The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-09-20
Coal Famine Makes Deal
erS in Substitutes
Buster Than Ever,
STANDARD OIL SALES GAIN
Burners Placed IN Ordinary Stoves and
Ranges Give Plenty OF Heat at Low
ost-Manufacturers Find New Fuel
Cheap-0il on Ships.

Owing to the coal famine. the local
trade in oil, oil stoves, and gas stoves
is greater this year than ever before.
People are not buying new coal ranges
to any great extent, because 1t is next
TO impossible to secure coal to burn in
them.
The local oil dealers report a great
increase in sales of oil for fuel pur-
poses It is not so much noticed at
present as it viii be later. they say.
The sales of the Standard Oil Company
have increased about ) per cent dur
ing the last four months. and the COM
pany confidently looks for much larger
increase when the cold weather comes
on. At the Office of the Standard Oil
Company from % to 80 telephone calls
are received every day, asking for in
formation regarding stoves and appli-
Hnces of all kinds in which oil may be
burned as fuel.
No Increase in Gas Consumption Yet.
The Washington Gas Company. officials
report that the coal famine has not af-
fected the amount OF gas used yet TO
any perceptibIe extent What effect it
viii have when the colder weather be
gins they do not care TO prOgnosticate.
The stove and furnace dealers say also
that the demand for oil stoves greatly
exceeds that for gas stoves
A number of different brands of oil
stoves are on the market. Several spe-
cies Of hydTocaTbon burner have become
very popular. While the varieties diff
fer in son : respects. they are mostly
built on he same general principles.
One kind which seems 10 be having q
great sale in town is a simple iron ap-
paratus but little more than two feet
long, which may be set IN the fire box
of any stove or range From a small oil
tank fastened on the wall kerosene Is
fed through a tube into the burner on
the inside Of the stove
Oil In Coal Stoves and Ranges.
The oil passes through an iron coil
and a retort, where It is vaporized. and
the combustion Of the gas takes place
IN little cups The flow is steady. and
the flame, which results Is a clear blue
flame. In this manner oil may be used
for fuel purposes as readily as coal and
there is no dirt, dust, ashes, or debris Of
any kind. It is claimed that it costs
about I cent an hour 10 keep this fame
burning steadily
As there are no large manufacturing
plants in Washington, the citizens CT the
Capital City have not been called OF 10
solve the problem OF using oil in place
OF coal in large plants
Oil IN Manufacturing Plants.
In number Of large plants through
out the country. however, oil is being
used almost entirely il place Of coal
The oil costs about ~ cents a gallon,
and is estimated to be cheaper than coal
in many instances. There are so many
advantages III the use OF oil that many
of the concerns are not thinking OF
changing back 20 coal again. when the
price Of the latter commodity once more
gets back 10 normal
A number Of steamships have -,een
equipped with oil burning apparatus. and
the boilers OF many more are being
equipped with it. Il IS claimed that win
oil, much more even heat can be main
tanned than with coal For certain kinds
OF s-eei and iron work this IS II IN
menSe advantage