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The CHAIRMAN. With these two papers and these charts before you, the very interesting subject of carding is now open for discussion, and we hope every member interested in that subject will take an active part in the discussion, without waiting for an invitation to do so. If no one volunteers, I will call upon Mr. Johnston of Cohoes, N.Y.

Mr. JOHNSTON. As I have been called upon, I suppose I shall have to make some reply, although I consider that there are older and wiser heads here, capable of interesting the Associa tion more than I can. The subject is an important one. The author of the paper has given a good account of the history of carding, from its commencement to the present time. Probably some here are thoroughly committed to the subject of double carding. A new thing we like for its novelty, and we oftentimes go almost crazy after it, until we come to some objection. Until cards are worn out, until cards have to be reclothed and reset, until we have to work from the starting-point of a new card, in perfect order, with new clothing, we can hardly form a correct opinion as to what will be the practical result of such a machine. For ordinary numbers, with proper cleaning, I think that the single-card "workers and strippers" will, in the matter of expense, in the matter of room, in the matter of strength of yarn, be more satisfactory than double carding. We can card our cotton too much, as well as too little. I have in mind a circumstance, where, in changing one of our mills, we found it necessary to do additional work at one place, and keep more cotton coming from the other place, where we had large cards, "workers and strippers." We increased the work we were doing, for single carding, making No. 34 yarn, from eighty pounds to a card to one hundred and twenty pounds to a card, as breaks. We tested the yarn, where a Whitin card had been used,— the top-flat card, and we found the yarn gave very much less satisfaction. It was a little cleaner and a little more even; yet the indications were that with ordinary cotton the yarn was very much weaker. I have said that weaving does not go as well with single carding as with double carding, yet tests will prove the yarn from single carding the strongest. Why is this? The reason is, that the strength of any thing is its weakest part. The goodness of yarn is that which it will stand, not the good part, but the amount of bad there is in it. The goodness is determined by the little bad, and not by the

much good. Yarn may be to a considerable extent very perfect, and yet have places and imperfections in it which will kill all the good part of the work. I say with eighty pounds on a card, with "workers and strippers," the indication was that it was carded too much, and even a little too much with one hundred and twenty. With the ordinary amount on the single card, if we could clean our cotton properly, for yarn up to No. 30 single carding will always beat double; and, with the same stock, your goods will be just as bright, and oftentimes brighter, than from the double carding. That is my experience.

Now in relation to the waste from these cards. Certainly there is scarcely any fly-waste from the under top-card, and to pay two-thirds the price of cotton for flat waste, or cylinder strippings, may be good for the man that sells the stock, but I think it is usury to the man who buys it, not only seven per cent, but I think it is twenty-five per cent. Some people may think that if they buy cotton they have got cotton; but it is mighty poor stuff, with flat strippers, to make even No. 2

So we have waste to sell instead of goods. In reference to the question of economy, we must take into consideration what goes into the other different parts, and what into the wastage part. We must take into consideration what part we are going to sell. I should like to draw out some points from the gentlemen present, because, while carding itself may be old, yet I think there is a great deal to be learned about it. I think, in a cotton-mill, machines kept to their places will do their work, but a card is something that is to be worked at all the time. It may be right to-day, and go wrong of itself to

morrow.

The CHAIRMAN. I have been particularly interested in Mr. Johnston's remarks upon the value of waste, as we have to buy considerable. We almost always receive valuable suggestions from Mr. Garsed on these subjects. I hope he will not let this opportunity pass without our hearing from him. He shakes his head, which only shows that the gentlemen who opened the subject have thoroughly exhausted it.

We will now listen to a paper from Mr. Walter E. Parker of Woonsocket, R.I., who will discuss the subject of "the Combustion of Fuel, with Relation to the Use of Different Sizes of Coal."

Mr. PARKER then read his paper on the foregoing subject, as follows:

:

COMBUSTION OF FUEL, WITH RELATION TO

THE USE OF DIFFERENT SIZES OF COAL.

BY WALTER E. PARKER, ESQ., WOONSOCKET, R.I.

