The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-02-12

the heat obtained could be equally well APP
piled and utilized in the two cases. Ihe agvo-
Gates of petroleum maintain that the coli I,..
ton of the oil is much more perfect than snao
of coal; that the heat generated can ~ ;ts
manifest fitness and convenience as Iuel can
NOT fail to outweigh eventually any pfoDaDie
,1oss ~, nosts tISetroIeum is all tuel. 1t con-
ta;ns M inert and worse than useless ashes
The~asIf of ordinary coal Is to De counted once
az nure loss and tare in the weight OF the coal,
and yet again several times as an impeachment
RI combustion, an obstruction which not only
CLOGS the fire and necessitates constant labor
in removal, but also carries away all that lpor-
ton of heat which has been used up in bring
ingit II the temperature of the fire from which
It lis poked out ~ i''.''~ ~ ~
srEA coal lire always requires more air than
would be necessary for the consumption OF the
pure fuel, aud this excess, OF air carries up
chimney very considerable portion Of heat.
If from any cause the amount Of air supplied
to the fire be insufficient, then a part Of the
gases from the coal will escape combustion,
and go to waste as smoke. Moreover, from the
very necessity Of the case, coal must be burn
ed upon crate, through whose bars small
pieces of coal are continually dropping into
the ash-pit and SO are lost. English engineers
have estimated that, of every five tons OF steam
coal purchased to be put on shipboard, not
more thai four tons are ever realized IN the
production of heat capable of being converted
hso power. obs s4' For the proper ODE
combustion of petroleum, and the application
of the heat obtained from it, radical changes
must. of course, be made in the construction
of furnaces and boilers. Not one of the ex-
isting varieties of boilers or furnaces can well
be altered SOFAS to meet all the requirements of
the new problem. SPECIAL appliances must be
=, invented, not only for burning the oil, but al
SO for the immediate application or absorption
of the intense heat which is generated during
its combustion The presence of smoke on
the one hand, and Of a needless excess of air
upon the other, should equally be avoided. In
so far as this part of the problem is concerned,
we have only to modify and improve upon the
practices which have prevailed for ages in the
oil regions of the Caspian Sea, where, in order
n to utilize petroleum as tuei, porous clay is inn
pregnated with the combustible liquid and
then thrown upon the fire. In experiments
conducted at the Woolwich dock-yard, the pc
troleum was burned through a porous materi-
al placed in an iron chamber, which was inn
mersed in water-vessel also of iron. The oil
rose upon the porous substance by capillary
attraction, and was burned upon its surface as
ri upon a wick.aq nuiHJ Esd. es9l on 5ls.,
- *sa.ItE* 8 ~ *-la.Br-*s
Steam vessels which run short. trips with in
tervals of rest, like ferry boats, would advan-
tageously use petroleum as fuel. Coal fires,
though banked up, burn to great waste during
these intervals of rest, but the petroleum
fame could be turned down, like gas flame,
to the point at which it should be just sufi-
cient to keep up the steam. Again, in the
light steam-wagons for roads which will as
suredly, come into use in the course of the
= next ten years, the employment Of petroleum
fuel will probably be an absolute necessity
1t is asserted, as result of the Woolwich ex-
periments, that one ton of petroleum will do
as much work as five tons of coal. But, with
out insisting upon this strong claim, let it be
admitted that petroleum possesses, weight for
weight, only twice the efficient value of coal,
still war steamer using the liquid fuel could
keep her station twice as long without replen-
ishment. as if she were burning coal, OF, she
could chase or run away from an adversary
p twice as far. Moreover, there would be nei-
ther column Of smoke nor prominent smoke
stack to attfact Or alarm the foe The perfec-
ton of stowage which could be obtained with
a liquid fuel is an important point in its favor.
A ship using petroleum as fuel would have
: more room for profitable freight than vessel
of like size which should carry the coal neces-
saryto supply an equal amount Of steam-pow7
er for the same time. aha -, fE.lg.
It will be observed that the question as to
WHcbihcf CetH ever COIue 70 DeH
used as steam fuelis in no sense one which
can be settled by mere comparison of the
relative heating powers ofpetroleum and coal,
as depending upon their chemical composition.
"A discussion of the actual first cost and theo-
retical proportionate value of petroleum and
of coal will not settle the practical question,
Cost not the only consideration affecting the
value and success Of new inventions ana pro-
cesses. Porcelain costs more than pottery !;
8 the plumbing of a modern house is more ex-
pensive than the old welEsweep; lin most places
gas-light costs more than the same amount OF
light from petroleum lamps; yet these things
d are used. ,3o ,9IEIpsbGnl thG!oJ ,e1Go4Gh II -.
4 AqE lin some deahiisl pt m every case
there mustibe considered not only the capaI
city of each fuel to produce steam. but also
the comparative rapidity and ease with which
the result is effected, the amount of waste
; in either case, and multitude of other incl
dental circumstances which have little or no
. connection with the theoretical power, or ey-
zen the first cost Of the two sources of neat
org Many of the arguments for petroleum as
fuel are based upon the easy management
of this fluid, as well as upon the compact ma
ture of the apparatus in which it can be
stored and used. Suckers, firemep. coal-heay-
efs, and passers would disappear with coal, as
would also mass OF dust, dirt, smut and
CRIME. The petroleum would be pumped out
OF tight barges or carts into tight tanks,
whence it would flow through pipes to the fire.
The engine might easily be made to regulate
the supply OF its own fuel-like man, to pro-
portion its food to the work it has to do.