The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, September 14, 1922, Page 14

‘HURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1922 'DEVELOPMENT OF LIGNITE COAL ee = —QPENS NEW INDUSTRY TO STATE t Greatest’ Coal Deposits int World Are Found in West- ern North Dakota, and Ex- tended Use in Near. Future Is Predicted by Dean Bab- “areas of-the ‘states of the Union; és- timated at. thirty-two thousand (82,000) square miles, over twice the | jf }ccal area of ‘Pennsylvania and cap- able of producing probably five or six hundred billions of tons (500, 000,000,000). | When we stop to consider what! E i these figures mean as to immensity 5 f, cock ot these deposits and their value to a ft Picaaae our people, we naturally ask why we ; ‘i THE STORY OF LIGNITE °° not deriving larger benefits from IV | this great’ resource and why we are Y capa yearly sending out of our state mil-. ‘By Dr. E. J. Babcock, Dau of the} lions of dollars which might be re-j } College of Engineering Univer- ined at home in the development of | sity of North Dakota. this andvother resources, While many i. Lignite coal is dgstined to become mines have been. opened;,up,in dif- jpn enormous factor in the industrial and economical development of, North ferent localities, the deposist are for the most part ‘undeveloped. The | Dakota. The permanent prosperity of | Annual tonnage of Jignite, now mined a state depends very largely upon the| in the state has probably reached diversity and development of its in-| hctween eight hundred and nine hun- (dustries, But industrial growth de-| dred thousand (800,000 and 900,000) | pends in a large degree upon the ease| tens, a large increase having been ' with which cheap and abundant pow-} "I the last three or four years. er and fuel can be secured and util- | ized, Although some surface mines are } When a state relies uopn a few operated, the coal seems most.com- | Kinds of agricultural products its monly worked usually appear at froom 60 to 200 fect’ below ‘the ‘sur- | growth and prosperity are liable to \ great fluctuations depending upon face ‘and getierally ratige ‘on’ thick: | ‘climatic, crop and market conditions. ness from 7 to 20 feet.. | But in a state abounding in diversi- Roughl¥ speaking, a ton; of aver- ‘ne lignite as ‘mined is equel ‘in fuel | fied industries there is a much moré ' briform' and ‘substantial develop-| value to between one half and two- thirds of a.ton‘of eastern bitumi ous | ment, for if conditions are unfi | erable any year to a particular in or. anthracite: cal. x dustry..there are other’ industries It,.is largely due to a lack of fa- miliarity with the character of lig- [which will: be comparatively little. affected. Thus diversity of indus- nite and to a lack of knowledge of \\ tries serve¥"as a great balance wheel the best methods of burning -it, that Yhis coal has not’ been tore géneral- ‘prevénting,serious economic fluctua- “tions, Therefore there can be . no ver, the use is gradual- \qeustion as-to the desitability. of a6 " great a diversity of industries. as possible. Thése states in which these ,. tonditions prevail will have the most - permanent:growth and the strongest financial standing. H Power Cost Important In establishing industries,’ ‘among j the mosimportant factors, to be fecnsideredare the abundance and %‘guality oftraw material and the cost of power and fuel. , North Dakota jhas a great abund- ‘ance and great variety of raw ma- terials: which could be utilized for _ Manufacturing industries, Many of “these are of the highest quality to be found and can be secured at a minimum price. Among them may be mentioned our grains to be manufac- tured into flour and food stuffs, our £ ‘Durifig the Winter of 1879 thdeke w was laid across iio’ Missouri O the ice, the work being carried on with the thermometer a below ze: survey believes, but* “tuat is true if few if any cases. “ 8” grow regardless and thi inter ‘of po| ulation: in. this coup 'y is. yea manne iwesrverd ba a ven ashingto: e: ation’ capital, ts wrongl; ocr ited, fro the geographer’s pe iy of ey should be at least a’ inland from its better approach t! center of the sounttye Dénver, and other cities ha mentioned at various-times ag mom fitting sites for t nter of gov: ernment. z + CUSTER’S FAVO iT '30) " 4 . of ; ft + f ots oe nA 4 The band at the pageant oe We Bye ee : ay be, ee play what was General Custer f BS 4 i i ; | favorite tune, “Garry ‘Owen,” in i 5 x | detic Survey, is exactly, 39 “degrees 60 minutes north latitude, and 93 degrees 35 minutes west longitude. It'may be said that that point is in northern Kansas,’ in’ Smith’ count The center for South Dakota’ is located at ‘Hughes, 8’ ‘miles north east of Pierre. Montana’s center rests at Fergus, 12 miles from iston while Crow Wing, 10. southwest of Brainerd is declared the geographical center ‘of Min- nesota.’ ‘Story, 5 miles northeadt ¢ of Ares 4s'the’tenter of Iowa, Cu poner ter, 10 miles northwest of Broke Bow ‘is Nebraska’s center. Wis- consif’s cehter is at Wood, 9; miles southeast of Marshfield. The’ ideal. “hub” of population, } ; government and industry should al- 8a be the geographical center, the peal i cee om Wilton Lignite Coal Selle Itself. A satisfied customer is oar *best! advettisement. "It ig never too. early to lay your plans for next winter fel a. positio; i tion’to say “I’ve.Got Coal,” ins oie eAAOL wishing you hag Rome: “How It May ‘Be Used ‘At the present time lignite is chiefly used in lunips in heating and cooking stoves and for power plants. With, good judgment, care'and a } tle experience, lignite coal can be utilized far more>successfally’ with many types of stoves and’ heating plants than most people realize. It is generally used in the- most simple manner and