Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-05-11
The High Cost Of Gasoline
Literary Digest. :

Literary Digest.
THE use IN the price Of gasoline has wrenched from
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT agonized cry for cheaper
fuel Either We devise way 70 get
larger supply thus bringing the price down. or we
must find out how other fuels in the Internal
combustion type Of motors. The conclusion Of a re
cent discussion Of the subject. at a sectional meet
ing Of the Society OF Automobile Engineers distracted
In the automobile. was that more gasoline viii be-
available by better exploitation Of the oil-feds bur
that simultaneously. II Is highly desirable that auto
mobne-engines should be developed and adapted 10
utilize = standard kerosene. "Kerosene-bunlng,' the
paper goes on 10 say be the easiest way tc
secure substantial drop in the price Of automobile
fuel"
From an address by r. s. Foliambe entitled THE
Automobile Fuol-situstlon," quotation and abstract
made as follows!
I'VE are coming rapidly to the point where the
low-grade fuels which now stored or wasted. and
In a few cares used for fuel In stationary similar
powerpants. must be rendered adaptable 10 sutomo-
biles Two methods self-eyident 10 meet this stu
alton; either the present means Of yaporlzation must
be improved 10 be able 10 take Of the
lowsr-grade fuels, the fuels themselves must be
cracked form hishergrads voates The conclusions
he reaches that must find better methods 0f
refining the crude IN order produce larger supply
Of fuel from the existing supply Of crude, that
must create competition In the marketing Of fuel.
products. and, furthermore. that vaporzlng instru-
mants must be developed which VIII no capable OF
using the hydrocarbons of lesser volatility
Regarding alcohol Mr. FolIambe stated that II
gives no hope for immediate relief The for
this 10 that even without governmental restrictions
for economical use the present type Of automobile
engine would have 10 be entirely reconstructed Pres
ent types Of engines burn alcohol, but they DO
very unceonomicaliy. approximately 70 per cent
more fuel being required per -powerhodr than
the engines deagned for s use This puts alcohol
out Of the present reckoning
Regarding benzol the author points out that, all
though II Ia prevalent In Europe an a fuel II can
only be obtained in this country in limited quantities,
A. long a. the war continues. benzoi is in ~ great
demand gasoline and therefore offers relief but
~ the future may we'll be considered AZ possible
part Of the fue.supply"
Kerosene, on the contrary, holds out a prospect
Of immediate relief There has been a great over
production and the refined oil IL stored in quanti
ties. To quote again;
AS matter Of fact even while theoretically
burning gasoline, according to Mr. Folianbe earbure-
Of gasoline and Kerosene which on the Baume test
IL often low 81. and practically Of II
a. Commercial kerosene contains IS per cent Of me-
dium and 10 per cent Of heavy kerosene
THE paper states that the Rittmsn process will
yield G0 per cent more gasoline than by any other
known method and also states that although seven
plants are In the United states Of them IL pro-
ducng any apprecable quantity OF gasoline.
Kerosene esrburetors next discussed by the
author, who showed several types which have been
heretofore marketed, and which involved various
means for breaking up the fuel at the jet COM
plety gaslfying II by heat in ignltng
II before II entered the cylinder"
Another expert who discussed the problem Prof |
Charles Lucke Of Columbia university, stated that
while kerosene a fuel Is fundamentally different
from gasoline. and therefore requires fundamentally
different means OF vaporizng, the problem OF maxi
ing proper explosive mixture OF and air Is
not difficult one. Given proper proportion In the |
mixture, with the correct heat-suppy, and the ma-
chine will run through perhaps not with the highest
efficiency Regarding the practical possibility Of maxi
ing a light vaporlzsble oil out OF heavy by |
cracking some similar process, like the r.
Gently announced by Of the government abora- /
tories at Washington and described in these pages,
Or. w. r Rittman OF the United states bureau Of |
mlnes who Is the inventor Of OF the processes
stated that the cracking Of crude oil is reality.
and that It is actually keeping down the prices Of |
gasoline.
Says the journal from which we have been quot
ing: HE predicted that gasoline would continue to |
rise until the cracking process the use OF kerosene
Ia able TO catch up TO the demand The cracking OF
crude oil is a reality Great numbers OF intelligent men |
are now working on the problem and therefore there |
can only be result.
Regarding the matter OF competition. Dr. Rittman |
said that the little fellow has been forced to put up |
the crude oil and consequently had to pay for II on
a rising scale lie predicted, furthermore. that the |
price may 30 10 70 cents only %. Regarding the |
percentage Of gasoline which today il made by the |
cracking process he stated that II did exceed IS
per cent and consequently not enough to offset
the rising tendency.
"A graphic description OF the cracking process |
given by Or Rittman. who pictured the mole- |
cule OF crude stating that the further down In the
yaporzaon scale We 20 the larger become the MOLE
eues when there Ia restraint on this larger mole
oule 1t breaks into smaller molecules of but by
applying proper restraining influences Il be broken
into gasoline instead The reason he gives for operat
ing hin process In the gaseous state is that IN this
condition Is possible 10 secure any variation " pres
sure and temperature There a time when crude
carried the gasoline price, but today gasoline carries
the price Of crude.
ON the Htman process no heat Is applied "a the
liquid itself in the container The liquid 10 he distilled
speaking particularly Of petroleum is contained in ths
feed.tsnk from which IL Ia fed into the stl. There
Il IL yapourc and the vnpor NOT the LIQUID Il then
distilled all temperature 81 ao degrees G, ana
pressure o. Na pounds per square inch"
-~saarsaa