The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-04

The Navy Department is preparing FOR a
second test of the torpedo boat Talbot
which was fitted Tn last fall to use pc
troleum for fuel. A test was made sew
eral months ago, and it is said that the
Talbot was given great speed by the use OF
petroleum fuel: but the department is
not thoroughly satisfied with the expert
1nents. and the tests to be made at an
early date are expected TO prove conclu-
siveiy whether oil can be successfully used
ON small craft in place OF coal. The Navy
Department has had many schemes sub
Knitted to il for using petroleum as fuel,
but none of them has as yet given salts
faction enough to warrant its adoption for
general use in the navy.
One of the best schemes said to have
been tried was that of distributing the
oil on the fires by the use of steain the
oil being sprayed through nozzle over a
fire built on the CRATE. The principal OBJ
section to this has been that it requires
so much fresh water to make the steam
that the supply becomes exhausted, and
If salt water is used the boilers soon be-
come salt-encrusted and cannot be oper-
ditional condenser TO convert the salt water
to fresh has been considered but it is said
to add too much weight TO the vessel and TO
take up too much space.
The use OF petroleum in the French and
italian nayies has been a practice for sew
eral years. and prominent italian inyen-
tor submitted plans TO the Navy Depart
ment of this country several years ago
which he claimed had been successfully
was some difference of opinion as to the
sort of boiler which was to be used in the
experiments OF the Italians system. and an
agreement could not be satisfactorily ar
rived at. so the Italians system was never
experimental with The naval experts WAC
favor petroleum claim many advantages
for IL over coal; the principal arguments
used in its favor being the ease with which
it can be taken on board; that it occupies
much less space; that ii is cleaner and
more easily handled: that where several
stokers are now required to attend the
fires aboard a vessel one man could con-
troll the fires in the use of petroleum; that
he would simply be required TO operate the
nozzles distributing the petroleum to the
fire boxes and that the fire can be instantly
extinguished by shutting of the supply of
petroleum. and relighted almost as quickly.
Then there is little dirt about petroleum.
All OIL II Dtlilb NOusulHtu W HItS. lutlt
being no bothersome ashes or clinkers, as
in the use of coal.
Another system of distributing petroleum
on the fires has been tried. and that is by
the use of compressed air. but this system
is said TO have been too noisy.
The present system used on the torpedo
boat Talbot is being concealed by the
Bureau of Steam Engineering of the Navy
Department, and no questions as to the
result of the tests that have been made
are answered. Persons seeking informa
fion on this score are told that the bureau
is not ready to divulge any of its plans
on this matter
From reports received from the Norfolk
navy yard, there appears to be little doubt
but what the Talbot experiments. IL not
perfectly satisfactory, have at least been
made, and it is believed the Talbot will be
permanently fitted out with the apparatus
so as TO give il practical test OF several
months under all sorts OF conditions.
The torpedo boat Porter has been sent /
to- Norfolk, and while no reasons for her /
being assigned there are given, IL is gem 1
orally believed that she will also be fitted |
UP with furnaces and boilers TO be used /
in burning petroleum. The Porter is |
already one OF the fastest boats in the |
service and, II is believed, with the use of |
petroleum several knots can be added to |
her speed. The result of the experiments |
of the Talbot will be watched with con-
siderable interest by naval experts.