New and Economical Fuel.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 173, 4 March 1873, Page 7

New and Economical Fuel.

A late San Francisco Bulletin says:— l On Monday and Tuesday afternoon a large ■ number of citizens visited by invitation the brass foundry of Mr W. T. Garrett, in Fremont-street, for the purpose of witnessing some experiments with a new fuel recently invented and patented by Dr Ireland of Watsonville, in this State. They were shewn into that portion of the establishment occupied by the furnaces, and in one corner found a brick furnace some eight feet long and six feet high. On the top of this was an iron tank holding about ten gallons, which was filled with crude petroleum ; from this tank a pipe, about an inch and a half in diameter, led into the side of the furnace ; a small jet of oil, not larger than a goose-quill, was permitted to flow out of this tube ; a light is placed beneath this jet and it immediately ignites. Another pipe about an inch in diameter, led from a steam boiler stationed some fifteen feet away. This pipe leads a small jot of steam upon the burning oil, and the moment the steam strikes the burning oil the oxygen in the water is set free and ignites with a tremendous roar, generating in a few moments a most intense white heat. From this small source the entire chamber of the furnace, .which is some two feet by five feet, is filled with a flame so brilliant and dazzling that one cannot gaze upon it for more than a moment at a time. The flame possesses all the heat of an oxy-hydrogen flame, and beneath its fierce power the hardest metals melt in a few moments. The inventor of this apparatus says that the cost of his furnaces will be only a nominal sum—that they will be within the reach of everyone who owns a quartz ledge, while the amount of oil consumed in twenty-four hours does not exceed ten gallons, at a cost of 2 dols. The Doctor has every confidence in his discovery, and declares his ability to furnish fuel for a voyage of one of the Panama steamers t« and from Panama for the insignificant sum of 200 dols., while the entire quantity will not weigh to exceed twenty-five tons. He fill ther says that at an expense of J5 dols. per day he can run furnaces that will smelt one ton of ore every thirty minutes. If only one-half of what is claimed can be accomplished, the discovery will prove one of incalculabe advantage to the mining interests of the Pacific Coast, and will create a revolution in steam travel throughout the world. •