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Converted Into Oil Burners '*NUSUAL interest attaches to | ) the conversion into oil burn- ers of two of the fastest ex- press passenger steamers plying the Pacific coast, the steamships Govern- or and President, of the Pacific Coast Steamship Co.'s fleet. - The signifi- . cance of this is that the owners of. - the steamships also own and operate euted service between Seattle and large coal mines, but after extensive experiments it was found that in view of the demand for the output of coal from other sources, the convenience of using oil would greatly offset the difference, and therefore the installa- s tion of oil-burning apparatus was or- dered. The change is significant. Al- ready the use of oil has been found to more than meet expectations, and although the cost of installation is heavy, the owning company believes that it will pay for itself. avithin, a short time. The Pacific Coast Sictinstip ee addition to the Governor: and ° Presi. : dent, last fall brought the new steam- er Congress from the Atlantic coast, she having been launched last May from the yards of her builders, the New York Shipbuilding: Co., Camden, N. J. Originally planned the Con- gress was to burn coal, but the plans were altered and the new vessel was turned out as an oil-burning liner, with a capacity for 7,500 barrels and a steaming radius of 4,200 miles. The Congress came to the Pacific via the Strait of Magellan last summer, and the use of oil was found extremely satisfactory and economical. She made the run from Philadelphia to San Francisco in 57 days, including stops at Trinidad and Taltal for re- plenishing the oil supply. Not once during the long run was it necessary to stop the engines on account of the fuel supply, and since arriving on this coast the big steamer, whose speed is 18 knots an hour, has been operating without the slightest trouble. Within a few weeks, however, the vessel will be withdrawn for some minor alterations, which will be done at the plant of the Seattle Construc- tion & Dry Dock Co. At the present time the steamship Governor, which is of the same type as the Congress, but slightly smaller, is being converted into an oil burner, the work to take from 45 to 60 days, costing from $30,000 to $40,000. ©The Governor's capacity will be 5,600 bar- A Number of Vessels on the Pacific Coast Have Undergone These Alterations rels, giving her a steaming radius of approximately 3,150 miles. The big liner will carry her fuel supply in the double bottom from which it is piped to the big settling tank installed in the place of the forward coal bunkers. The steamship President has re- San Diego, via San Francisco and San Pedro, after having had a similar installation made at the plant of the Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Co. This job was done on a _ contract working time of 35 days. In both vessels the Dahl high pressure me- chanical system has been installed, the work including all the necessary al- terations and the placing of pumps, heaters, strainers, gages, meters, etc. The President, which holds the rec- ord of 47 hours and 30 minutes be- tween San Francisco and Seattle,: has n° given much better service since she 'returned to the run, the installation of oil having added an average - of one knot an hour to: her" speed. "Round V ovage~ Every. Two Weeks The steamship route from Seattle to San Diego and return via the usual ports of call measures 2,623 miles, and these fast steamers make a round voyage in two weeks, including a stay of three days on Puget sound and two days at San Francisco. Their oil carrying capacity is sufficient for one and a half round voyages, but upon each call at San Pedro the oil tanks are illed up, "THis: is done* while the vessel is handling cargo, and in- volves no loss of time. Previously, the express liners took coal at the Seattle bunkers each voyage, carrying on an average of 1,350 tons for the round trip. This coaling operation re- quired nine hours and usually included several hours more of time wasted. Cargo could not be handled while coaling, so that the saving of time alone is no inconsiderable item, con- sidering that these vessels are oper- ating on a very fast schedule. Another advantage of the use of oil is the increased cargo space due to the elimination of the coal bunkers. In each of the three vessels men- tioned the added cargo space amounts to 600 tons, thus greatly increasing the earning capacity of the liners. One of the best features of the oil- burning system is the reduction of on. the "steam pressure is steady and it is ~ found that the machinery -- operates the engine room crew in both the President and Governor. Formerly the President carried a crew of 136, whereas she is now operated with a total of 115. This difference of 23 men is due to a reduction in the fire room force of 21 men and the elimi- nation of two men in the steward's department. This is a big item when the wages and subsistence of these men are considered, while the addi- tional space gained by the quarters formerly occupied by them is of much value. In vessels of the President and Governor type, operating constantly: at high speed, the elimination of coal has. still other advantages. When using coal it was always customary to clean fires every four hours when the watches changed. This resulted in a slight reduction of steam pres- sure, additional coal to makeup the loss, increased revolutions to keep up speed and consequent greater strain machinery. With oil the more steadily and smoothly with less wear. and tear. : Considering all these advantages, including the lesser fuel cost for each voyage of oil against coal, the oper- ating officials of the Pacific Coast Steamship Co. are greatly pleased with the change. Especially is this so since the President's speed has been increased .and it is expected that when the Governor returns to service next month she will show similar improvement. The engine room crew now numbers 23 as against 44. The Governor was built in 1907 at Camden, N. J., by the N. Y. Shipbuilding Co. Subsidiary companies of the Pa- cific Coast Steamship Co. own and operate large coal mines adjacent to Seattle, but the output is in great de- mand and the loss of the business formerly sold to the steamships has been overcome by demand in other directions. The conversion of these large passenger liners is believed to mark the last stand of coal on this coast where oil has superseded the use of coal in more than 90 per cent of the coasting vessels. Many fine vessels have been changed from coal to oil burners at the yard of the Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Co. during the past year.