The San Francisco call., 1910-06-22
STORAGE PROBLEM
Interests navy
Supply of Fuel Oil Is Being
Considered by Agents of
Government


An announcement. by far the most
important of the year to oilmen. was
made yesterday in San Francisco to the
effect that the government had sent
agents to California TO study the petro-
leum situation, with particular refer
ence to storage facilities These agents
are already in the state and have been
busily engaged a their work for some
weeks. Federal representatives have
also been sent abroad TO investigate
conditions 2 TO the storag ge of fuel oil.
The intention obviously is to under
take the preliminaries looking to the
use of oil in the navy. There are sew
eral problems TO be solved before the
government can, order its warships and
auxiliaries equipped for liquid fuel.
Tests have already demonstrated the
superiority of oil over coal. both as to
steaming value and cost. The govern
ment is satisfied as TO the feasibility
and economy Of coal 1t remains to be
convinced on two points-first that the
use Of oil is practical and secondly,
that sufficient supply is available.
For oil TO be q practical fuel it is not
enough that it can be used successfully
on experimental trips. There must be
provision for petroleum stations, just
as there are today coal stations. 1t
must be esta blished that facilities for
storage can be provided at such points
near tidewater as are necessary. As
to supply, the federal agents will look
over the quantity on hand and make
estimates Of the production.
ABLE TO CONVINCE
The producers are fully convinced
that they viii be able to show the gov
ernment that the use of oil is practical
beyond any doubt. AS to supply, they
can show at once that there will be
sufficient for the needs of the navy
With the government in the market
for oil for its warships, the present
oversupply will be used and more de-
manded. 1t is the present intention
of the independent producers to sup
ply facilities for the storage of from
100000 to 15,000,O0O barrels. It will
prove a costly undertaking, but it is
realized that the time has come when
IT must be done. A separate company
viii be organized to finance the cost
of storage. This company will con-
sist of the independent producers who
now make up the producers agency.
ADVANTAGE TO NAVY
The naval experts of this country
figure that the use of oil will place
the United States a decided advant-
age over other naval powers This
government possesses extensive oil
fields. which are well within the in
a foreign force should effect a landing
The great advantage which the ex-
perts expect from the use of oil is that
the fuel required for steaming a given
distance viii weigh much less than
formerly This means that a battle
ship can be given a greatly enlarged
cruising radius, and that some of the
weight which has heretofore been de-
voted to coal can now be given up to
armor and armament. 1t is estimated
that the 400 tons of oil carried by the
new Delaware will increase her steam
ing radius not less than 1000 miles.
Up to this time the thought of the
naval experts has been to use oil only
as an auxiliary supply. Provisions for
its use in this way have been made on
the Delaware, the North Dakota, the
Utah. the Florida, the Wyoming and
the Arkansas. Both the Delaware and
the North Dakota used oil on their
speed trials and it is claimed that its
use accounts for the fine records made
by those ships. Both of them did bet
ter than 21 knots an hour. When the
time came for the ships to speed up
the oil was turned on and the ships
were driven along at uniform speed
which would have been impossible with
coal as the only fuel
EASY TO LOAD
The oil which is used for battleship
fuel is neither the crude petroleum nor
kerosene. 1t is the fuel oil remaining
after the Illuminating oil has been re-
moved The Delaware is able to take
on oil at the rate of $40 tons an hour.
The 400 tons, which mark the oil
capacity of the Delaware, is equivalent
10 about 10000 gallons.