The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-08-17
COAL COSTS MORE
Than LIQUID FUEL
Experts Say Steaming Radius
Would Be Increased by Use
of Petroleum
Merchantmen Successfully Use
Both Kinds of COmbustibIeS
in Furnaces

Il is not often that the navy depart
ment places it's official O. k on humor-
Gus productions The navy department
may not class its explanation for the
nonuse Of liquid fuel on the warships
a. Joke. but as such ii was received
on this coast by the people hest quail
ned to judge. a recent dispatch from
Washington related that the navy de-
partment, aroused by the criticisms of
The Call. has issued general state
ment showing that the use Of liquid
fuel would be impraeticable on the
warships even OF the Pacific fleet.
The reason. said the navy department.
was that warships now on this coast
might be ordered TO the Asiatic side
where there is no oil supply. There is
coal. said the navy department, in
Asia.
In its explanation the department
admitted that a large saving could be
effected by the use Of liquid fuel. IF
all dependence could be placed on it,"
This explanation might be accepted
AT its face value If the warships of the
Pacific fleet obtained their coal from
Pacific coast sources and if the ships
OF the Asiatic feet used ASiatic coal
in their furnaces. AS matter of fact,
however. practically all the coal used
by eli the warships in the United States
navy comes from the mines of the At
lantic states The coal used by the
Pacific and Asiatic fleets is transported
10 this coast and TO the far east at
enormous expense. Special attention was
called to this when the cruise of the At
lantic fleet necessitated the transporta-
tion Of an extraordinary amount of
coal.
A great fleet of foreign tramps was en-
gagged for this purpose. The shipping
81 SH,s l..
son 10 remember these tramps. the eX-
penses of which TO this coast were paid
10y Uncle sam and which paid their eX-
penses home again by cutting the heart
out Of the orshOre freight market
EASTERN INFLUENCES
The oilmen realize that as long as
the influence OF an Atlantic side coal
baron is more potent than the argu-
ment OF a Pacific slope well owner.
costly Cumberland coal is more to be
desired by the navy department than
cheaper and more efficient liquid fuel
from the wells Of Alta California. They
viii not on this account. however, re-
frain from again calling attention TO
the superiority in every way of the
Pacific product.
As matter Of fact ii would be
cheaper and mort practical TO ship oil
from this coast TO the Atlantic than
IL is to transport coal from the Allan
tie to the Pacific. There is already
pipe line across the isthmus of Panama
and to increase its capacity to the eX
tent OF the fuel requirements of the
Atlantic fleet would be a less costly
operation than the chartering Of
enough merchantmen to keep the ships
on The Pacific supplied with Atlantic
coal
On this coast, from South America
TO Alaska. oil storage stations have
been established at frequent intervals
and the Union oil company even main
tains large supply Of liquid fuel on
the Asiatic coast. AS far as the Pacific
fleet is concerned ii would be a simple
matter even now to keep the ships
supplied with liquid fuel and it would
nor take long to establish similar sta
lions for the use and convenience of
the Atlantic fleet.
CRUISING RADIUS
The navy department expresses the
fear that the conversion of the ships
of the navy into oil burners might re-
strict the direction or limit the radius
OF their cruising The oilmen contend
that the conversion would have just
the opposite effect.
Attention is also called to the fact
that although oil can not be used in
furnaces htted for the burning of coal,
it is simple matter TO adapt the fur
IS naces OF an oil burner to the use of
coal The turbine liners Tenyo Maru
and Chiyo Maru burn both coal and oil.
OH is cheaper at this side and coal
cheaper in Japan, and as a measure of
economy these ships burn oil going
from here TO Hongkong and burn coal
on the way back What japanese
merchantmen can do, say the oilmen,
should be a simple matter for the navy
department of the great United States.
The oil for use by the warship could be
slowed in space now wasted, in the
double bottoms. for instance, and part
Of the present bunker space could be
used for storing a reserve supply of
coal The rest Of the present bunker
space would be available for other
purposes
Meanwhile the use of liquid fuel by
the ships Of the merchant marine is on
the increase and the oilmen are salts
fed that the record of its efficiency will
in time impress the navy department
with the advisability of catching up
with the march of progress.