The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1922-12-08
ST0kE-HOLD OF NARROWING
MEMORY HAS PASSED.

A great many Americans who have
crossed the Atlantic, and many 9TH
ers, who have read of the big ships of
the ocean run. have vivid recollec-
tons of the stoke-hold, that inferno
of heat and flame, where half-naked
men labor to keep the fires burning
in the boilers which propel the
mighty ships on their way. The stoke
hold Of olden days is passing. The
discovery was recently made by a
large number of visitors in New York
anxious to see an ocean liner and
who were the guests of the United
States Lines for an inspection trip
over the ships then in port.
The visitors We're anxious to see
the fire-room, having recalled the
stoke-holds Of othes days, or having
imaginations stimulated by stories of
the below-decks department of an
ocean liner. To their amazement,
they were led down into scrupulously
white quarters, in which a few men,
dressed as decorously as the officers
and seamen on deck, stood about as
the guardians of the furnaces and
boilers.
The installation of oil as fuel on
ocean liners has brought about the
passing Of the stoke-hold of yester-
day as far as the United States Lines
is concerned. The bulk Of this nigh
ty feet is composed of oil burners.
Oil burners sot only make for great
er speed, but more cleanliness aboard
ship, and a considerable saving in
money. In the party of visitors
aboard the United States liners, were
a number of engineers who were in
terested in getting the facts, and
these We're supplied them.
The vessels visited were the Presi-
dent ships, which are operated be-
tween New York and London, by way
of Queenstown, Cherbourg and Ply
mouth. These vessels are equipped
with six Scotch boilers. to each one
Of which. three furnaces are attached.
Each furnace is equipped with an oil
burner. The bunker capacity on each
vessel amounts to $3.50 tons Of oil
or 23,075 barrels. The daily CON
sumption of oil amounts to ninety
eight tons, or $50 barrels. The
amount of oil consumed in one trip
totals 2.160 tons, or 14,040 barrels.
making an average of 84.5 gallons
for each mile.
Since the installation of oil burn
ers aboard the ships, the fire room
force has been decreased almost two
thirds. Oil burning vessels use but
six fremen, as contrasted with eigh-
teen in the old days of coal burners
The fireroom conditions have been
greatly benefited by the use of oil
burners. The temperature on the
ships of the United States Lines var
les between seventy and eighty de-
grees. Coal burning vessels show a
| temperature in the fre-room of from
100 to 40 degrees.
In loading fuel aboard an oil burn
er. considerable time is saved, per-
hitting a quick turn around for the
vessels. Oil sufficient for a round
trip can be loaded aboard in about
five hours by two men. Vessels of
similar tonnage and burning coal,
would take twenty men about forty
eight hours to load the necessary
fuel. The oil burners of the United
States Lines fleet carry sufficient
supplies to make three and one-half
trips, or nearly two round trips with
out re-fueling.
There was a time when steamship
captains and operators of lines hest
tated about permitting the general
public to visit their stoke-holds. The
United States Lines, with its Won
derful oil burning equipment, takes
pride in extending invitations to Wis
itors to go below decks. Women Wis
itors particularly are amazed at the
cleanliness to be found in the fire
room. The old stoke-hold is but a
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