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June, 1909 "TAE MaRINE. REVIEW 145 ee dy 2 BS A tee, | "WR tavags 4, hd Seen Sone w, ase 5 ; MO erases rescct, te hh, PRESEN iis; Ne tere: Wuite STAR LINERS OLYMPIC AND TITANIC AS THrey WiLL Look WHEN COMPLETED. Purchase of Coal on Its Heating Value Washington, D. C., June 8--The- plan inaugurated two: years ago by the government: for the purchase of coal on its heating value has resulted in the delivery of a better grade of fuel without a corresponding increase in cost and with therefore a saving to the government. At the present time, 40 departmental buildings in 'Washington, the Panama railroad, more than 300 public buildings, throughout the United States, navy yards, and arsenals are buying their fuel supplies on specifications the Prime element in which fixes the amount of ash and moisture. Premiums are paid for any decrease of ash 'below 2 per cent from the standard at a rate of 0.0lc per ton for each per cent. Deductions are made at an increasing rate for each per cent of ash when it exceeds the standard. established by 2 per cent. It has been demonstrated by the United States Geological Survey, Tech- nologic branch, which has charge of the analyses of the coal, that under these specifications the government has been getting more nearly what it pays for, and paying for. what it gets. The purchase of coal on specifica- tions is but one of the activities of the government looking 'toward a more efficient use of the fuel resources of the country. Engineers of the geological survey are studying the problem in all its phases at the exper- iment plant, in Pittsburg, Pa. The investigations, by suggesting changes in furnace equipment and in methods of firing the coal, are indicating the practicability of the government pur- chasing cheaper fuels, such as bitum- inous coal and the smaller szes of pea, buckwheat, etc., instead of the more ex- pensive sizes of anthracite, with a corresponding saving in price. , The fuel bill of the government now ag- gregates about $10,000,000 yearly, the saving on which, through securing coal containing less ash, alone amounts to $200,000. Since the government has been pur- chasing coal on 'the basis of its 'heat- ing value a growing interest has been manifest on the part of manufacturers © and the general public in this import- ant subject and a demand 'has been created for authentic information con- cerning the results accomplished, In response to this demand the results of the government's purchases of coal under the heat value specifica- tions for the fiscal year 1907-8 have been assembled in a bulletin just is- sued by the survey in the hope of promoting a better understanding of this method of buying fuel. John Shober Burrows, the engineer in charge of this part of the fuel prob- lem, has included in the bulletin a list of the contracts with abstracts