very few specia] meth= ods have .been adopted for burning or ‘utilizing this coal or préparing it for the market. As a special: method of treatment, a- successful ‘and sufficiently inex- pensive process for commercial bri- quettihg is now being worked out the School of Mines of the Universi- @airy products into butter a: 1! ‘heese, our potatoes into starch, our ‘flax into cloth, paper, etc., our wool ty and its Sub-Station, whigh, because of ‘the. concentrated form and. high no fue] value of the product,’ will Loe ‘ WORKING IN LIGNITE COAL 1 vei into woolen goods, and last but not Yeast our fine grade clays, often ciosely associated with vast.deposits lignite, to be made into a great varie- ty of valuable products. , But the possibility of developing these industries is largely determin- ed by the cost of power and fuel. Water power has made of the New England states a great manufactur- sing district. They have scanty agri- cultural and mineral resources, but they have abundant and cheap pow- er. This has been utilized widely in developing a vast variety of indus- tries which. in turn have built up prosperous.communities, How ‘Power is Obtained, ‘When any cheap power can be se-" éured ther¥'is a very great incentive to the establishing of manufacturing industries. : Power, ‘however, is derived from fuel as well as from water and’ in addition this. same fuel supplies do-| mestic needs. As a result there is usually a great industrial develop- ment in those regions possessing de- posits of coal, oil or gas. Pennsyl- vania gives an example of industrial development due in a large measure - to minera] deposits. of fuel within the state. Other instances might be mentioned where growth is largely dependant upon supplies of fuel. With cheap fuel and modern im- proved machinery it is a very easy matter to obtain almost any desired | amount of power so ‘cheap as to af-| ford a great stimulus to manufact- uring. North Dakota is fortunate in pos-. sessing an enormous supply of fuel in the form of lignite coal, ‘and this! going to prove one of: the greatest | inducements the state has to offer for the establishing of industries. And so it is well that our attention De called to the benefits to~be de-/| rived from the proper utilization of | our -great lignite deposits. I believe that the coal and clap resources of | the state are to form the basis for a, development which will ' gradually convert North Dakota into a rich; ay agricultural state. Value Not Appreciated Something is known of the vast | deposits of lignite coal which are koa, but the immense value of these deposits is little appreciated. There is a very large area in the western rt of the state which is underlaid 3 ith deposits -of lignite. North Da- “kota has enough coal. if properly de- veloped and used, to supply her needs and those of her neighboring states for many generations. Indeed, North mining and manufacturing, as well) found within the state of North Da-' Dakota has one of the largest coal 4 doubt considerably: widen the range and. area of its use. Thé School. of || Mines and the Mining Sub-Stadtion | have been doing cooperative work| with the United: States Bureau. of Mines ‘in connection with thé lignite investigations and during the past} year about 2,000 tons of lignite were treated in the experimental plant with very satisfactory results. A de- tailed ‘report ‘of the process and r sults will soon ‘be issued. Theseibri quets are of high fuel value compar- ing favotably with, anthracite in heating quality, are clean and of con- venient size, and stand well both transportation and storage. It is very evident that’ the correct principles |} have been established in this work and that in the near future’ this phase of the lignite industry can so be put on a commercial basis of technical skill, care and good judg- ment as to location, size and details of units and methods’ of operation are employed, Good as Gas Producer 4 It ‘has ‘also’ been demonstrated that | lignite can be very successfully ‘used, under proper conditions, in gas pro- ducers'as well as in steam plants-for the production bf power and electri+. city. The ease of obtaining a cheap and aboundant supply of fuel such as can be gotten from the lignite deposits of North Dakota is a very important consideration to every one con' plating a location for a home or @ industry. The proper devefopment and utili- aation of. the great coal and clap de- |} posits of North Dakota, the use of lignite for the production of ‘cheap and abuhdant power and electricity, and the, development in other ways of these resources, will result in the saving of Jarge sums of money for |+the people of the state and in the in- | troduction of a variety of manufact- uring ‘industries, & condition which will.add greatly to the stability and | prosperity of a region already well krown for its agricultural resources and possibilities, mn | State’ 's Center Geographically Near Washburn i The 2y040ximate sieographical center of the state o£ North Dakota tis located at Sheridan, 25 miles |north of ;: Washburn. , according to ee United States Geological sur- The center of the United States, according to the Coast. and Geo- q ‘una abies Industry in the Siaia 1 Ves yey uy ‘aNORTH DAKOTA of this athe te serie ia ; clothes” en Schaffner .& _ show, you: the new fall $25 - $35" - TAILORING. . 4 Webffer you a complete ‘and unexcelled tailering., service. - Pil] puis peak ouetanats i oe o. eson nae a Dry. Seis 3) i iadieenls Wik Doamlee Weare uw o tins © PU ie ie , We invite you to make this ' store your headquartegs dur- ~ (and, Brink Reb oe, ~ WHOLESALE ONEY - Automotive Supplies and:, Sprage Tampa: Macitactarbnof t ~ NORTHERN ICEH.CREAM and _ NORTHERN. BUETER ab y 5 hOMT vba iia dae the