Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-28

IN reply To inquiries from the nlted
States Consul General Robert f.
Skinner of MarseiIe furnishes the
IL following information relative to the
status of alcohol and gasoline as
POWER producers in France and the efforts
which have been made toward the general
use of the former:
Real and rapid progress has been made
in overcoming past objections to the us :
of alcohol. and when the price of dena-
tured alcohol is somewhat lower than
the price of gasoline it can be substituted
for the latter. both for automObiinG and
general power purposes. Former reports
showed that the high cost OF alcohol. eX-
cesSive consumption and the resulting OK
idation of mechanical parts had not been
countcrbalanced by any disCoverable adj
vantages. How seriously these problems
have been attacked may De Judged from
the expression of an informant-perhaps
the most important French nanufa cturer
of CarburetOrS-who writes under date o.:
March ~. 1!t'S:
= We esteem the question of the indus
trial use of the alcohol motor as definitely
resolved. and the c;rburetors created in
view of this utilization have given salts
IA tory results. The use of alcohol Will
become more advantageous when an I'M
derstanding is brought about between the
IitiuNtS "Aiti'bN IA N'S Stliii obbdlH soiit
tixity and when the state shall have
solved the question of the denaturins
agent
If ingenuity has mastered the material
difficulties in the way of substituting al
cohOl for gasoline. commercially the prob
lem is almost as insolvable as ever; and
II it is insOlVa BILE in France. where gaSo-
line is dear and alcohol relatively cheap,
it must he still more so in the United
States. where gasoline is cheap and aIco-
NoX los yx-T.i
ria! available for the manufacture of al
cohol in every country under the sum- and
with very few neutrality-suspicious. CEN
ters, 1t is hardly venturing too much to
assume that ere many years there will be
a permanent and general use of alcohol
as source of motive power.
he one serious and sustained prac-
teal experience with alcohol as a driving
force in France is that of the Compagnie
Generate deS Omnibus de Paris the heavy
public vehicles of which Travelled 2.21S.-
2.'l miles between June II. 1906 and No
Vember l. 1907, propelled by mixture
of % per cent of carbureted alcohol and
u per cent of benzol. Benzol, it may be
added, is of recent manufacture in
France. where ii is obtained by the con-
densatiOn of gases recovered from coke
The company namedis more than satisfied
with its venture and proposes TO continue
the use of this mixture
This experiment is conclusive in its
material aspects. but il is successful COM
mercfally only because of the artificially
high price of gasoline in the city of Paris
brought about by the imposition OF an
octroi tax of 20 francs per hectoliter
(S3.S6 per 2641 gallons). The effect of
this municipal taxation is such that in
Paris gasoline was worth in November
Last % francs per hectoliter (S1OS1 per
26-41 gallons). against 80 francs tS152)
for carbureted alcohol, the octroi duty
upon which is only 80 francs COS cents)
per hectoliter. These octroi taxes vary
greatly in different municipalities, and
leaving them out of consideration, the
general price of gasoline in France last
November was sc francs $3.50 per hec-
toifter and that of carbureted alcohol
30 francs $3.50 Though the advan-
tage as TO price is apparently with car
bureted alcohol. IL must always be re-
membered that the consumption of this
fuel exceeds that of gasoline by about
3 per cent.
Thus for the moment, while alcohol
motors can be used and are used. no real
economy has yet been effected by the
use OF alcohol as a driving fuel granting
its equal efficiency and there is the fur
ther disadvantage that no commercial or
ganization exists whereby automobile
owners are assured of obtaining supplies
throughout the country
Washington A. Roebing. jr. of Trenton.
y. j.. grandson of the famous builder of
the Brooklyn bridge, has imported cut
steel from France and is building an auto
mobile for the Vanderbilt cup race Au-
tomobiling is the pet hobby of young
Roebling, who is a millionaire
Because he had failed to remove the
number plate from his car while it was