New-York tribune., 1911-12-01

ton OF marine power as o1 tHe use VI '''~
oil gas engine with relation to coal tuel.
John l.. Grifths. United states Consui
General in London. prophesied in recent
number Of The Daily Consular and Trade
Reports" that It would not be long before
oil burning engines aboard steamships
would he in common Use. In part ne
wrote:
| II Is not improbable that within the next
two or three years ships without runners
or boilers will be making regular passages
across the Atlantic. The Continent now
over. and not Great Britain. has thus tar
taken the initiative. Only one vessel OF s'Sa
10 be equipped with oil engines Is at pres
ent being built under tie British flag, Al
! thorgh IL Is stated that A London iirn H
about tp place an order for vessel or
6.GOv tons.
| Two vessels to be ittod with oil engines
are being built for the Danish East Asiauc
/ Company, while 900p-ton motor boat is
nearing completion for the HAMBURG
American line. and two oil burners are
under contract for the Brazil service oi
the Hamburg South American Company
hve-masted bark of 3.272 tons is building at
Bordeaux, which will he provided with in
terna combustion engines.
| In . recent discussion OF naval architects
! i'm London one speaker said he knew or -
ships which were fitted or to be lifted, with
DIESEL plants Russia is equipping her gun
boats and smaller cruisers with oil burning
engines.
! In a Montreal newspaper was recently
noted the arrival at Halifax OF an ou-en-
gned ship with a cargo of pig iron from
Newcastle. The engines were Of the Diesel
tlpe. The article stated that this was the
first oil burning ship to cross the Atlantic
in commercial trade. Attention was called
. To the fact that through the use OF oil thc
cargo capacity of the steamship was in
creased 20 per cent
! Recent experiments made by {. y. NC
AlIster. engineer-in-chief of the United
States revenue cutter service, aboard the
cutter Golden Gate, in the port Of San
Francisco. showed these results as between
coal and oil as fuel; it cost to run the cut
ter with coal for three months ending De
cember n. 1909, Ss4.i4; with OIL, for the
three months ending December 81, 1910.
tlj}.32. net saving, Sfl.l2; percentage saver
by the use Of oil. rs.
Another comparison, under different con-
dtlons. which was made by Mr McAllister
gave these results, the records being taken
during November. l99. with coal, and No
vember. 1910, with oil: Cost per mile, with
coal - cents; with oil. .oJ cents; cost
per day. with coal, IS 90; with oil, 81 %. cost
of oil compared with coal mile. y per
cent; saving mil, r per cent; niles
steamed per ton Of coal, H.; miles steamed
per ton Of oil. SIS.
Mexico depends upon Increasing her oil
trade by reason Of combination Of cir
| cumstances- geographical, political and
otherwisc-which places her i'm an excellent
strategic position. The Russian fields
are now principally depended upon. and
will be for some time in the future, to
Weld oil for the British and Continental
navies and commercial steamship lines.
Should Russia become embroiled with Eng
land or any of the other European mari
time powers, this supply could and un-
doubtedly would be cut off In the United
| States the production available for export
purposes constantly is decreasing. For
several years there has been few de-
velopments Of Importance in the United
| states, barring California. The California
supply. while available for consumption on
the Pacific Coast. lacks transportation IA
| cilities for distribution In Europe cconom-
callv and advantageously. Mexico. being
a smaller nation and more peacefully in
clined. stands little risk of becoming in
lvclved with European nations OF the
United States Therefore the Mexican oil
supply may reasonably be relied upon to be
immune from interruption through wars.
Tamplco always will be the principal oil
exporting port Of Mexico. not only because
Of the cty's proximity to the centres OF
oil production. but on account of the miles
Of wharf room i'm the broad and deep Pa
nuco River. Short pipe lines from the wells
will convey the oil directly into the holds
of tank steamers. one such line, from a
single we'll has been pumping 24.on9 barrels
daily to Tampico since September, 1910.
! There arc now two pipe lines OF indepen-
ent companies bringing oil into storage here
from the fields south OF the city.
Extensive future consumption Of Mexico
fuel oil is assured by the requirements
alone OF the shipping trade to and from
this port and Vera Cruz of which there are
already some seven lines I'm operation to
European ports, and for between the
United States and Canada. besides the
! Mexican coastNise vessels With the open
ing of the Panama Canal and the divert
ing Of European ocean traffic hound
! for the west coast of South America and
J Mexico and the Orient from the
! Cape Horn to tho Panama route, oil-burn-
ing craft can be loaded with Mexican fuel
| oil stored AT sailing points in Europe and
| on the Isthmus, at intermediate points,
| like Kingston and ST. Thomas II Is fcas-
ible for steamers plying between European
or North American and Mexican ports to
make round trips with oil taken aboard at
a Mexican port almost entirely obviating
the necessity OF storing more than a small
quantity abroad with which to replenish
| their tanks.
/ some influence undoubtedly may be ex-
! pected to be exerted in "A down
ward direction upon ocean frclghts
to Gulf ports in Mexico. the United
! States and Cuba through tho fact that oil
| tank steamships may he utilized for cargo
CARRYING. instead OF coming TO Mexico i'm
| ballast II is undisputed that various kinds
/ Of cargo can be transported in tank steam
ships after their interiors have been cleaned
with steam.
| Cheap fuel furnished by oil should greatly
( accelerate the development of Mexico as a
manufacturing nation. Heretofore her
| progress i'm this direction has been retarded
by the high cost of fuel In the republic.
| with the Increased production Of oil the
! price of this fuel is bound to be very much
less than that OF coal. Thus stimulation
! will he afforded along industrial liues, with
! the result that many articles which It Is
now cheaper To import than manufacture
1 here will be made I'm Mexico. There is no