The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-04-29

Washington, ID. C.-For ten months
past a small power plant within the
Enclosure of the Washington barracks
in this city has been operated by
burning water in connection with oil.
Water, looked upon as the other ex-
IRENE from fire. and the great factor
in putting out fires, is actually be-
ing burned under a boiler to produce
heat.
Scientists until very lately have de-
clared this to beimpossible. However,
there is a patent record in the arc
hives in this city showing that Mrs.
Francis Dowall Shaw secured a pat
ent for a certain kind Of burner in
1915, in which oil of practically any
kind is combined with common ordf-
nary water and an intensely hot
flame produced at a low cost.
Mrs. Shaw, who is personally In
charge of the power plant at the
Washington barracks under contract
with the Government, has tried out
her invention in many ways, and says
that her records show a saving OF
more than SO per cent over supplying
power from buring coal, and SO per
cent saving over using fuel oil in the
usual way.
To secure the heat desired at the
barracks plant about three parts of
oil are used to one part of water.
Ridiculous as 1t may sound, IL more
water were used the flame would be
so hot the brick foundation under the
boiler would melt down. Mrs. Shaw
has experimental with greater guam
titles of water, and found the heat so
terrific that ordinary brick work
melts down quickly.
Mrs. Shaw has been engaged in
manufacturing bricks and tiles for
some time. 1t was al accident In
connection with her work that showed
her that water could be combined
with oil as a fuel, effecting a consid-
cradle saving over the ordinary use
of fuel oil OF coal. 1t happened in
this way: Mrs. Shaw was drying out
a kiln, and for this purpose was
burning kerosene under 1t. Some of
the kerosene cans had been standing
for quite a while, and water had ac-
in them. BY accident the
combination was used, and an
immensely hotter flame was pro-
duced.
Scientists have declared until
very lately" says Mrs. Shaw, that
1t is of course impossible to burn
However. l had done it, and
not being a scientist. l kept on exper-
Imenting until l found out what was
The oxygen and hydro
gen gas in water was being burned,
and after I had perfected a burner,
patented the thing"
One of Mrs. Shaw's oil and water
burners has beeen operting an 49,
0O0-horse power plant in Texas for
some time. This Is the only big pri-
vate plant using the invention thus
far.
USES ANY KIND OF OIL
Mrs. Shaw has used everything in
the way of oil from kerosene to the
very poorest grades of crude oil, full
of dirt and foreign substances. She
has yet to record a failure. Natural
ly, the Government Is taking a keen
interest and is making tests periodi-
cally to determine exactly how much
Vi u edVluk OVCE OtuCA AuCto Sah DO
effected. These tests have not been
completed and the figures therefore
are not available.
Mrs. Shaw says that in its present
form the invention is practicable for
plants, Office buildings, locomotives
and ships. 1t has been successfully
tried out on a ship, but until it is d
bit more refined probably will not
come into general use. Mrs. Shaw
herself Is authority for this state
ment. ~ will install the thing and
get steam up for them, but l want to
leave the ship before 1t leaves the
dock" she declares.
The best kind of oil for use in Mrs
shaw's invention has proved to be
good fuel oil or the oil known as
navy special" However. practical
ly every kind of oil has been tried
out, and 1t has been found that the
very lowest grades will work all right