VALLE OF OIL FUEL

Otago Witness, Issue 3524, 27 September 1921, Page 22

VALLE OF OIL FUEL

EFFECT OX LINER SERVICES. A remarkable tribute to the value of oil fuel for steam-raising purposes at sea, as compared with coal, is provided by the trials of the- new liner Empress cl Canada, which has been built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, Glasgow, for the Canadian Pacific Ocean Services, Limited. A 3 is well known all the first-class passenger steamers which have been laid down since the close of tile' war have been designed on intermediate lines, so far as speed is concerned. No attempt ’has hoeii made to turn out vessels of very high speed, and neither owners nor builder's hay© had any idea of breaking records in this way. Their intention has been to produce ships which would he thoroughly comfortable and serviceable, but of a speed which would enable them lo lie operated economically in the difficult conditions now existing. The designs, however, were based largely, if not wholly, on practice with coal fuel, and the speed aimed at was that which was anticipated with cealburning furnaces. Since then oil has come more and more to the front, and liners which were originally designed for coal have been completed for- the use of oil. This last may not apply to the Empress of Canada, Out it does apply to (lie Clvde-built Aquitunia. winch using; oil —lias equalled r heap e-ed of her coal-burning predecessor Mauretania, although she was designed for several knots less, and attained only lior designed •speed wh-.-n using coal. In the case of the Empress of Cnnadiu a speed of 25.7 knots lias been attained on the- Clyde measured mile, although such a speed was not thougut ol’ when the ord-v was placed. liy tire use of Oil a sir ad:.-r hen-1 oi st-e-.-ni was main-tain-d, and tli" machine.';.' installation c-etili i) mu, at a nnirorntly high pr- sure, uldl© there were no delays and iu> s!owiii- r d- vu la an - of poor fuel or the n--(-. 1 lor cleani 1 g out lire furnaces. Thus a ‘ liner -•-- - - ■ was to have been o 1 ir. ter modi ato speed hi- been found capable 1! need be, of taking n phi-.-e in the Iron! rank of highspeed vissols, ahri-.- Wiili tho g originally designed for such, high speed, and in which the rale in knots can only lie oh; a nr-d—with coal fuel at what is now a prohibitive cost.