The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-27
No Reason Why Navy Should
Not Use It.
j. H. eLoEpEL's STATISTICS.
He Answers 4. h. Gaines Argument
In Favor OF COm0x PrOduct-Fieet
of Eleven tinted states Vessels
lsed 3.Otbo Tons of Hlue Canyon
Coal in Is3a-Iests Conclusive.
New Whatcom. June "A. 1895.


To the Editor: Tire readers OF your val
/ liable paper who read Mr.. r. r. Games
/ communication in your issue of the Ath
/ inst. defending the government in its re-
cent purchase Of Conox coal should I'M
: derstand the an!mus Of tina, defense. Mr..
! Calne omitted to state that he is the Pu-
| get sound agent for the Comox co.liery,
and further, that for every ton the gov
! eminent buys there is two dollars In it
| for Mr. Game.
| Answering his argument statement for
! statement. the writer begs to say: First
! Contrary TO Mr. Gaines statement. Aneri-
/ can coal was used in the navy during the
! last four years. A fleet OF eleven United
States vessels used 800 tons of Blue Can
/ yon, Franklin and Black Diamond Goals
! IN 1894 The Monterey used so tons OF
. Blue Canyon for sea cruising between Pu-
| get sound and San Francisco. More Amer
| lean coal was used on United States yes-
sells in 1855 ard 1896. notably the Ben
nington and Philadelphia, the latter using
Rosiyn on a cruise. Mr. Gaines steamer.
| Rapid Transit, supplied the Monterey and
Bennington with coal from, the Blue Can
yon mines. and as recently as last March
the government ordered 1900 tons of Blue
Canyon coal for Alaska. but, owing 10 the
war, subsequently, Cancelled the contract.
During this time some ComoX coal was
also used by vessels in target practice off
Por: Angeles and by the Oregon. but by
no means exclusively, as Mr.. Gaines ar
tcle would indicate.
Second-Engine and fire rooms OF war
ships are designed with a View of the
highest mechanical perfection. just as are
those of any first-class type OF ocean
going steamships. Cruising in foreign va
ters they must of necessity be adapted
TO burning all kinds of coal. and any ar
| guments that warships must have a GER
| tain kind of coal (which seems to be the
| pet theory OF certain foreign coal agents.
| Is stuff and nonsense. Maximum OF eff
| cheney with minimum of coal consumption
| ara the vital points. This is essential in
a merchant ship as well as In a naval YES
| sci. and in the former more American
| coal. notably Franklin. and Black Dia-
| mond has been used on the Pacific than
| was ever mined at Comox. Mr.. Games
| argument that Comox Is so vastly superior
| TO American coal is evidently discredited
| by the shrewd owners OF coastwise and
| transpacific liners.
| Thtrd-Mr. Game states that. based on
| the navy departments own tests, Comox
/ Is the best obtainable here, Fer the in
I formation of the reader the writer gives
| below tho tests III question These are
repotted complete 10 1897 in a pamphlet
! issued by the navy department, entitled
| 'Renorts OF the Efficiency OF Various
| Goals Used by United States Ships" and
/ TO which Mr. Game is respectfully re-
ferred
The United States ship Yorktown and
| the United States ship Mohican both made
! exhaustive tests Of Puget sound and Brit
! ish Columbia Goals. all of which were duly
| reported In the Post-fnte.'igencer from
/ time to time as they occurred. and both
/ declared empnaiicany In favor Of the
/ American article. Coal tests are made I'M
| der as nearly similar conditions for all
/ Goals as possible TO ind out how much
! coal II takes 10 maintain one horse power
/ for one hour III ships engines.
| The York;own's tests:
! Blue Canyon used us pounds per horse
/ power per hour.
Comox used 10 pounds per horse power
| Per hour.
Back Diamond used $50 pounds per
| horse power per hour.
| Now. take for example 100 tons each Of
A.us e1i.S VII ".'u 80, 80 - 9
y" I'1'''s' 49, - - =. - = 81
..4'S q" an ~ p,., I,,,,,-
90 - - =, a
se11'S' 80 '.' = "I''I y - = t'l.''tn
say. \ lo-knot speed Blue Canyon would
/ last g. hours longer Than Comox. or the
- -, ' ''' 49, ''''' ''' ''''
"a 80.
- =, - :" =, ,--
i-t-'r So ~ '7tA 90 40~''''N i's' 800 80
49, ~ ,
".i'"N "H''4 So ''0-4''''s 80 ''''se po"F'
-. nom.
= TAI; IL t.sta 81 sstif.NtS per h2FSF pow