The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-20
c. E. FOOte Says That 1t CAM
Supplant Coal.
Has Given Up His Experiments
on This Line.
OTHERS DO BETTER.
Topeka Ice and Fuel COmpan.
Is Satisfied.
Several Big Firms viii Continue
the Tests.

Judge c. E. Foote, who has been pro-
noting the tests Of natural oil as a
fuel in place of slack coal, has given I'D
his hope of supplanting the latter by
shipping crude oil into the CITY. Foote
claims that there is nothing in it and
that though oil at the present prices is
all right as a fuel there is no certainty
that it will stay at that figure. ITO be
plain with you," said Foote today. It
have given up any plans for shipping
oil in here for fuel. I found that
could get plenty of crude oil in the oil
fields at 25a cents per barrel but there
was no way by which I could get to the
railroads to ship after I had the oil
Furthermore found that I could not
contract with the producers for any
length of time, that they would only sell
the oil already in tanks and pumped for
that price and that they refused to con-
tract for any deliveries in the future at
a low definite figure. 1t is this way,
they don't know what action the Stand
ard Oil company may take next, it
may be that the Oil will be boosted
way up. Ihey are not going to take
any chances. There are a number of
things to deal with in this proposition.
The insurance men are mighty stringent
when any oil is around. In order to use
OIL you must have tanks, storage capac-
1ty ana this means expense. This viii
ates your insurance unless you comply
very strictly with the insurance COM
pany's terms. You must have heavy
steel tanks, buried in the ground and
zoo feet from your building At the
present prices oil is about the equal of
coal but prices will go up for oil, and
then there you are.
In certain instances oil can be used
all right In Kansas City for example
where the Standard Oil company has a
refinery they can sell oil, distillate at
30 cents per barrel for fuel, and also
down in the oil districts. In Kansas
City the Cudahy company is going to
use oil. In big plants it means a saw
ing as the primary advantage of oil as
a fuel after all is in the cutting down
OF the number of men in the boiler
room.
In this particular, it means a saving
for it takes but a few employees to take
care of a boiler room with oil as fuel.
As far as oil burners are concerned,
one burner is as good as another.
find that just the common, gas pipe
with a steam jet to atomize the oil is
as good as any patent burner
Judge Foote has been utilizing a new
patent burner in his tests in the city,
and it is stated by some Of those who
are interested that the burner failed to
give satisfaction and that it is not as
good as others in the market. This
may have had something to do with
Foote'S opinion.
The Topeka Ice and Cold Storage
Company have been using the Tate
Jones burner, manufactured in Pitts
burg. Pa, and Richard Hodgins of the
Topeka Ice and Cold Storage company
claims that the burner is giving more
than satisfaction. They intend to use
the oil burner right along and viii con-
tinue to use crude oil to the exclusion
of coal. Tests which have been con-
Quoted at the plant show that five gall
Ions of oil produce 20 pounds of water
evaporated, willie 100 pounds of coal
Slack coal at S2.10 ton and oil at two
cents gallon, are the comparative
prices paid for the two fuels. 1t costs
therefore, about ten cents on a basis of
oil to give 20 pounds of evaporated
water while to. produce IS pounds costs
the same. for coal. The matter of
cleanliness and less help in the boiler
room, offsets, Mr.. Hodgins claims, the
extra cost of tankage for holding the
oil They have secured a years con-
tract with F. H. Standard of Humboldt
Kansas, an independent producer, at
close to IS cents per barrel, f. o. b., To-
peka.
w. T. Pulliam, the engineer in charge
at the Topeka Cold Storage plant, is
more than pleased with the experiment
and considers it an ideal fuel The cost
Of tanks of about 500 gallon capacity,
he estimates at $500; this is sufficient
in a plant of that size. to furnish fuel
for close to twenty days.
Other manufacturing plants IN the
city, notably the Wolff Packing COM
pany. are still conducting experiments
by the Topeka Cold Storage Company.