The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-28
LIQUID FUEL.
The Experiments to lie Made on the Tor
pedo Boat Talbot.

LfOUID FUEL.
The Experiments to lie Made ON the Tor
pedo Boat Talbot.
THE Sun has announced that the p~ractIca-
bility OF using liquid fuel on naval vessels Is to
be tested on the torpedo boat Talbot. which
will come from Norfolk to New York. where a
year will be spent In conducting practical trials
with different inventions for using petroleum
as fuel. 1t Is easy to see that IL petroleum may
be satisfactorily employed az fuel its use on
torpedo boats will be especially advantageous
1t is particularly desirable on torpedo boats
that their proximity should not be revealed by
the sight or the smell of smoke. When com bus
ton is perfect on vessels or locomotive engines
using petroleum fuel there is not a trace
OF smoke. 1t would also be a great
advantage to cruisers or other war ves-
sells that are shadowing a hostile fleet
to employ a fuel that would not betray their
presence. for smoke gives ample warning be-
fore the vessels from which II issues come into
view. The great advantages asserted for liquid
fuel are the absence Of smoke and the large
economy effected in the storage OF oil as COM
pared with GOAL. and these advantages are most
desirable on warships. 1t has been found that
a much longer duration of supply may be OBJ
tained from a given space slowed with petro-
leum than from the same space slowed with
coal. and also that a ton Of oil will do as much
work as two and II half tons OF coal. There
seemst to be no doubt OF the superiority Of PEE
troleum over coal as n motive power for en-
gines. provided that 1t may be applied ade-
quately and without waste OF its utility.
There is nothing new about the use Of LIQUID
fuel on locomotives. This fuel has long driven
the trains on the Trans-Caspian Railroad, and
II is also In use on the Trans-Siberian. Oil
burning locomotives are in common use in
Southern California aud they are fed from the
petroleum deposits that are worked at Los An
geles. Some Of the locomotives on the railroad
from Beira. East Africa. to Salisbury. Mashon-
aland. which was completed only a few weeks
ago. use oil fuel. All trains passing through
the Arlberg tunnel in the Alps. six
miles long and connecting the Swiss and Aus
trian railroad systems. now avoid smoke by
using petroleum. 1t il also used to some en-
tent on the underground service in London.
on the Paris suburban trains and most OF the
express trains Of the Great Eastern Railroad
OF England in spite of the fact that 1t is more
expensive than coal. 1t has been introduced
also with success in some Lancashire mills.
Sir Marcus Samuel. who is said to be still the
only exporter Of oil in bulk through the Suez
Canal. has the greatest confidence In the future
OF liquid fuel. and believes that it will not only
come into common use on locomotives and
steamers. but also that it will be employed for
fuel in smelters. as the intense heat that 1t Ia
capable Of generating reduces the most stub
born ores. In a paper which he read recently
before the Society Of Arts he said that a loco
motive burning oil will maintain the same
head OF steam up the steepest gradients. but
the same feat cannot be accomplished with
coal. where the mere firing OF the boiler with
fuel serves to damp the furnace.
The Investigations to be carried out here
and those that are In progress abroad are not
for the purpose OF ascertaining the value Of
liquid fuel. for that has been demonstrated
but TO test the utility OF the various inventions
for applying 1t. There are a NUN Der OF these
inventions and methods. Sir Marcus said in
his paper: A vast field Is open for the inge-
nuity of engineers in devising other methods
for the utilization of oil. In fact. almost daily
discoveries are being made Of means by which
liquid fuel may be utilized to greater advan-
tage than any yet discovered. and 1t would sur
prise me very much II. with practice. the meth
DDS employed do not continually improve
Turning from the subject Of liquid fuel. 1t is
interesting to refer to the facts mentioned by
Sir Marcus. showing the prejudice that for
merly existed against the transportation OF oil
in bulk. due largely to the common belief that
it was a very dangerous business. A part OF
the opposition. however. was offered by com
petinH carriers, VINO were aRainsttnel INTRODUCE
tion OF tank steamers. 1t was some years be-
fore steamers carrying oil In bulk were
allowed to pass through the Suez Canal
at all. ard there was not Il port where
obstacles were not raised when any attempt
was made to introduce oil In bulk. Special
regulations were devised to control what was
called an extra hazardous business. and yet In
the seven years during which Sir Marcus has
been engaged in carrying oil in bulk not an
accident has occurred. The Government would
not permit tanks to be erected on the island OF
Singapore but compelled the company to dis
charge its carRoes on the neighboring. island
Of Freshwater. More liberal ideas are now
entertained. At Bombay. where permission
to land the oil was not given until two years
ago. the tanks are now placed right among the
shipping and the oil is pumped into tank cars
that are run alongside. and thus petroleum is
sent to all parts Of India.