of the plant, from a competent engineer. The services of only one man are required to run this plant when it is operated on day-shift work only. CLEANING OF GAS PIPES, MAINS, VALVES, ETC. It is recommended that the gas pipes leading from the producer to the cleaning system and the tar filter be cleaned once a week, if possible, when the plant is run ten hours a day during the working days of the year. If this is done, very little will be required to keep The admission and mixing valves of the the plant in good condition. engine will not require cleaning for two weeks or more. FUEL CONSUMPTION. The consumption of fuel per brake-horsepower hour-including stand-by losses-is for full load, 1.7 lbs. of dry peat, or 2.3 lbs. of peat containing 25 per cent. moisture; for three-fourths load, the fuel consumption-including stand-by losses-is 2.1 lbs. of dry peat, or 2.8 lbs. of peat containing 25 per cent. moisture. COST OF FUEL. In estimating fuel costs, the assumption is made that peat with a moisture content of 25 per cent. can be delivered to the producer for $2 per ton. In order, however, to take advantage of this, or a lower cost for fuel, the power plant will have to be situated at or near the bog where the peat fuel is manufactured. For small plants of the type and capacity described in the foregoing remarks this might not prove feasible in many cases, but will prove entirely feasible and practicable when the plants are of large capacity and when the energy developed is transmitted, in the form of electricity, to neighboring towns and villages, for lighting, power and other purposes. Since the fuel burned in the producer does not require to be of the best quality, the fuel cost may be considerably reduced, since the broken peat bricks and considerable fines-which always occur in the manufacture of peat and otherwise, represent a loss-can be efficiently utilized in the producer. Assuming, however, that peat can be delivered to the plant for $2 per ton, and that the plant is run with a power-factor of 75 per cent. for 3,000 hours, the fuel costs would be $8.40 per B.H.P. year, including stand-by losses. PLANT COST. The first cost of a plant of this type, in comparison with that of other types, should be left for the consideration of those interested in particular cases, by obtaining competitive prices from manufacturers. Local conditions, capacity of plant, etc., changes the first cost so considerably that any figures quoted here might prove misleading. BY-PRODUCT RECOVERY PLANTS. In various plants at present utilizing peat for the production of power, the net cost of developing power is considerably reduced by the sale of sulphate of ammonia and tar, which are recovered as by-products. This recovery is attempted only in plants of larger size than the one used. NATURAL GAS IN CANADA. The production of natural gas in Canada has increased in value nearly thirteen-fold during the last nineteen years, and of the total amount the Province of Ontario produced about 94 per cent. Steps were taken by the Ontario Government in 1907 to prevent the waste of natural gas, and a law was passed levying a tax of two cents per 1,000 ft., with a rebate of 90 per cent. when the gas is used in Canada. This provision has been very effective. In Alberta little provision has as yet been made for the plugging of the gas wells, and many millions of cubic feet have therefore been wasted annually and extended areas have been more or less drained. In 1912 there has been considerable natural gas developments in New Brunswick and Alberta. In New Brunswick the city of Moncton is supplied from one of seventeen wells situated in Albert County, about II miles distant. In Alberta, the Canadian Western Natural Gas, Light, Heat and Power Company, Limited, has completed 15 natural gas wells in the vicinity of Bow Island, Alberta, from which gas is now being piped to Calgary, a distance of 175 miles. In addition to supplying Calgary, the company has branch lines to Lethbridge, MacLeod, Granum, Nanton, Claresholm, Brooks and Okotoks. PETROLEUM RESOURCES. The production of crude petroleum comes almost entirely from the Province of Ontario. The production of Canada in 1911 was made up of 291,092 barrels, or 288,631 barrels from Ontario and 2,461 barrels from New Brunswick. The following table gives the production of oil in Canada since 1901, in barrels of 35 gallons, together with the total value, and average price per barrel: There has been a diminution in the output of the oil fields of Ontario, and the present production is about 46.3 per cent. of what it was in 1901, and, if the falling off continues at the same rate, the supply of domestic petroleum will tend to become relatively insignificant unless new reservoirs are opened up. The oil production of New Brunswick increased from 95 barrels in 1909 to 2,461 barrels in 1911. The oil production here is really incident to natural gas production. The total imports of petrolum oils, crude and refined, in 1911, was 116,892,689 gallons, valued at $6,009,730, in addition to 1,959,787 pounds of wax and candles, valued at $106,424. PETROLEUM RESOURCES. While the actual petroleum resources of Canada are comparatively small, nevertheless, the potential resources are considerable. In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia there are enormous deposits of oil shales which are valuable as a source of oil. On an average these shales will give a higher yield of crude oil per ton than the oil shales worked so extensively in Scotland. In the vicinity of Fort McMurray and Fort McKay, on the Athabaska River, Alberta, there are enormous deposits of tar sands. The bitumen in the tar sands is the residue from evaporated petroleum. It has been estimated that there is 61⁄2 cubic miles of solid bitumen in the tar sands exposed