THE OIL BOOM.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 452, 30 March 1912, Page 7

THE OIL BOOM.

WILL LIQUID FUEL BE BEST ? To judge from a succession of arti cles which have been appearing ii the daily press on the use of liquid fuel in the navy, one would suppose that the virtues of ttyis fuel had only recently been discovered, and that the Admiralty had determined to abolish its coal depots and turn the bunker rooms of its warships into oil tanks. As a matter of fact, any such sweeping substitution of oil fuel for coal is not now contemplated, nor ever will be, either in the British or any other navy. The natural sources of oil supply are not sufficient in capacity, • nor *re they so widely distributed, as to make it possible either for the merchant marine or the navies of the world to make a wholesale substitution of oil for coal. Some countries notably the United States and Russia, possess such abundant supplies that they could, if they so wished, make a much more complete use of oil ; and, because of this advantage, it is not Unlikely that the United States' navy, at least, will ultimately make a more extensive use of oil fuel than the navy of any other power. The advantages of oil over coal are so many that were there as much oil in sight as coal, the now fuel would invariably supersede the oM altogether. In the first place, the higher evaporative value of liquid !uel not only enables a larger quantity of fuel to be carried in the same space, but its use renders possible a decrease of 75 per cent, in number of stokers, or fire-room attendants. Being in the liquid form it can be cmployed as ballast and pumped into remote quarters of the ship far removed from the boiler room, and inaccessible for the handling anil transportation of coal. For the merchant ship this means not only a saving in the fuel and labour bill, but a positive gain in cargo capacity ; while for the warship there is a similar reduction of expense, and, what is of ft!t greater value, a considerable extension of the cruising radius, or the distance over which the ship can travel without replenishing her fuel supply. For the merchant ship there is ih: farther advantage tbat the bunkers can be filled by a pipe line without tho delay, dirt and disorder which accompany the present coaling operations. For the warship there is the strategic advantage that the ship can take on fuel by a pipe line from a tank ship at any place and in any but heavy weather. Furthermore, the use of oil enables a whole fleet to steam without emitting those tell-tale clouds of smoke which are cne of tho surest means of betraying its presence to the enemy.—"Popular Scienoe Sittings."