The Opelousas courier., 1903-06-20
OIL FUEL IN LOCOMOTIVES.
Western Railroad Men Say It's as Safe
as Coal, Maybe Safer.

as Coal, Maybe Safer.
Some people have thought that crude
oil should be prohibited in it's use as
fuel on locomotives because Of the
danger of explosion and easy ignition
in case Of collision or other serious
mishap. The recent cycle of accidents
throughout the country, particularly
in the West, where everybody is quite
familiar with petroleum, has seemed
to accentuate the feeling against oil
burning locomotives. In n or two
instances serious damage from fire has
resulted, and reports have made it ap-
pear that, Immediately after the crash,
burning oil was quickly hurled over
the wreck and fiendish flames soon
wrought complete destruction.
Experts have been discussing the
danger of oil on locomotives lately,
and their conclusions are ito the eff
feet that such fuel is not only not more
dangerous than coal, but often much
less so.
Said a prominent Southern Pacific
official of the operating department
recently: 81 am not talking to be
quoted in the public prints, because
the subject is somewhat technical and
a trife out of my line, but I do not
hesitate for a moment in saying that
the danger from oil as fuel on our loco
motives is at a minimum, and that coal
Is no safer. IN fact, when emergency
arises, the engineer or fireman can
quickly turn a valve and instantly
put out the roaring flames in the fire
box; whereas in the cas- Of coal, there
Is always a bed of red-hot Goals ready
to make any accident a dreadful holo-
caust. OF course, the same thing, might
happen with oil under the proper con-
ditions, if the flow were not stopped
and the flames could be fed from a
bursted tank.
Even then it might more often hap
pen that the cold petroleum would ex
tinguish the fire. Crude oil itself is not
an explosive; when vaporized it will
burn, but to vaporize it in the open is
a difficult matter. Pour crude oil over
a lighted torch, and the effect will be
the same af if water had been used;
plunge a lighted torch into a tank OF
crude oil, and the flame will go out i4gI
stantly; no explosion will ensue; the
fame goes out because the Oil is OF
such consistency that it is with diff
Guilty vaporized, while it can burn on
ly in that condition.
Before the Southern Pacific decided
to abandon coal on its engines, some
interesting experiments were made in
Los Angeles at the istance OF General
Manager Kruttschnitt, who at first
seemed fearful of imminent danger
from the use of oil. These experiments.
however, convinced him that the new
fuel vas in no way an extra hazard to
life or property.
.'Of course, in a head-on collision,
when two mammoth engines plunge
into each other at terrific speed, they
are quickly demolished, together with
their tenders and everything else,
while necessarily Oil would be hurled
in every direction-but seldom burning
oil and, If fire broke out, the Oil
would very easily burn along with the
inf1amable debris. But there is the pos
sibility of killing the fame in the fire.
box that does not exist when coal is
burned"
At this juncture it Is interesting to
know that an Arizona mechanic is re-
ported to be in Los Angeles at the
present time working on a device de-
signed to stop the flow of oil in an en-
CINE automatically upon the least dis
turbance indicating serious complica-
lions. Such an invention is greatly de-
sired by both railroads and travelling
public.-Los Angeles Times.