Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-13
OIL USED AS FUEL.
Less Troublesome and Much Cheaper
Than Coal or Coke.

Than Coal or Coke.
An editorial in a recent issue of
Cincinnati paper urges the manufac-
turers of Cincinnati to consider the
question of using crude petroleum as
fuel. Investigation shows that Gin
cinnati is behind many other cities in
the use of the liquid fuel which is
found in such abundance in Ohio and
within such easy access of that city.
Cleveland manufacturers use the
Lima oil extensively as fuel, and are
even experimenting with good results
in the direction of converting it into a
gas for fuel purposes. Chicago is
using 10000 barrels day of the new
fuel. Even the town of Hamilton,
Ohio, has made more progress in this
direction than Cincinnati. A gentle
man just returned from Hamilton says
the number of oil cars he saw on the
sidings led him to make some investi-
cations. He found large -four mill
which is running three 100-horse power
boilers with Lima oil as fuel. These
boilers required nine tons of coal for
twenty-four hours run, at two dollars
ton, making eighteen dollars day.
The same boilers are run with
twenty-eight barrels of oil, costing fifty
cents barrel at Hamilton, a total Of
fourteen dollars. Two stokers and coal
shovelers were dispensed with, making
saving of three dollars day for labor.
The saving in shovels, wheelbarrows,
CRATE bars, etc. for this establishment
is estimated by the proprietors at two
dollars day, making the total daily
expense of oil fourteen dollars, against
twenty-three dollars for coal. The oil
is said to furnish one-third more power
than the coal, with less wear and tear
on the boilers. At other factories in
Hamilton, boilers are run with gas
made from Lima oil.
Nearly every town of any conse-
quence in Ohio uses more or less Lima
oil as fuel. In Harrisburgh, Pa,
firm that has a contract with the Gov
eminent for furnishing steel for steel
clad ships uses gas from Lima oil for
melting steel billets. This firm states
that they are able to melt a ton of steel
billets from gas made from three gal
Ions of oil, and regard it as one of the
most important discoveries of the age
for the manufacture of steel. There
are fifty of these gas plants now in
operation, and one is being erected at
Johnstown, Pa. Business men who are
watching the progress of liquid fuel
believe that within a year $50, 900 bar
rels day will be used for this pur-
pose.
The Lima Oil Company is composed
of Ohio oil producers, and is entirely
outside of the Standard Oil Company,
has 200 cars of its own. and every one
of the number is kept busy day and
night. This company has made con-
tracts to furnish oil in Hamilton. Ohio.
for two years at fifty cents a barrel.
The amount of this oil that is being
produced in Ohio is much greater than
the public generally supposes.
The total output of the wells is not
under LOCO, 900 barrels month. When
the actual guages show less produc-
ton it is when the large wells are shut
in and not allowed to yield up their
full capacity. The Standard Oil Com
pany pays the producers fifteen cents
barrel for the oil at the wells, and the
fact that they have now 100000
barrels in tanks in the reUiOn is evil
dence that they believe in its future.
The tanks in which the oil is stored are
taken down and removed from the
Pennsylvania fields where so much
tankage is no longer needed. The oil
is now being used for fuel purposes in
twelve States and Territories and it is
not unlikely to ultimately take the
place of coal for manufacturing pur-
poses, except in the vicinity of coal
mines.-St. LOUIS Globe Democrat.