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Charles F. Richardson—Powerful Mississippi River Towboat—Equipped with Mechanical Stokers for Firing Coal echanical Firing Cuts Fuel Bill Uniform Pressure Maintained HE inefficiency and the incon- i venience of hand firing have had the direct effect of dis- placing coal as fuel, particularly in marine work, in spite of the fact that on the basis of heat units it is the cheapest fuel. There are many in- dications that this condition will not continue. Much work is being done in a practical experimental way to solve the problem of mechanical fir- ing of coal on shipboard. These ex- periments are directed along two lines; the use of mechanical stokers and the use of pulverized coal. Many real problems have been met, partic- ularly in the application to the scotch marine boiler with its limited com- bustion space. Compared with locomotive applica- tions for instance, there has been but little headway made in the marine field in substituting mechanical means of firing in place of manual labor; and this regardless of the fact that in many instances greater economies are obtainable than in general rail- road practice. It is self-evident that The author, F. P. Roesch, is sales manager of The Standard Stoker Co. Inc., Chicago. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This article was pre- pared for MARINE ReEviEw at the suggestion of E. L. Lannert, deputy smoke commissioner, Cleveland. By F. P. Roesch PUUTUTTTTTRTOUTTTTRTCURETALETLUUEATLLULUCUOAUCLCLUCOAULUOCUUOARULLUUEGETALLUCUOAAULLLOOGALLUULLUGALLLULLGRLLLECO What the Owner Knows SOME of the practical advantages of mechanical firing are stated in a letter to the editor, dated May 13, 1929, from C. F. Richardson, president of the West Kentucky Coal Co., Pa- ducah, Ky., owner of the towboat C. F. RICHARDSON. He said in part: A material reduction in the fuel bill can be made for coal burning steam- boats by equipping them with mechan- ical stokers. This will reduce the num- ber of men employed and in addition it will be possible to burn 1%-inch screenings and still maintain masi- mum steam pressure at all times. The steam pressure recording chart on the river towboat C. F. RICHARDSON, on upstream towing, is just as good, if not better, than on any oil burning craft. This boat frequently makes a trip from Vicksburg, Miss., to Padu- cah, Ky., requiring 16 days’ time with a full tow, with the throttle never closed day or night, and it is very unusual to find a variation in the steam pressure of 15 pounds. I have paid special attention to the steam pressure charts, and frequently for several days on upstream towing, which is the most severe test that any steam operating craft can be put to, there will not be a variation in pres- sure of over five or six pounds during the entire time. PPRTPNORUOOUUUUUOUUITUUTTTTTOVOVCONCUOTUUUNTTUULOOTOUCUUUUUUUULUUCUUOGOCUUUUULLULLLULULIEAOCLUCLULLLULLLULCoo MARINE REVIEW—June, 1929 had the same thought and study been applied to marine equipment as_ to locomotive and_ stationary power plants a mechanical stoker would have been developed long ago that would meet the more exacting re- quirements of marine service. These requirements briefly are, a machine that will handle any grade of coal, that requires no skilled la- bor in its operation, that will insure full steam pressure under practically all operating conditions, that is as sturdy and reliable as any other part of the power plant, that will not take up valuable cargo space, that will not interfere with hand firing if necessary or desirable, and one that can be adjusted to supply and dis- tribute the coal regularly, evenly and lightly, and only as fast as consumed, thus insuring maximum evaporation per pound of coal fired with a mini- mum of smoke and ashpan losses. The accompanying illustration shows the river towboat C. F. RICHARD- SON, built by the John Ejichleay Jr. Co., Pittsburgh, for the West Ken- tucky Coal Co. The vessel was com- pleted in 1921 and is now in service on the Mississippi river between Vicksburg, Miss. and Paducah, Ky. Her principal particulars are: Length, 37