El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-01
ALCOHOL THE
FUTURE FUEL
Of ALL AUTOS
Prediction Made by Motor
Engineer After Study; Gas
Supply Is Decreasing.

That the most probable successor Of
gasoline as a motor fuel is alcohol was
the basis OF an address by Joseph A.
Anglada, chairman Of the Metropolitan
Section Of the Society Of Automobile
Engineers. and his reasons for such
a belief form an interesting sideHght
on the motor fuel questions
That there exists a serious short
age in suitable petroleum fuel produc-
ton no one can deny" said Mr.. An
glada. Pro fessor Magruder, Of the
Ohio State university stated a few
months ago that il the gasoline en-
gines in the country now in use were
10 run at their rated horsepower for
10 hours a day the known gasoline
supply would last about 80 days. In
other words, II the gasoline engines
in use were to run at their maximum
horsepower, the amount OF gasoline
available would be sufficient only TO
run them one hour day for about
a year.
Kerosene Is Improbable.
Various hydFO-carbon substitutes
Ior gasoline have rbeen suggested
Among the substitutes proposed is
kerosene II is my opinion that kerO-
scne viii never take the place of gaso-
line because OF the impOssibility Of
starting on kerosene; the lack of QeX-
ibility-that is, the inability to throttle
the motor or 10 accelerate it rapidly;
the smoky exhaust; the great amount
Of carbon deposited in the cylinders;
the ready accumulation Of dirt where
Kerosene is split, and the Odor which
pervades the car
Benzol has been suggested as a
SUBSTITUTE Ior gasoline; II is obtained
IN the making of coke from coal and
10 produce one gallon Of beuZol 16 IA
tons Of coal must be treated Ether
has also been suggested as a substi-
tute for gasoline, but its high cost
OF production prevents such CONNER
cial adaptation.
Ethyl alcohol is now manufacture
from various materials containing su-
gar or starch, the principal substances
Delng indian corn, maize, rye, wheat
barley, rice, potatoes, beets, fruits
molasseS and other direct and indirect
products Of the soil. II is manifest.
therefore, that the sources Of alcohol
are lneXhaustible, or as 1t has been
Otherwise expressed, alcohol can be
produced as long as the sun shines
ana the rain falls" The cost OF a
plant is dependent upon the desired
capacity thereof, and, Of course, the /
larger the. plant the more economical
the. operation.
Fuel for Any Motor.
Experiments conducted by the
United States Government. as well as
foreign governments and independent /
laporatorless are conclusive in estab-
fishing the fact that any gasoline or
kerosene engine on the American mar 4
ket can operate with alcohol as a fuel I
without any structural change what
sOeFer- But, since alcohol contains ]
approximately six-tenths Of the heat
ing value Of gasoline by weight. an
engine adapted for the use Of Gasoline {
or Kerosene requires about s times ]
as much alcohol as gasoline per horse (
power hour.
This consumption. however. can be I
reduced by so altering the constrCc- !
ton Of the motor as to materially in
crease the compression. and BY using
a carburetOr which will thoroughly /
vaporize the alcohol An engine de- 4
signed for gasoline or kerosene Will /
give about 10 per cent more power |
when operated on alcohol, provided the /
necessary notifications are made An i
engine specially built for alcohol will 4
give from 20 per cent to 30 per cent |
more power than is obtainable from a I
regular gasoline engine Of the same 1
size The exhaust from an alcohol /
engine IS not offensive and to operate /
an alcohol engine less skill is REQUIRED I
than in the case Of a gasoline or kero- /
sene engine, because an alcohol en-
CINE viii run under widely Varying /
conditions of fuel mixture
Furthermore, the deposit Of carbon I
In an alcohol engine, il the proper
grade of lubricating oil be used. is 1
impossible, while gasoline and karo- 4
sene- engines cannot be operated with /
out having the interior parts become |
'sooty-" with a resultant loss of power.
Another factor which counts in IA 4
vor of the alcohol engine is the fact 1
that its exhaust is not as hot as that 4
from gasoline or kerosene engine,
thus minimizing the danger from igni- 4
ton and the possibility Of burning the ]
lubricatinE oil. the latter being a de- l
cided disadvantage Of gasoline and 1
Kerosene engines"