viscosity and gravity. However, a temperature ranging from 210 degrees F. to 230 degrees F. has been proven to be the most efficient stage for residuum fuel oil. Lighter oils require a much lower temperature. Heavy Mexican oils require a temperature ranging from 275 to 300 degrees F. The steam pressure to the heaters is reduced to 100 lbs. For stand-by the oil is maintained at a pressure of 30 to 35 lbs. and for full speed ahead 125 lbs. There are five burners to each boiler. The oil pipes leading from the heaters to the burners are 11⁄2 inches in diameter and reduced to 3-inch at the burner. The burner consists of a special angle valve, a short piece of tubing, a tip, a cap to hold the tip in place and a steel rod running through the burner to provide means for regulating the discharge from the tip. With this burner, the fireman has at his immediate command not only means for regulating the size of his operating fire, but means whereby he can instantly substitute a stand-by and vice versa, with one quick turn of the burner valve wheel. During the noon hour when tied up at dock, all burners are shut off except one. In starting a fire in a cold boiler, the fireman first sees that all valves in the burner feed lines are closed. He then cracks the valve in the return line, and starts the oil pump. He then admits steam to the oil heater and allows the oil to circulate through the lines until the thermometer shows the proper temperature. When the oil has attained the proper temperature, he closes the valve in the return line, and opens the dampers in the firing front and stack. He inserts a lighted torch directly in front of the burner tip and opens the burner valve wide. He then opens the valve in the burner feed line wide when the fire readily lights. Fig. 59 shows this system of burners which is installed in the Matson Navigation Company's steamer Manoa, and Fig. 60 shows the hinged firing front for a mechanical burner. The Matson Navigation Company operates 7 oil burning steamers of their own between San Francisco and Hawaiian Islands, and nine Shipping Board steamers. The company's own steamers consume about 600,000 barrels of fuel oil yearly. The Matson steamer Matsonia has a fuel oil capacity of 21,000 barrels. This steamer consumes 10,000 barrels on the round voyage between San Francisco and Honolulu. The steamer takes on oil to her full capacity at San Francisco, and delivers the surplus into tanks at Honolulu for use by the steamers operated by the com pany for the Shipping Board, and for use of the company's own steamers in case they need it. The Manoa, with a capacity of 16,500 barrels, consumes 6,500 barrels on the round trip. This vessel also delivers the surplus into tanks at Honolulu for the same purpose as the Matsonia. Fig. 61 shows the oil-burning French S. S. Lieutenant de Missiessy, of the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes. The Staples and Pfeiffer oil-burning system has been in operation on a large number of steamers on the Pacific for many years. This system is somewhat different in operation from the Dahl and Coen systems, as the system atomizes the oil by means of steam or compressed air. The oil is heated and forced through the burners by pumps, and in addition steam or compressed air is introduced into the burner which atomizes the oil. (See fig. 62.) The following data are from the steam trials of the U. S. R. C. Golden Gate, which is equipped with the Staples & Pfeiffer oilburning system: Probably nothing can illustrate the superiority of oil over coal as fuel for steamers, more clearly than the history of the Oceanic Steamship Company's steamers Ventura and Sonomo. These vessels were originally coal burners operating between San Francisco and Australian ports. Because of the disadvantages of coal as fuel these steamers were tied up in San Francisco Bay for over two years. They were converted to oil burners in 1915 by the Union Iron Works of San Francisco, and have been in operation between San Francisco and Australian ports ever since. It has never been necessary during these six years of operation to make any repairs to boilers. The Ventura is equipped with eight boilers, 24 furnaces, 8,000 H. P. The Sonoma is of similar equipment. These steamers burn from 19,000 to 21,500 barrels on the round voyage, the distance for the round voyage being 13,475 miles. The total tank capacity is 18,290. This amount is taken on at San Francisco. At Honolulu a sufficient amount of oil is taken on so that the supply will total 16,500 barrels when leaving that port, and on the return trip sufficient oil is taken on at Honolulu so that there will be 4,500 barrels in the tanks, which is ample to bring the vessel to San Francisco, and still have a three days' supply on hand. These steamers are of 10,000 tons displacement each. The rated speed is 17 knots an hour, but they only maintain a speed of 151⁄2 knots an hour on the trip to Australia and return. The Shipping Board steamers are now being equipped with heating coils in the double bottoms so that the steamers may use the heavy oil which is found at certain points. The heavy Mexican oils especially require these coils so that the oil may be heated in order to be handled by the oil pumps. This will enable the steamers to be operated on any kind of oil. CHAPTER X OIL-BURNING LOCOMOTIVES In 1882 Thomas Urquehart, Superintendent of Motive Power of the Griazi-Tsaritzin Railway of Russia converted 143 of the locomotives of this railroad from coal-burners to oil-burners and made service tests on them which showed that one pound of oil equaled 1.78 pounds of coal. The oil had a calorific value of 18,600 B. t. u. and the coal used, a Russian anthracite, contained 24,920 B. t. u. In the year 1888, Dr. Charles B. Dudley presented to the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia a comprehensive paper dealing with the subject of oil fuel for locomotives. Dr. Dudley founded his conclusions largely on a series of experiments which had been conducted by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He determined that, based on the relative heat values of the fuels, one pound of oil was equivalent to one and three-quarters pounds of coal; while taking into account the various incidental economies due to the use of oils, one pound of the latter was practically equivalent to two pounds of coal. Dr. Dudley pointed out the following advantages which oil has over coal as a fuel for locomotives: 1. Less waste of fuel: First, from smoke and unburned gases which go out the smoke stack; second, cinders, which are carried through the tubes and deposited in the smoke box or exhausted from the stack; third, fuel, which escapes through the grates. 2. Economy in handling fuel. 3. Economy in handling ashes. 4. Economy in cleaning locomotives, the absence of smoke |