SMOKE NUISANCE

Evening Star, Issue 19559, 18 May 1927, Page 13

SMOKE NUISANCE

BURN MORE AIR Burn more air with coal and consume the fuel more efficiently. That is the real solution of the smoke nuisance problem, according to JMr Claude A. Campbell, an American banker, who, through management or a skyscraper and many commercial buildings, has had experience m figuring the costs ot smoke to business institutions and to the individual in laundry bills, annoyance, and discomfort. “ More efficient burning of coal and other fuels will yield dollars and cents in value received for the fuel consumed, and is really profitable. Air doesn t cost anything, and the cost of getting it into the furnace is only nominal, says Mr Campbell. ~ ~ , „ “ The authorities tell us that a pound of coal requires about 201 b or air for proper combustion. Our furnaces in homes, factories, and office buildings do not get sufficient oxygen, the vital element in air. POWER COMPANIES POINT WAY “ Modern power companies point the way to economical use of fuel, and in most cases they are exemplars in the matter of smoko elimination. Ihe great field for correction is in the average man’s thinking about smoke. It the householder would engage heating engineering talent to go over ms heating plant, investigate his ventilation, and possibly work out some plan ot mechanically furnishing moio oxygen to his furnace a remarkable result in civic cleanliness could be attained. Mr Campbell points out that on the average only about 60 per cent, of the heat Tn coal is delivered—the rest is waste, and results in dumping about 70,000,000 tons of smoke and soot on the nation annually. It 15 concentrated in the cities to a great extent. Losses to cities run dollars in Cleveland to 50.0W.00t dollars in Chicago, according to estimates. Department stores ! ose from 20.UUU dollars to 50,000 dollars a year, hotels from 8,000 dollars to 25,000 do Bars, and office buildings from 10,000 dollars to 80,000 dollars, according to size, location, and exposure. AID FOR THE WHITE COLLAR. In the effort to keep a white collar looking its part, Mr Campbell reels that the matter of ventilation and cleaning of air permitted to get into buildings is of great importance. He figures tha a man spends almost two-thirds of his time indoors, and much contact witu his annual average of 2 3-slb of soot could thus be avoidedEnforcement of smoke elimination regulations from the educational side is also recommended He points out that in Toledo, for instance, several large users of coal were advised by city smoke inspectors to play a jet of live steam into their chimneys, and thus cut down the output of soot. This simple device has aided in rendering more effective antiauated aauipm*Qt.