The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-05
ARE ABLE TO CUT down PRICE
IF THEY DESIRE TO
DO SO.
REMEDY FoH PRESENT STTUA-
TI0S IS IN HANDS OF PRO-
GERS. WRITER DE-
CEAREs.


! thenA aceoI a4aS 80 aA eng nseA &C
! quainted with the trade who was inter
viewed recently. AS long as the
other fellows" are able to get the
| higher prices no one will come down,
Ia his opinion. Furthermore the
likelihood is that II one company un-
dersells the market It's rivals may
bring down the prices on road oil. b.
tumen and other such by products
which are the most profitable Of the
derivatives of petroleum.
He suggests "a way that would eff
| feet a ready relief IN the present mar
ket condition. which has come 20 be
serious matter to owners and maxi
! ers OF automobiles. 1t Is perhaps a
| tritie technical but Is eTectual, he
says Long cuts" az they are
termed In the petroleum industry, af-
ford the solution. which. according
TO him, is Immediately available.
Gasoline, or naphtha, as is we'll
known, is distilled from crude ben
zine, which is distilled from crude
oil, X Is explained in Motor World.
The crude benzine is placed IN stills
which are heated by steam; as tns
vapors pass over they are condensed.
This condensation is divided as it
comes from the condenser into frac-
/ lions or cuts The first fractions be-
ing very volatile, are called the light
| end and the latter the heavy end"
The engineer quoted maintains that
! by making long cut from the light
! end down to say Baume gravity OF
/ 50 degrees Il would serve the purpose.
| This long cut must embody all OF the
/ fractions Of the distillate In their
/ order. the light and volatile parts TAX
/ ing care OF the quick ignition of the
charge, while the heavy end will take
! care s I the expansion SO necessary
I 10 the operation OF automobile en-
! giaes,
A long cut with none Of the inter
mediate fractions having been drawn
or, immediately will so greatly In
crease the production OF automobile
fuel that Il will make possible a price
more nearly approximnaing that
which obtained less than year ago
| when nine cents a gallon was the
| prevailing rate. II the oil companies
VIII not ndopt this measure Of relief
the engineer states that there is way
OF forcing them to do 90 and a way
that would serve so many good pur-
poses hat 1t appears worth while
II. was the law which compel.od the
production OF fuel at A certain specified
fash test that is directly Responsible
~ the uniformity Is the keroser"
VI ich can be obtained today at almost
any grocery store In any part Of the
country eaid he In outlining his
views In Motor World, "and whenever
a similar law Ia brought 70 bear on
Kasolene the same result will be OBJ
tained. Flash tests win prove album
dainty that 81 degrees gasoleue Is ann
pie for practical purposes, and IL the
, law permits the sale OF no other mo
tor fuel the producers quickly will be
brought into line. II means not only
81 greatly tncrea sed supply and a much
lower pricee but It will mean also that
wherever SaSoSene is used or handled
the element of safety will be very
neasurably increased
On the subject OF kerosene, he said ::
From the engineers standpoint, kero-
sene is the ideal fuel. II Is richer In
heat units than gasoIene. which means
that II has higher expansion and more
power: also 1t has "a more uniform
range Of distillation and uses larger
portion Of air incorburetters. The gas
produced Is not contaminated with
marsh gas and other gases that break
UP the cycles OF hydrocarbon in COM
bustion and is not so susceptible to
atmospheric and relative humidity
changes.
"Or course / know that from time out
OF mind the effort has been In progress
TO evolve a kerosene carburetter. and
I HTII
firm in the belief that soon rather
than later it will be found. but when
It Is found or before that time engine
designers must lend their assistance
and make necessary alterations In their
motors.
"For the requirements OF kerosene
fuel they must conform their motors
80 a gravity product OF IS de~rees to
~ degrees Baume 1t may be neces-
aary FOR them to create greater
vacuum by later opening of the In
take valves or to increase the COM
preston by n greater reduction Of at
mospheric pressure but certainly no
great stride will be made unit! they
truly sharpen their interest and do
sorrcrhing to assist the producers Of
fuel and the inventors Of carhu~"+'ars
Yes, know all about the complex
ity which has attended the necessary
heating OF kerosene in order TO rem
der II useful for automobiles and I am
not sure that II some of them set them
solves 70 the task somewhere an au-
tomobiie engineer will find II possible
to heat the fuel above it's flash poll .
By rGssttg aoTffa OF tirG electric curisn
| which now, goes to waste in almost
every car. do not mean the heating
of the induction air, as the air thus
heated ~ partially expanded before it
goes to the engine and, when expand
ed. air contains In a given atmosphere
fewer molecules OF the oxygen which
is so very necessary in combustion
Even with the carbureters in use
the air is heated too greatly and
therefore is rohed OF much use
ful oxygen. We have all heard the
old question. Why does an engine
run better after sundown?' and the
answer is simple: The heat OF the
sun expands the air and thins the
molecules of oxygen in a given at
mosphere' In the evening the air Is
fuller of oxygen and a better rum
ming engine results.
what the use OF kerosene as an
automobile fuel means is clear to all
who care to see. At present that por-
ton OF petroleum Is practically drug
on the market, 20 per cent OF the en-
! tire distillate OF the average crude be-
ing kerosene. as compared with S
per cent which is gasolene OF "A grav-
lily that is suitable to the man who
| determines the efficiency OF his fuel
with a hydrometer Allowing that s
per cent Of the total distillate. or one
fourth of the kerosene manufactured.
is used for illuminating and other
purposes. our present supply OF fuel
would be multiplied three times.
/ There could he no reasonable ex-