The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-03-30
FUEL FOR The NAVY
A Mountain of Coal and a Sea of
Oil Burned Up Yearly.
THE USE OF OIL is GROWING.

IL 10 More Efficient Than Coal. Effects
Saving In Fire Room Complement
and Is Cleaner to Misunderstanding a
Ship at Sea Is Mean Work.
Figuratively speaking the United
States navy consumes a mountain OF
coal and a sea of oil every year, and
the full question might without levity
be called burning one with the naval
officials at all times.
No navy in the world has given the
problem of coal supply, coal capacity
and speed In coaling ships more atten-
ton than has that of the United States
Coal used by the navy department
for our fleets comes from the bitumin-
Gus regions Of Virginia, West Virginia.
Maryland and Pennsylvania. This coal
Is shipped from the mines to the coast,
the principal tidewater ports on the
Atlantic coast being Philadelphia, New
York and Hampton Roads, Va. Gov
ernment GOLFERS carry the coal from
these ports to the various coaltng sta
tions of the navy In Atlantic, Pacific
and Asiatic waters
The chief coaling stations are at
Bradford, In the state OF Rhode Is
land; San Francisco; Honolulu, Cavite,
z. l., and smaller stocks at Guantana-
mo, Samoa and Guam. The supply at
these stations is kept up to lAe requir-
ed standard by frequent shipments
from the Atlantic seaboard ports men
toned In naval colliers or In e.... tered
merchant vessels
The navy standard coal used by the
American fleet meets the highest tests
for steaming purposes, for 1t gives the
largest percentage Of "steaming ra-
dius' per given quantity OF coal The
navy must have clean, dependable coal,
for 1t means miles and, as far as pos
sible, preservation OF machinery.
Coaling at sea may well be called the
nightmare of the navy. Every man on
board, both officers and enlisted men,
breads it. Laborious, tedious and mas
ty, it is an unwelcome duty, to be
performed as quickly as possible and
then forgotten with fervent sighs Of re-
lief
The coal is lifted from the colliers
hold in huge buckets raised by der
ricks, which carry them to the war
ships chutes, the coal being dumped
In great piles on deck, whence 1t is
| shoyeled by the men into the chutes.
Trimmers down In the bunkers do their
part in properly distributing 1t.
The work is heavy, dusty and dirty,
and rolls, hot sausages and coffee are
served to the men every two hours
during coaling. To further stimulate
them the ships band often plays stir
ring airs.
When warship is in port she is
coaled from barges lying alongside, the
| coal being lifted by deriicks In huge
bags which hold 500 pounds OF coal
each. The battleship Arkansas can
stow 2.754 tons OF coal and the Texas
1900 tons.
The use OF fuel oil in the navy Is
increasing yearly and will continue to
increase, as the new ships, especially
the new dreadnaughts, consume oil.
and more oil burners are planned for
the future
According to the navy department,
there is much TO be said in favor OF OIL
1t effects considerable reduction In
firerOOm complement 1t is more efficient
than coal in that 200 gallons OF oil
(two-thirds of a tom do the work
OF one ton Of good coal, and there is a
great deal of refuse In coal (ashes,
etc. with much additional loss due to
fine particles of coal going up the
stacks unconsumed.
The United States navy has two oil
supply ships, the Kanawha and the
Maumee, each of them capable OF max
ing fourteen knots an hour and carry
ing 1854 tons of fuel oil Oiling a ship
does away with much Of the labor and
all OF the dirt so trying In coaling. In
port the problem Of pumping the oil
from the huge tank on dock into the
pipes on the side of the vessel is COM
paratively simple one
Supplying oil to a ship at sea, how
ever, is not yet satisfactorily settled
Experiments in fueling ships at sea
with oil form an important item In
naval strategy at this time. Just hat
has been accomplished in this matter
OF experimentation may not yet be di-
vulged.-Providence Journal.