THE manufacturing industries of the United States of late years have been largely dependent upon steam as a motive power, while to-day considerably more than fifty per cent of the horse-powers employed are derived from the various kinds of fuel known in commerce. According to the census of 1870, the cotton-mills of New England employed or were furnished with 26,750 horse-powers of steam, and it is fair to say that the census of 1880 will show that steam is fast becoming the principal propelling power of the cotton-factories. Nearly all of the water-mills in operation to-day have outgrown the capacity of the water-power of the streams where they are located. The fuel we burn, therefore, for converting heat into mechanical power, the appliances experience has provided for generating and using steam, which is the receiver and conveyor of that power, are subjects looking toward economy, which are now. justly receiving marked attention from our most eminent engineers, and all those who have to pay for fuel. We believe it an established fact, although not admitted by all, that, with proper combustion, American anthracite coal is the purest and best form of fuel available at the present time. Professor Rücker says in a recent work, "It is important that a fuel should not only supply a large amount of heat, but that it should supply it at a very high temperature." The duration of anthracite at high temperature, its long continued and uniform heat, and the consequent maintenance of a steady reliable steam-power, are points in its favor which cannot be said to be equalled by any other kind of fuel now in practical use in most of our manufactories. The use of anthracite, or hard lustrous coals, as a common fuel in America, is recent, only a few tons having been marketed in the year 1820. It was not liked at first, and not until it was discovered that furnaces properly constructed for burning wood and bituminous coal were unfit to a

greater or less extent for the best use of anthracite, did this coal come into favor; while now, in England and the Western States of America, anthracite is but little used, and bituminous coal is the common fuel.

If we concede the superiority of anthracite coal as a fuel, we come to the question, In what form and at what relative prices do you want it to insure best results? Here we may say that so long as the cost of fuel in the best equipped steam cotton-mills is from one-half cent to one cent per pound of goods produced, it is highly important that more care should be given to its purchase. All the coal beds, with few exceptions, are made up of various strata of pure coal, soft shale, slate, and other impure or earthy matter, and it is very probable that the unsuspecting purchaser, who says "coal is coal," will buy a goodly share of the poorer grades. It is said by those who have studied the composition of anthracite, that "coal which contains but eighty per cent of carbon and twenty per cent of ash, water, and other incombustible matter, is the lowest grade of commercial coal, and of little value." Certainly not, when we consider that in many localities the principal item of cost of fuel is the fee for transportation, which is the same for inferior as for first class steam-coals.

According to the tests made by Professor Johnson in 1844, for the United States Government, to ascertain the comparative value of American coals, he found that anthracite contained on an average,

90 per cent of
6.28 per cent of

3.72 per cent of

fixed carbon.
earthy matter.
hydrogen, oxygen, &c.

And with one pound he evaporated from eight to ten pounds of water in a cylinder boiler. At what pressure I am not able to state. This is mentioned to give an idea of the comparative value of the coal to be considered hereafter. The statements relating to the practical use of coal, which I am able to present to you to-day, are furnished by two mills of Woonsocket, R.I., which are run almost wholly by steam-power. The coal used by them for several years last past has been either grate or pea size, and the results to be given have been arrived at through patient, and, we hope, careful, attention to facts.

From the twenty-sixth day of April to the twentieth of September, 1880, inclusive, the Globe Mill used Scranton grate

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coal. The amount bought was 890 tons of 2,200 pounds. The waste of handling and transportation was 14,8 tons, or 1 per cent, leaving 875,8 tons which were used. The total waste in combustion for any part of it was not determined, i.e., in a scientific way, but the waste of ash was found to be per cent, and of clinker 2 per cent; total, 12 per

10

cent.

The total cost based upon the average price in New York, for the time given, was $5.90 per ton, or $5,194,34. The mill was run 124 days, of 11 hours each, or 1,365 hours, and the average steam-power required was 620 horse-power, ascertained by a series of trials, running, through several weeks, with the Richard's Indicator. The above shows that one-horse power per hour was produced with 228 pounds of coal, which includes the full supply of steam to the slashers for drying yarn and boiling the sizing, the steaming of filling, and whatever steam was needed for the complete operation of the mill.

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The boilers are 90 inch upright Corliss pattern, and the engine is a double cylinder geared 28′′ x 60′′ Corliss, run noncondensing. A common cylinder heater is used, which receives the feed water at an average temperature of 95°, and delivers it to the boilers at a temperature of 212° Fahrenheit. The Social Mill, from April 26 to Sept. 18, 1880, inclusive, was run 124,5 days, or 1,370 hours, and used 1,290 tons of Wilkesbarre, 1 Scranton, and Philadelphia and Reading pea coal, which gave an average waste of ashes and clinkers in combustion of 15 per cent, the largest part of which were clinkers. The average steam-power used was 767-72 horse-power, ascertained by means of the indicator, cards having been taken each day since the first week in July, requiring, for the whole work of operating the mill, 2 pounds of coal per horse-power per hour. The total cost of the fuel, including 1 per cent for waste of transportation, &c., based upon the average price of washed pea coal in New York, for the time stated, was $5.05 per ton, or $6,61642. Horizontal tubular boilers, and a double cylinder geared Corliss engine 30" x 72", run non-condensing, are used, and they have shown a lower rate per horse-power per hour than the Globe Mill, when both have been run with pea coal. The comparative cost, &c., of fuel, at the two mills, can be stated as follows:

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