on this river. Although enormous quantities of oil have evaported from this district, nevertheless it seems probable that accumulations of petroleum may exist in places where the geological structure was such as to prevent its escape. This is also exemplified by the fact that natural gas occurs in quantity in districts where the tar sands are capped by overlying measures. If large quantities of petroleum were discovered in Alberta it would be a factor of great importance to the railway interests which operate in the Rocky Mountains and Jasper Parks and the forest areas in British Columbia and Alberta. The Canadian Pacific Railway is now using oil-burning engines on its main line betwen Kamloops and Field, in British Columbia. The Grand Trunk Pacific and some of the Canadian Pacific coast steamships also burn oil, and other boats are being changed from coal-burners to oilburners. The oil is at present obtained from the California oil fields. If supplies can be obtained at the prices now prevailing, its use will be very largely extended. Its cleanliness, the greatly decreased smoke, the decrease in the number of firemen required, the economy, particularly in intermittent service, the increased efficiency-two boilers with oil, in steamship service, giving the same steam as three with coal-and other considerations, make it an almost ideal fuel. Respectfully submitted, COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES. To the Members of the American Railway Engineering Association: The Ballast Committee held two meetings of the Committee as a whole (with other meetings of the Sub-Committees) as follows: First meeting at Chicago, Friday, September 6, 1912, at which there were present: H. E. Hale, Chairman; J. M. Meade, Vice-Chairman; S. N. Williams, S. B. Rice, C. C. Hill, F. J. Stimson. Second meeting at Chicago, Friday, December 6, 1912, at which there were present: H. E. Hale, Chairman; J. M. Meade, Vice-Chairman; W. J. Bergen, S. N. Williams, S. B. Rice, G. H. Harris, S. A. Jordan, H. L. Gordon, Wm. McNab, F. J. Stimson. The work assigned to the Ballast Committee was divided between three Sub-Committees, as follows: (A) REPORT ON PROPER DEPTH OF BALLAST OF VARIOUS KINDS TO INSURE UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF LOADS ON ROADWAY, CONFERRING WITH Sub-Committee: H. E. Hale, Chairman; W. J. Bergen, T. C. Burpee, O. H. Crittenden, J. M. Egan, T. W. Fatherson, G. H. Harris, C. C. Hill, A. S. More, E. V. Smith, F. J. Stimson, Wm. McNab. In last year's report on this subject your Committee had as a basis for its report several reliable and thorough tests, such as the tests made by the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona and by Director Schubert, of the German Railways, in Germany, and on the information obtained for these tests your Committee drew its conclusions and made its recommendations to the Association, which recommendations covered the subject as far as the information permitted. These recommendations were printed on page 97, in the report of 1912, and adopted by the Association, but the subject in a modified form was again referred to the Committee. The tests on which the Committee based their conclusions have been conducted largely under artificial conditions, which were designed to be, as nearly as possible, those which actually existed in the track under regular traffic, but under the circumstances it was impossible to absolutely reproduce conditions existing in track under regular traffic. Careful search has been made to obtain reports or results of tests on this subject, both in foreign and American engineering papers, and this search has been practically without result. It therefore appears that if further investigation or report is to be made by your Committee, it must be based on new tests, which should be made in track under regular traffic-preferably heavy traffic. Discussion of this subject by the Committee with other members of the Association has led the Committee to believe that many members of the Association feel that a further test in track under regular traffic is desirable, and to place this before the Association in tangible form, your Committee has worked out the following proposed test: PROPOSED TEST TO DETERMINE PROPER DEPTH OF BALLAST OF VARIOUS KINDS TO INSURE UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF LOADS ON THE ROADWAY. (1) Select a stretch of track on clay roadbed, under heavy traffic, where trouble has been experienced with clay working up between the ties. (2) Excavate roadbed to a uniform depth of 30 in. below the bottom of the ties, for a space of two rail lengths; prepare the adjacent rail lengths in the same manner, decreasing the depth 3 in. under each successive two rails, until the bed is 12 in. below the bottom of the tie (14 rail lengths). (3) Place on this bed a thin layer of fibrous material, such as hay, to make a well-defined separation between roadbed and ballast. (4) Place stone ballast on bed to the above-mentioned depths, tamp well, and put track in good line and surface. (5) Make note of tie spacing, width of ties, keep accurate levels and record of amount of time spent on surfacing various parts of track, also keep record of axle loads and amount of traffic. Take photographs at regular intervals to show deformation of roadbed. (6) Make similar test for gravel and similar for ballast section, having a sub-ballast of gravel equal to one-half the total depth and a top ballast of stone equal to one-half the total depth of ballast. (7) The estimated cost of this test is as follows: (a) Cost of material (stone), 500 yds. at 80 cents... (c) Labor, inspecting, six inspections at $2.00 per rail...... at regular maintenance charge... Total for one test.... Three tests $ 400.00 420.00 170.00 00.00 .$ 990.00 .$3,000.00 |