King Coal Deposed.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 April 1910, Page 4

King Coal Deposed.

The decision of the British Admiralty to adopt oil fuel as a substitute' for coal initiates a great revolution in the equipment of tho Navy (says an English newspaper). The advantages of oil fuel are enormous, and the only serious objections to its use lie in the difficulty of obtaining supplies. The Admiralty must continue for some time to depend chiefly on foreign oil-fields, but it is hoped that, under the new order of things, sufficitmt impetus will be given to the exploitation of the neglected oilfields of the Empire to make it unnecessary for the Admiralty to place future contracts ou'tsido the Empire. Meanwhile, pending the development of known oil-fields iu Australasia, Canada, Egypt, Burma, Borneo, the A\ est Indies, South Africa, and Nigeria, the Admiralty is placing large orders abroad. Already contracts have been placed for iOO,OOO tons, or 22,000,000 gallons of licjuid fuel at an average price, it is understood, of 23s per ton, and the Admiralty has completed the construction of oil-tanks for storage at Plymouth. Chatham and other naval bases in the Home waters capable of containing half a million tons of liquid fuel. There are to be filled up as soon as possible from America, and, Continental sources. The use of oil will practically abolish the stoker, for the substitution of oil for coals means tha.t two men can attend to the needs of a nest of water-tube boilers which would require at least a dozen stokers and trimmers to keep going with coal. It is said, indeed, that with oil fuel the gigantic liner Mauretania, which employs with coal 300 stokers, could be kept going at her best pace with only fifteen men to look after her boiler furnaces. Another advantage is that with oil fuel steam can be got up in a much shorter time than with coal, whilst in replenisha warship's supply of fuel either or at sea, a simple hosepipe and oil pump will do as mnch work as an army of coal-loaders. The efficiency of the oil is nearly twice as great as that of coal, and this means increased radius of action without increased weight of fuel. Oil burns without smoke, and it rrives a steady and even temperature, a condition impossible _ with coal. One of its advantages is that it can be stored in Panics placed in any odd corner of a ship, and can lie'used instead of water ballast.