The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-30
FOUR MAUI PLANTATIONS MAKE
CONTRACTS.
c L. ArIues of the United Oil Pro-
ducers Talks of the Uses and Econo-
mic Value Of the New Fuel.

Z. Il. Argues. manager of the sales
department of the United Oil Producers
of California is now in the city repre-
senting the interests of that organlza-
tion in neiation to the proposed changes
from coal 90 oil as a fuel by the plant
ers, railroads and general manufacture
ing interests of the Hawaiian islands
Regarding the articles that have ap-
| peared in the Pacific Coast trade pa
pers, Mr. Argues states that a contract
with four Maui plantations ;yas prac-
! tically closed when the Sonoma left
san Francisco.
| IL. A. Thurston is now concluding the
details of price, supply and transporta-
| ton with the United Oil Producers.
He will return by earliest steamer.
IhurstOn mas personally inspected the
wells and sources of supply as the inn
pending contracts being necessarily
heavy ones. the assurance of continual
and ample production is a vital part
| of the proposed change.
I'm the meantime b. f. Dillingham;
and Company are the accredited agents
of the United Oil Producers in these
! Islands and through them will be han
died the oil contracted. The product
will be brought down in tank steamers
| capable of holding some $50, 900 Gallons
of the fluid and stored in tanks along
the water front whence it would be
I
! tank cars, to the city in tank WAGONS
and shipped to the other islands by
steamer in tanks or barrels. These
i tanks are built on a framework that
enables the oil to be flowed into the
tank receDtacles by gravity.
| THE advantages of oil over coal, as
applied to the boilers on the planta-
tions for example, are to be found. not
| only in the actual saving of eXpediture
! a mt hnf
in the resulting clean tlues, non-open-
ing of furnace doors when stoking.
and consequent fluctuation of heat.
! Labor is also thus saved. The oil is
supplied directly to the burners by
means of an automatically working
feed pump. or in the case of a locomo-
tive is fed from the oil tenders by
! gravity. The boilers are left intact,
a burner with fire brick surroundings
being attached.
1T is calculated to keep the supply of
oil needed six months ahead of the de-
mand, new tankage capacity being
addedfrom time to time as the demand
increases.
1.-The oil used is not by any means the
inflamable substance that it is gener-
/ ally supposed to be. The fash point
directly ignitable. 1t has to be mixed
with a steam jet before va that will
ignite spontaneously is given off. AS an
example a burning redwood brand
plunged Ito a tub of the oil will be as
instanteously and thoroughly quenched
as if it haC been thrown into the same
amount of water.
"The specific gravity in an average
| climate of CO. Fahrenheit is 15o which
would be raised in the mean tempera-
ture of these islands, reckoning that to
| be So to 10 degrees.
I'm hotels and institutions on the
mainland that have substituted the use
of the fluid for the solid mineral the
tanks have been permitted without
| question to be maintained in the base
ment of the premises, u. S. Inspector
John Birmingham allowing the tanks
to be placed in the hold of the vessels
using the fuel as motive power. In
surance risks are not appreciably af-
| fected by the storage of the oil.
"A considerable impetus has been
| given to the use of oil in the Pacific
Coast shipping industry, vessels being
built that will use the product instead
of coal, for the mercantile trade.
| with the same motive power the
bunker capacity is lessened about one
half a fact that is appreciable in any
! line. In the case of the new fuel be-
| ing applied to battleship, the difficulties
of coaling at sea would be done away
! with, as the piping conveying the oil
could be buoyed in the sea, and, in
case of too heavy waves interfering a
judicious application of the fuel itself
would calm the rollers into an avail
able condition.
"Some idea of the saving effected NAV
be gathered from the results attained
by the Pacific Portland Cement Com
pany, who after making contracts with
the United Producers were justified in
| view of the amount to be saved, in
erecting new works at Sassoon, Cal,
costing two millions of dollars. The oil
is used in the burning of the rock. Con-
siderable reduction in the production OF
! lime could be also brought about in the
same manner. The contract made with
the Cement Company is thus far the
largest contract closed on the coast in
erecting new works at Suisen, Cal.
the interests of the new industry. The
oil is also highly valuable as creosote
preserVative. for timber"
Mr.. Argues also spoke strongly in
favor of his product for use in sprink-
ling the roads, the oil being very effec-
tive in laying the dust and acting as a
i preservative of the surface against wet
weather. A machine specially designed
| for the "TrDose. rakes over the surface,
sprinkling the oil and again covering II
! with dust. A roller follows and tho
, roughly mingles the two.