manufacture of coke belong
at the other end of the road wliere the byproducts
are used, and the coal shipped insted of
the coke, or the foreigner's way, with apologies
to our German brothers, whom we have always
accused of getting things turned around or the
other end to, but it seems they are right in this
case.
You can see that railroads and transportation
companies do not enthuse over shipping coal ins.ead
of coke from the coal fields, as the railroad
tariff rates upon coke are much more than that
of coal, sometimes double, based, I presume, upon
the increased value of coke and the greater bulk,
although the same car which carries the coal has
only to be supplemented with side boards or racks,
and it carries the same weight of coke without
any auaitional expense whatever, and to charge an
additional rate is one of the inconsistent privi
leges enjoyed by the much abused railroads.
Those of us who are obliged to live in the city,
would no doubt prefer to have coke works confined
to the interior, instead of proximity to our homes,
unless the smoke consuming pattern was used,
and it seems that it should be so, when we consider
that coal was first coked by nature herself.
ANTHRACITE WAS ONCE A BITUMINOUS
coal, and its present state is really a coke product
by nature, the excess volatile matter and other
original chemical constituents having been expelled
by the forces of nature during the earth's
chaotic period. The coal is much freer from
volatile matter than ordinary coke, and it contains
more carbon, but these advantages are overbalanced
by its density, which is caused by the
great pressure to which it was subjected while
in its semi-plastic condition. The porosity of
the artificial coke is much preferred. Another
instance of natural coke is near Richmond, W. Va.
A natural coke interstratified with slate, sandstone,
fire clay and coal. The coke is nearly uniform
in character, and is heavier than common
coke; versicular in texture and a dull black color.
The volatile is almost wholly wanting, and the
coke does not differ in its properties and appearance
from many artificial varieties. Twenty feet
above the coke, the agent which effected the
change, and also altered the beds of fire clay and
slate, is seen in the layer of trap rock, fifteen to
thirty feet thick, baked and hardened by the
action of the trap.
President T. T. Boswell of the Merchants Coal
Co., Baltimore, denies that the property is to be
sold. J. D. Hughes of Windber. Pa., has become
general manager, succeeding James Stirrat.