The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-03-28
new RECORD
FOR AN OIL
BURNER

New York. March 2s.--rn the white dress
she wears In the perennial balm OF Pa
cino ports the American Hawaiian
steamship Nebraskan slipped into quar-
antine yesterday after voyage OF i2,7N
nautical miles from San Diego Call
steaming all the way under power gener-
ated by crude California oil.
She has been using this sort of fuel un-
der her boilers for the last Is months In
trips between San Francisco and Homo
lulu. a distance Of 200 miles. which she
covered In seven and a half days.
But this is the first time that she has
gone half around the world using oil only.
and she thus establishes a record as a
LIQUID fuel burner that is SO interesting
that several naval experts will 20 aboard
her today look her plant over and report
on the matter 10 the navy department
Russia has seriously undertaken the
burning OF crude oil I'm a large part OF her
fleet In the Baltic. She has at the scene
OF war two tr.ple-sorew armored cruisers
equipped 70 burn oil. and her damaged
protected cruiser, the Palfadar. alSo can
run under liquid fuel.
The Nebraskan looks and smells as
sweet as any big twin-screw freighter
that ever has been In this or any other
port. She had me advantage OF other
ships that make the trip through two
oceans I'm not being compelled to tarry at
eevarsl ports on the long way to take on
back. Her time was 81 days. hours and
q minutes. made at an average speed OF
1898 knots
That is fine average for the distance
and much better than her sister ship,
the Nevadan, made when she sailed for
the Pacific, using coal only. The Nava-
dams time was So days, including stops
for coal. The voyage OF the Nebraskan
for San Francisco With coal was longer
than that OF the Nevsdan. In going west
ward the currents and winds favor the
ing equipment at San Francisco.
On her trip hither the Nsbraskan.
Arenas, in the straits OF Magellan. burn
ed $500 barrels OF oil. Her oil-carrying
capacity is l050o barrels. Most OF this IL
stored between the double bottoms OF the
ship IN what are called the reserve bunk
ers; tho rest Is stored I'm the main tank.
extending from the bottom OF the ship
10 the main deck.
From the main tank the oil IL pumped
90 the injection tubes and sprayed on
the CRATES. The ship mas no oil left in
her reserve tanks, but has 700 barrels
Some sailorrnen may object To a berth
In the Nebrasksn because they cannot
exercise aboard her the traditional pr1v-
lege OF the old-tine tar OF smoking Any
will be discharged Immediately.
The Nebraskan IL the first oil-burning
ship that has gone through the Straits
OF Magellan. and she probably has made
the trip from the Pacific at less than half
what IL cost freighter OF her tonnage
before. Her three furnace men. who
correspond to the stokers In a coal burn
ing ship. do the work OF u stokers,
They get better pay. being Of a higher
order Of intelligence. They attend 10
auxiliary engines that run the blowers
and pump the oil from the main tank,
The engine room force, In other respects:
does not differ materially from. that Of
the ordinary freight steamship. The
furnace men work in four-hour shifts.
and their duties are pleasanter and not
so hard as those OF ordinary stokers.