, 1866-08-28

nave uo SUCKING 10 uO-may SlL Dy tue
side of his furnace and smoke or, read,
or even leave the fre-room, and 60 on
deck or to bed in the perfect certainty
that the fire will blaze away as fercely
and as steadily until the store Of fuel be
exhausted. So soon as a few hours
after termination of such important trials
to attempt to, Indicate all the advantages
TO be anticipated from them, or even all
those of most moment, would be neither
possible nor right if it were so. So
sweeping q change as the introduction of
mlneraI OIL for Il SCeam fuel is calculated
to produce both on the coal and other
machinery, is not likely to be admitted
without great disputes ; but in the late
Admiralty trials, conducted so early, so
unostentatiously, and so inexpensively,
the foundation of that change has been
laid, and we feel we may indulge in the
anticipation of being hereafter able to
look back with justitiable pride 10 the
first announcement of that coming change
in these columns. For whether we re-
gard the immense advantage which oil
will give to our war ships, which must
at a glance even be seen, of raising above
Is 10. Of water into steam by a pound of
oil, instead of 10 ID. by a pound of coal,
and which practically means that they
can do nearly twice the work, or keep
twice as long at sea with no more weight
of fuel on board by Burning oil iostead of
coal, or whether we regard the diminish
ed requirements of stowage for fuel and
the consequent profitable application of
the balance of ship-space TO the freight
age of additional cargo in the vessels of
the mercantile marine, or to the general
cleanliness and effectiveness of the oil,
fuel over the dirty smoky coal, there is
equal reason for COngratulatiUn In the re-
suits of these decisive trials. There is
another subject, however, in which there
rests important and opportune reasons for
congratulation. Much has been said,
especially of late, upon the fast dimin-
ishing state of our coaI-felds, but in all
this discussion it has been little, if ut all
considered, that by no means all, and, in
deed, only a very small portion of our
coal fields contain such coal as can be
used for steam fuel, and that this small
est portion it is, which more than any
other is being most extensively drawn
upon. No doubt, whatever, but that the
mineral oils will be found to vary in quail
ity as much. as Goals, but from what can
be so far perceived the co:nmonest may
be anticipated to be equal at least to
coal. Nor must it be thought that very
much higher results could not be obtain
ed from the mineral oils if further trials
were made at Woolwich, by Mr.. Richard
son, with a new apparatus of sufficient
strength to endorse full experiments upon
rapid combustion and high pressures of
steam, the present boiler not being safe
at a higher pressure than lob. There
is also a very restricted area of CRATE, and
an insuficiency of draft, and other inhe-
rent defects, such as are necessarily al
ways present in a first construction and
further, a not inconsiderable waste in the
small quantities of oil burnt, though such
defects end in the process of adjustment
when new kinds of oil are tried Of differ
ent densilies. The actual work done yes
terday, under all such temporary difficult
ty was, however, for example, with
Torbane-hilI oil, 3,705 Id. of wafer evapo-
rated by 208 ID. of oil in six hours and
ten minutes, or 1904 Id. of water evapo-
rated per one pound Of oil. Considering
the, circumstances under which this inn
portant result was obtained we have no