The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-06
OIL AS A FUEL.
The Technical Society,"
Discussions.
w. q. Curtis of the Southern Pacific
Company Replies to an Attack
on the Railroad.

"Calfornia Crude Oil and its Use as Fuep'
was he subject of an interesting paper read at
the meeting of the Technical Society OF the
Pacific Coast last night by A. NJ. Hunt.
Petroleum had established itself as a fuel,
Mr.. Hunt declared. The yield in California
was now $4,000 barrels month. The lighter
oils were used in the production OF gas, the
heavier as substitute for coal. Oil was
brought from the wells in Southern California
to San Francisco in tankcaTs. which made the
freight quite expensive. but the Union OIL Com
pany was preparing 10 construct tank barges
In which to ship the product OF the Ventura oil
fields TO this port.
There were three methods of burning OIL
continued Mr.. Hunt The first was by hearth
fires, method which ought 10 be obsolete; the
second where tile fuel came TO the furnace IN
the form OF gas, and the third where spray
burner Injected the oil into the furnace. The
last method was the one Mr.. Hunt approved, in
which the best result was obtained, he claimed,
by the breaking up and atomizing OF The Oil
necessary 10 combustion. A large number OF
small burners he thought preferable 10 TWO or
three large ones. and pre-heated air served
like useful purpose in combustion.
A series OF tables was presented giving the
comparative value OF oil and coal as fuels from
experiments made at various Eastern points
and at the Midwlnter Fair.
From these lie d 0uced that with coal at Sc a
ton in san Francisco Oil would be worth So 7S
a barrel. The economy OF using Oil was shown
by the lessened cost OF heip as the handling of
coal and ashes was thereby avoided. One
pound of Oil was equal TO two OF coal. The
direct advantage in using petroleum TO produce
steam was that steady temperature could be
more easily obtained. OIL could be used 10 ad-
vantage in the smltnies aDd brass foundries of
The city and where iron was melted in the
cupel or In reverberatory furnaces.
A letter from Patrick Noble to j. w. Grace q
Co. was Teld in commentator OF The use OF
Peruvian Oil.
Robert Dickie of the Union Iron Works de-
clared that III amount OF oil produced In Cali
fornia WAS so limited that the Market-stree
Railway Company for its power-house could
use more than the entire product. Oil would
have TO be much cheaper before il could take
the place OF coal, and the visible supply OF oil
would have TO be greatly increased before it
could become factor III the installation OF
power for large plants
John L. Howard thought that the question
was a geographical one. Welsh anthracite
coal, at 81 ton, lie thought was cheaper
fuel In San Francisco than oil.
w. G. Curtis OF the Southern Pacific Com.
| pany read paper, replying TO one on Trans
| portaton and Its Relation to Production In
| California" presented at previous meeting by
| Mr.. Dunn, in which IL was asserted that over
charges by The railroad were leading cause
! for land monopoly In this Stale aud the cause
| of lack of profit TO the farmers.
| Mr.. Curtis declared that the company had
| been constantly reducing It's charges, and
stated that in 1898, had the tariff of 1880 been
| in force, the cOmpany's receipts would have
been S20.0o0,00o in excess OF what they were.
He declared that the railroad was not respon.
| sible for land monopoly, which lie claimed tC
! be an inheritance from The Spanish and Mexi-
| can regimes, adding that when California W as
| taken from Mexico no less than 8,700,00C
acres of the States soil had been granted t.
| Individuals.
ln speaking of the charge that the company
had not paid its taxes, MIR. Curtis said that IN
| the past fourteen years the company had paid
| In State and county taxes SS,00O,O 900, which
| exceeded by half million dollars its gross re
| ceipts for the same period on its portion of the
haul OF all the green, dried and canned fruits
| Skinned EaSt