The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-07-10
HONOLULU, h. T., July 10. 1901
OIL AS A CHEAP FUEL.

That oil viii dIsplaee coal as fuel
IN Hawaii. as il Is doing in California
and Texas. seems certain. Oil Is
cheaper and cleaner than coal The
Republican has several times. recently.
called attention to the wonderful
growth 90 the use Of oil as fuel
throughout the world. In the July
number Of the Cosmopolitan Magazine
Is an article on the great Texas oil
fields. In which the comparative cost
Of oil and coal as fuel is well Illus
trated- This article says tnat the gen
crafty OF the oil produced in Texas
and California is most valuable as
fuel. and as such Il is superior to coal
in that Il can be more easily. and
therefore economically. transported
and fed to the furnace; bulk for bulk
it has a greater caloric value. and it is
cheaper.
An experiment undertaken some two
years ago In California by the Santa
Fe Company demonstrated that one
ton OF coal would carry certain train
Of cars 26.7 miles. while a little more
than a ton OF oil-2.o16 pounds car
ried the same train over the same
track 1916 miles. gain OF a per cent
The coal cost $3.50 a ton and the oil
cost only $3.50. a gain OF per cent.
This was when the oil cost sl15 a
barrel. twice what il may be expected
20 cost when the Texas supply can be
fully drawn on. The Santa Fe Com
pany thereEpon began converting its
locomotives TO oil-burners as rapidly
As a sufficient supply OF oil could be
guaranteed. and IT now has $50 oil
burning engines
Experiments made at sea tell the
same story. The steamer Assyrian
demonstrated TO the satisfaction OF her
owners that the cost OF petroleum is
Is per cent less per horse power than
that OF coal This would mean an
enormous saving to the ocean grey
hounds such as the Deutschland.
which burns $50 tons OF coal a day.
And the greater economy OF space in
which the liquid fuel may be stored
would allow either more space for
freight and passengers or a notable in
crease in the ships radius Of effici.
ency." The Cowrie recently ran $3.50
miles on 74S cubic feet OF oil, using
p tons daily. whereas TO cover the
same distance she would have needed
1875 cubic feet OF coal burned at the
rate OF 80 tons a day. The bnnkers OF
the Paris and Deutschland contain 3
see and $500 tons Of coal respectively.
II they used petroleum it would be at
a saving Of 50 per cent in weight and
OF 50 per cent in space. Indeed. the
advantages OF petroleum as a fuel for
steam vessels appear to be so great
that experiments are now in progress
in the United States and abroad with 3
view 10 its adoption by our own and
European navies. aud the effect of the
Beaumont discoveries viii be to hasten
Investigation in this direction.
Where power is needed for indus
trial and manufacturing purposes in
San francisco. petroleum is already
rapidly displacing coal The Union
Iron Works, the great Pacific coast
shiRaris that have successfully com.
peted with the Cramps in getting gov.
eminent contracts for armored cruis-
ers. new consume coco barrels OF pc
troleum in their furnaces every work.
ing day. and the Market Street Rail
way Company. which has almost a mo.
EopOly Of the electric and cable street
cars Of san Francisco. has recently
converted its furnaces into oii-burners.
Other industries are adopting similar
economical measures, and there ap-
pears TO BE no reason TO doubt that.
with an abundance Of this cheap fuel,
California and Texas viii soon in.
erase their manufactures greatly. In.
deed. the oil output OF the United
States. which has been an important
factor in the growing volume Of Amer
lean exports, viii now vastly exceed
that Of al the rest Of the world; and
the Industries whose scope the new
fuel win expand win establish yet
more firmly our position as the fore
most commercial power and confirm
New Yorks right 10 be ranked as the
business center OF the world.
Consul General ouensher. Of Frank