Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-06
CLAIMS AUTO CAN
USE POORER FUEL
Scheme is TO Adapt Engines to
Use One half Gasoline and
Kerosene Mixture.

Fuel and food conservation arc equally
important factors in the efforts the allied
nations are making tn win the war he
possible shortage Of fuel for autnmotive
apparatus, such as airplanes, motor trucks,
motorcycles, submarine chasers, tanks,
farm tractors and similar craft forms one
Of the weakest links III the transportation
system of the allies
The different types of antomotive
apparatus really regulate the movement OF
food, raw materials and supplies of all
kinds from their source TO consumption,
either an the battlefield or for equally i'm
portant uses behind the lines The farm
tractor produces food, the motor trucks
is an important link in the transportation
system both Mt home and at the front,
while aircraft, tanks and submarine
chascrs are vital factors in the scheme OF
war. All these devices require some form
of petroleum fuel for their successful
operation
Gasoline OF course, IS the principal
automotive fuel IN Use. but SINCE the
petroleum for which It, is derived rs
GIFT of Nature, and IS not inexhaustIblc,
We should consider seriously the use OF
more of the crude petroleum in automo~
tive apparatus.
METHODS OF CRACKING PETROLEUM.
Tho methods for dong this were ont
lined recently Mt New York before the
Section Of the Societv Of Automotivc
Engineers bv W. +. Dcppc, an engineer
who has made n lifelong study OF the
subject, Mr. Deppc believes that the fuel
available for Iutonotivc apparatus could
he greatly increased without increasing
the consumption of crude petroleum
This could be accomplished hv the i1sc
Of the methods for cracking petroleum
by the United States Bureau of Mines.
and by the use III i'll automotive apparatus
Of engines that would operate successfully
on a mixture Of half gasoline md half
kerosene or On low grade fnel consisting
of from 90 10 80 per cent Of the crude
petroleum
The following extracts from Mr.
Dcppe address are Of interest because Of
his broad economic treatment Of the
subject
We must now define tho true field for
coal and OIL fuels Roughly, about
900, 600 600 tons Of coal are required
each year FOR the steam engines aud
furnaces of the world Coal Is found in
about b States Of the Union. and exists
IN almost all parts If the world Its
supply Is unlimited so far as the needs 81
this generation 20. so that the author
believes nations should eonsider seriously
the passage of laws prohibiting the usc
oi mineral oils for producing heat when
coal could do It practically aa well
The average consumption of oIl burned
under steam boiler plants II around one
pound per horsepower per hour, while
gas engines should rcuulre less than one
half that amount
ne CRtpr OH. PRopucrIor
Tho annual production Of crude oils !
IN the world ~ present IS something less !
than 300 O0O. 600 barrels, of which 30 |
600 900 come from tins country. TIE |
total consumption Of crude oils j. appar-
entity 10000. 900 barrels per year greater |
than the total production of crude oil |
in fields now in commercial contact with |
the civilized world Tins IN spite OF the |
fact that passenger vehicle use is |
prohibited everywhere except In North |
America.
"Oll must be where we can use II before I
il will help 10 solve our daily transporta- |
ton problems II will cost vast sums.
and will take some wears to produce
ships, pipe line, and to make refinery
improvements so that more than 10 per
cent Of the Mexican crudes can hc used
for so-called gasoline
All cars now average less than -
miles per gallon Of gasoline This average
can be made nearer II or 20 mi les per
gallon by better carburetion means,
using half gasoline half-keroSene miN-
turee distlllates, or low-gradc fuels