Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-03-29
MONDAY, MARCH 20. 1920.
THE AGE OF OIL.

4 Coal strikes rise and wanc, but
labor troubles in the oil fields arr
comparatively rare Instances Trut
there are STRIKES" but in the i'm
parance of oil. the word denotes q
new Oil discovery and millionaire>
are made overnight as the gushel
Is tanned and made 10 flow thru
semotionless pipe lines to reyolve the
3Norlds wheels.
But is oil really to supplant coal
as the nations fuel? Are We enter
ing the age Of oil?
4 There is little doubt that industry
T. turning TO oil now as never be
fore in the history of the country.
despite The fact that there are many
coal fields yet undeveloped and il
twill be many. many years before the
esupply finally is exhausted, consump-
Ation for years has been gaining on
production and prices have advanced
accordingly.
\ The war showed how easy it is for
consumption to oyertake production
land the recent coal strike has serg-
ed 10 emphasize the same fact II Is
now freely predicted that as rapidly
Gas possible industrial plants will
fireplace their coal CRATES with oil
sburning equipment--first as matter
tot protection and second as a matter
.,of economy and convenience.
OF greatest significance is the fact
that nearly all new ships coming
Nfrorn the yards are being equipped to
yburn Oil Lioyd's report shows that
OF the 3,S0l.72l tons OF shipping class
ified during the last year more than
aone-third Of the tonnage was equip
ped to burn Oil II was recently an
nounCed that three great tranS-atlan
tic coal burners had been converted
into oil burners--the Olympic Mature
tania and Aquitania. Four-iifths OF
the ships now in building for the
United States shipping board are oil
hburners The shipping world il surely
sand rapidly turning from coal to oil.
following the lead of industry on land
1.-The age OF oil has begun
Oil for years has been Supplanting
coal on the railroads of the southwest
In other parts of the country rail
roads also are turning To oil and it
is believed to be only a matter of
time when most Of the big systems
2 Will turn to the new fuel on the
score Of economy and convenience
o. Greater mileage can be secured from
hengines, the necessity of cleaning
.. CRATES frequently being eliminated
OH does not deteriorate whereas
s 10 h.n, l,,t,
: posed coal The risk OF fire is less
Y for the reason that oil in storage is |
confined in tanks
= Several companies have been form |.
. ed recently to manufacture an oil |
8. burning device for the family furnace |
p Truly ii is far cry from the day |
3 when a hickory knot kept the home |
= fires burning.
But as oil has risen to contest the !
industrial supremacy OF coal oil |
stock speculation has kept an even |
pace, Oil spectators, like the circus
spectators OF whom p. r. Barnum |
said "a new one is born every min
ute" are the easy prey for unscrupu- |
Ious oil sharpers and the gullibe in |
weston in the oil stock Of bluesky cor |
poratOns whose only supply of oil /
Is the fabrication on the typewriters /
which grind out their lurid and at
traCtive literature. Hardly person |
Is there who, at some time. has not
taken flyer in oil, fact which
is given eloquent testimony almost
daily in the inventories OF estates
led in the probate court where the
listing of oil securities under the
classification Of "desperate' tells a
mute story of ruined hopes.