MISCELLANEOUS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1927, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS.

[Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.]

CAR-TRAVELLERS

LONDON, March 8

Dogged by wretched weather and one or two minor • mishaps, Ellis and Jiritles arrived at Constantinople on Sunday and are busy refitting tlie car for tlie passage of Asia, where they are hopeful of better weather. iiie most trying incident in crossing Europe was the pessimistic prophesies at Belgrade, that they would never negotiate the famous snow-lined Bragoinan. Indeed the odds were one hundred to one against, because only three cars have managed it since the war and then only in summer-time. The car has to be hauled by bullocks but the three Australians with an armed pilot confounded the pessimists. Tlie feat was acclaimed highly in Sofia, where they were entertained by Sir Erskine, also the Spanish Consul. Kills and his companions are ill the best of health. A NEW PROCESS. OIL FROM COAL. LONDON, March S. Electricity for next to nothing in general alongside state works at Morwell is the prospect- held out by L. S. X. Brown Coal Distillation Coy, if tlie present, plans materialise. The Company is an off-shoot of the Sensible Heat Company (cabled on February IStli). Already £125,000 sterling has been subscribed privately. The Australian, Bradstreet, who took the “ Morning Post’s ” coal miner migrants to Australia returns to launch an Australian Company which acquired deposits of coal at Morweli estimated at four mill ion tons. Tlie Company hopes in six months to be moving daily thousands of ions ol over-burden and then sell a thousand tons of coal daily, till the distillation plant is completed, when from a thousand tons of coal it will daily turn out 28,500 gallons of oil. The system is to let in coal at tlie top end of an inclined retort with hot gas at the lower, causing the coal to exude oil gases. The latter are then used in a distillation process, while tlie coal is rendered more combustible and easily ptiiverisable. It burns glowingly and smokelessly in the ordinary grate or furnace's box. It is claimed that experiments have shown this pulverised coal can be pumped through a pipe line like liquid fuel. The control of heat during distillation prevents the oil being “cracked,” as in the German process. Experiments with Morweli coal are said to have given results better than German coal tests. Now South Wales coal also yielded hopeful results. The Company’s working plant at Barnsley turning out oil selling at 8d per gallon, the process giving a profit of -Is per ton on coal and distilled fuel, the residue selling at os per ton. It is asserted ail analysis of the oil shows it contains petrol, parafin, gas oil, disci oil, lubricating oil, and also phenols.