The San Francisco call., 1910-06-01
navy GETS WISE
TO OIL AS FUEL
Smaller Craft in Service Being
Equipped With Liquid
Furnaces

a united movement is soon TO be
launched by the oilmen of California TO
induce the United States government
TO make more general use Of petroleum
as fuel in the navy. They have been
encouraged TO this step by the recent
action ef the government in ordering
that all small craft Of the navy that
go to the yards for repairs be equipped
with facilities for burning oil The use
OF the California liquid coal TO the ex-
tent that local operators say is prac-
tical would create a market for the
product that would insure a steadiness
of price and an era of vast develop
ment.
The navy departments discovery
that oil is a practical fuel for the use
Of ocean going steamships has not oc-
casioned much excitement on the Pa
Ciflc coast. for the reason that the mer-
chant marine IN this part Of the world
made the same discovery more than 10
years ago and has been reaping the
BENEFITS thereof ever since. In the
early days Of the use OF liquid fuel ii
was confined 10 coasting craft Then
IN 1900 the Oceanic steamship company
converted the twin liners Alameda and
Msriposa into oil burners and the ship
ping world sat up and took notice.
Even the navy department took no.
tice and on one OF the AIariposa's first
voyages TO Tahiti a navy engineer made
the round trip on the liner. His report
was an Endorsement of oil as a practical
fuel, but no action was taken on it
until a year or so ago. when the coast
defense steamer Cheyenne was con-
Verted into an oil burner for expert
mental purposes. The experiments
made on the Cheyenne still further
convinced the navy department and
now all the smaller vessels that go to
the navy yards for repairs are to be
equipped with oil burning apparatus.
COAL AN EXCEPTION
Today on the Pacific coast the mer-
chant steamer that burns coal is the
exception and the reasons for the
elimination Of the black diamond as a
fuel for steamships are as numerous
as the steamships that now burn OIL.
II was liquid fuel that enabled the
American-H Hawaiian line to send it's
big freiRhters from New York to San
Francisco via the straits of Magellan
without a stop. This could have been
done with coal, but only by sacrificing
~ large amount Of space that the use
cf oil left available for freight
Ten years experience has demon
strated that liquid fuel is not only more
economical in every way than COAL
but that II does more efficient work.
The element of danger is almost neg
liRible and the exercise Of the same in
telligence and care that prevent fires
in the coal bunkeEs viii insure against
any damage from the explosive gases
contained in the oil. Where accidents
have occurred ii has invariably been
shown that some ordinary precaution
has been overlooked. Similar Careless
ness on the part Of a water tender
would have caused a boiler explosion,
something that has not occurred on this
coast. outside the navy, for many years
In the matter Of economy the use OF
liquid fuel in the place OF coal on sea-
going steamships is remarkable. At
= liberal estimate based on practical
experience four and quarter barrels
OF oil equals one ton OF 2,240 pounds OF
coal that viii evaporate 81 pounds of
water from and at 212 degrees. The
four and q quarter barrels of oil will
weigh l.42S pounds, or saving of Sl7
pounds in favor Of the oil.
To illustrate the difference in cost,
the records Of a steamer may be taken
mat formerly used 135 tons Of coal a
day and is now getting better results
by the use OF $50 barrels of oil The
coal at S6.75 a ton, cost $e1l.25. The
oil at 81 a barrel cost $3.50, effecting
a saving OF $35L25.
OIL EASY TO LOAD
This saving in the initial cost is only
a small part Of the ecenomy effected
by the use OF liquid fuel To coal a
ship requires the services of a gang
Of stevedores, and when their work is
done there is, a big job of cleaning
and scrubbing for the ships crew. To
load oil all that 10 necessary is a pump
and a length Of rubber hose. The
Operation stirs UP no dust and can be
rforDed without interfering with any
other work that may be going on.
Where coalipg ship is a matter of a
day or so. oiling ship is an affair of
a n hour or so.
Not only is the oil clean to handle
in loading. but in its consumption it
scatters neither SCOT nor cinders. Coal
must be fed 70 the furnaces by the
shovelful and every man behind the
shovel must be paid at least $50 a
a-sFr - u