The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1920-01-04
USE OF OIL TO
REPLACE COAL
BY HOLLAND

New York, January 3-(SpeciaL) -Since
the strike began in the bituminous coal
neids and notwithstanding the tempo.
rary settlement of that strike, there have
oeen many predictions that the use OF
coal for power producing purposes and
Tor heating and to meet other demands
WIN be considerably and perhaps greatly
1 curtaiied because the adoption of fuel
Oh Tor that purpose is inevitable.
some nave gone so far to predict
.nal OIL Will be marketed within two or
! shree years in enormous quantities for
iuel purposes. Statistics are given of the
demand which will come from ocean
steamships for fuel and also locomotive
engines. Authentic reports have told
OF the substitution of oil for coal in
some OF the manufacturing plants of New
England, and of the disposition of in
dustry in other parts Of the country to
use oil for fuel instead OF coal.
Ihose who are best informed say that
lnere would be no doubt of a very great
increase OF oil for industrial and power
producing purposes of this kind. if it
We're not for the fact that not even the
most experienced leaders in the oil in
custry are as yet able to say where
sufficient oil to meet this demand is to
come from. II fuel oil were as plentiful
as Is bituminous coal. then there would
be no question about the ability to meet
any demand, however great
But 1t is fact that practically all OF
| the available supply of the kind Of oil
which can be- used for fuel purposes is
| now in the possession on those who can
| market this kina of OF. They are pre-
pairing for heavy imports of II from Mex
| leo. and possibly little later from the
] OIL fields of the northern coast of South
| America. But today the supply is not
1 n "a dGr md nm rxt1,f l% a a do
mand is likely greatly to increase there
seems to be no way of meeting it ex-
cepting by the expenditure of large cap
| ital, worldwide study of oii-producing
/ possibilities, as well as the building OF
adequate transportation facilities, both
tank vessels and railroad equipment
| A few years ago the leaders in the cop
| per industry of the United States realized
that the enormous world demand for
copper which the reconstruction of Eu-
rope Is greatly to increase, made 1t
somewhat doubtful whether the American
mines will be able to meet the demand.
There were incidental questions such as
the labor problem, as well as the neces-
sity for building new transportation
| lines.
| Therefore, the leaders in the copper in
dustry began themselves to make investi-
cation, as Mr.. Jacklin and others did,
with intent to learn whether in other
copper mines which if the necessity arose
could be secured by American capital and
made to supplement the products of the
American mines.
| Therefore, experts were sent not only
to South America and the far east, some
even to Mexico, in the hope that their
Investigations would be followed by re-
ports that told of the probabilities OF
large and profitable mining of copper.
| SEARCHING FOR OIL,
| Now, the leaders in the oil industry
l are, in like manner sending experts to
many parts of the world for the purpose
OF Investigating oil producing possibilities,
especially those which have hitherto been
neglected. A group Of bankers IN New
york are now considering the advisability
| Of financing a concession, unparalleled
presumably In it's magnitude, which Bra
| zil has offered to American capital, the
presumption being that among the op-
portunities which this concession VIII OF
! fer are prospects of very large oil pro-
| duction. The experts are now loohlhg MO
| the proposition.
| So too the chances are excellent that
before the end of the year 1920 leaders
4 In the oil industry of the United states
viii have caused investigation to have
| been made into the alleged oil neios o.
southeastern Bolivia. III the reports
\ which have reached the United States are
4
! 4 Weld as any that has been explored
and discovered in the United states. But
/ 10 get at these fields would entail trans
lporfation facilities similar to those wnlch
fare represented by the conquest py ran
road of our Rocky mountains or the
Andes However, il the Oh ~ there, A. ~
promises to be of sufficient amount 70
| Justify the expenditure there will be no
Hesitation about providing funds for the
construction of a railroad over or through
the lofty mountain ranges which miner
| to have acted as a bulwark against tne
development Of the oil fields OF soutneas.-
ern Bolivia, .x.rrrrA
60 also investigation is under way IN
| northern South America ond accoru-
lang to recent reports there promises 70
Iha onnortuuity for a very great deveiop-
ment Of oil and Of the oil of the pecunar
! quality which makes the best fuel Oh,
Investigation has been in progress ~
Peru so that it may De ue.er o;i
I fialds of Peru, which have been devei-
onAd The Peruvian oil that has peen
;,arortea in large amounts to the racine
coast of the United States is especiany
i qualified for converting into the pest
Intoxicating oil. ..-,,,,-
I Recently reports have been IN o uie .a,ss-
tion that one of the Standard Oil COM
no nies has purchased in central Europe'
presumably Roumania, not less imam w.
ioo barrels of oil. If this report pc GU,
rest presumably this oil VIII DC Ienne eo
Al some convenient place across tne SEQ
and be made available for European MAJ
Its lis purchase makes clear the anx-
;atv as we'll as the enterprise when y
nnw characteristic of those. who are
making the oil industry OF the unileu
states one of the greatest OF american
industries, ranking almost with steei'
certainly with copper. and second PEI
hans only to cotton and the food-sroWins
industry. xh.t IN
n appears to be inevitable now tnat ~
order to meet the inevitable demand LOT
oil for industrial purposes. ana espsci -
w the comparatively new demand ~ ~
fuel OIL the world is to be searcn9l ~
oil producing properties, and y p,sous,
erad they are TO be financed anu deNei-
oned bv American capital. This, 81 couIse,
means that ythere is to be cnahee !! ,ro ~
the methods characteristic 81 our On m
| dustry. .ars The
Until within three or four years .ns
limited States depends upon its nome pr y,
ducticn fer its enormous exports OF on
III various ferns, Now we must pegh
TO import and our imports OF Oh ar
ukely within a few years to match on
imports Of any other Industrial common