The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-13
! NEWS OF THE WATERFRONT. 5
OIL FUEL
IN USE ON
STEAMERS

coal as fuel for steam vessels. The
steamer Pecta of the Shell Transport
Company has made a successful trip
Mr. Melrose of the the United States
Navy Department predicts the use Of
oil in the near future as fuel for war
vessels. They might have gone farther
and told of the remarkable conditions
now existing on the Pacific Coast of
the United States.
There fuel oil has long passed the
experimental stage. Over fifty steam
ers now sail from the port of San Fran
cisco with oil for fuel. The Mariposa
has just returned from Tahiti, re-
turn trip of 1900 miles, under steam
generated exclusively by oil. Pressure
and speed were easily maintained, and
she reached port one day ahead of her
schedule. Her fuel cost just half as
much as coal: there was no expense
for painting ship, such as is necessary
when coal is used.
Particularly interesting is the opin-
ion of Lieutenant Winchell, who has
reported On the voyage for the United
States Government, as to the character
of man that should be employed in the
fire rooms where there is an oil fuel
installation. 1t neither requires phys
zeal endurance nor previous training
with coal fire. The men placed in
charge of the contrivance, however,
should have mechanical aptitude, and
possess readiness of resource and
nerve.
The sense of sight, hearing and
touch must be exercised at ali times,
since it is essential to keep a good
lookout on the furnace to note by the
sound the working of the blowers and
the completeness of combustion, and to
check by the sense of touch the work
ings of mechanical contrivances. Il
fewer men are needed in the fire rooms
it is requisite to secure men of high
intelligence, who can judge quickly as
to the tendency toward impairment.
THE MONEY SAVED.
Less space was occupied, the fixed
charges for labor were greatly reduced,
the feeding of the fuel took less time
and cost less. In fact, no disadvant-
ages were discovered, and the advant-
ages were manifold. It is estimated
that on one troopship making the trip
from San Francisco to Manila and re-
turn the saving of fuel through the
use Of oil has been at least 6 5000 for
/ every such voyage.
| The result of the lack of demand for
coal is remarkable. In San Francisco
harbor alone fully G600,000 worth of
! capital in ships has been forced into
idleness. Shipowners and shippers no
longer find it profitable to voyage to
Japan and Australia and return to San
Francisco, awaiting cargoes of grain to
Europe. The competition in carrying
! the small imports of caol has been Sc
keen and the freight rates are now sc
low that the ship oyners prefer to have
their vessels idly ride the becalmeG
waters of the bay rather than take the
chance of obtaining valuable cargoes in
foreign ports. One of the benefits is
that grain importers of California can
obtain low rates to Europe The yes
sells engaged in carrying coal are usu-
ally designed also for the grain trade
to Europe As this coal trade is gone
there is only one source of revenue left
and that is the grain trade. Here
again, competition has entered, and as
a result, there are now low rates OIL
grain to European ports.
GOLFERS OUT OF WORK.
Twenty-three shillings is the presen
low price for grain charter from
San Francisco to Great Britain or tn,
continent. The use of fuel Oil has pu
the Golfers out of business, and in turf
they have sought operations in othel
channels.
The rapid increase in the shipping
facilities of the world, due in grea
part TO the artificial demands for trans
portation growing out of the Sout!
African and Spanish wars, has induced
reduction in ocean freight rates 70
cargoes in bulk, and to that exten
favored the farmers and producers, i
not the manufacturers. This favorabl
situation is accidental When MI
Morgan and his associates shall hay
completed thir transportation arrenge
4 ments, an oil-burning equipment TO
every vessel De1ng projected part o
the plan, the tramp steamer will b
out of the running.
In connection with this oil question
the Standard Oil Company has grea
fight on its hands in California TIL
trouble lies between the Standard pee
pie and a big oil and transportatio
J company.
The Standard Oil people are buildin
pipe line 200 miles long from tn
great oil fields in Kern county to It'd
water in San Francisco Bay. TIL
Standard Oil people will use this pip
line for the transportation of oil fro1
= wells acquired by the corporation.
will carry oil for producers. The rat
of transportation to producers will cor
form to that of the railway companie
connecting with the oil-field, as tn
Standard Oil and the Southern Pacif
and the Santa Fe Railway Companie
are working under tariff agreement
z. CHEAP OIL.
A big California corporation, whic
- owns some of the best wells in the di;
trict and owns coast line OF steamer
}. engaged in the oil carrying trade. ha
surveyed a direct route from the oi
field to the ocean, and has agreed thu