The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1919-12-03
ATTEMPT TO Ward
OFF COAL FAMINE
Boilers Installed at Will
mington.
CANNOT GUARANTEE FUEL
Lack of Ships and Men Given as Rea
son for Not Being Able to Fill
Orders.

son for Not Being Able to Fill
Orders.
Washington, Nov. -Washingtons
rsfit attempt to ward off the threat
ened bituminous coal famine by in
stalling oil-burning boilers in big
plants Of the city received a serious
setback when it was learned today
that not one oil company could guar
antee shipment Of oil sufficient to
meet the need.
1t is generally admitted that the
installation Of oil-burning boilers to
replace those fed with coal would, in
The long run, mean a considerable
saving in labor, cleanliness and
health to the community at large.
And it would entirely eliminate the
bugbear now lowering thrcateningly
over the great power houses and
manufacturing cstablshments-a coal
famine.
But when the executive board Of
the Potomac Electric Power Com
pany, which supplies the entire city
with electric light, tried to find one
company selling Mexican fuel oil
that would guarantee the shipment of
oil sufficient to meet the daily needs
of the big plant, not one could be
found, according to officials Of the
concern.
Reasons for Shorf,uo
Shipping difficultics-thc lack of
ships and mcn-are said to be re-
sponsible for the inability of the oil
, interests to get a proper supply Of
fuel oil to this city. Despite this
fact, cities like New York, Providence
Fall River and Boston arc using fuel
oil almost exclusively, and seem to be
able to get good supply.
Local manufacturers, officials of the
Potomac Electric Power Company
and heads Of the District government
are heartily in accord with the idea
Of installing oil-burhin" boilers
wherever possible. All they need is
assurance from the oil interests that
they will be supplied with enough oil
to meet their demands.
Supt. Sinclair Statement.
L. E. Sinclair, general superintend-
ent of the Potomac Electric, in dis
cussing the attempts made by officials
of the concern to contract for fuel
oil, said:
cncd coal famine first loomcd up, we
Immediately thought Of installing oil
burning boilers. We figured out the
expense it would probably cost us to
make the change, and we learned that
in order to change four of our coal
fed boilers to oil burners it would
cost approximately $4,000.
"The matter was taken up with the
executive board of the company, the
necessary permission of the District
commissioners and fire authorities OBJ
tanned and we set to work planning
Tor the change. After a thorough
canvass of the big oil companies we
learned that not one would consent TO
No'i'if'I W III OIucfS IN CnlS city
totaling more than 5000 barrels a
day.
"The upshot of it all was we had to
abandon the idea, at least temporarily
There is some hope that in the spring.
if transportation conditions are bet
, ter, we may be able to receive oil
! enough to warrant the change Of boil
enough to warrant the change of boil
ers."
! "Havc you made any plans in the
event of a serious coal famine hitting.
the country this wintcr?" he was
asked.
"What plans can we make now?
The only thing we can do will be to
shut up the plant, at least until we
can get enough coal to run our boil
ers."
Too Expensive for Gas Company
1t was learned that, so far as the
Washington Gas Light Company is
concerned, the expense of installing
machinery to manufacture gas from
oil would be too great to warrant the
change.
From sanitary standpoint and as