16 



T H K CUB A R K V I E ^^• 



Storage IMant in Construction at Isabella de Sagua, Texas Co. 



quantity of oil equal to that paid liy tlie ton of coal. Tliis marked the actual 

 commencement of the activity of the various Northern oil companies in extending 

 their services to the furnishing of fuel oil and of those supplies necessary for the 

 installations required in the use of this fuel. 



At this date, however, and, in fact, even at the present time, the various oil 

 companies doing business in Cuba were crippled because the United States Govern- 

 ment was using their tank steamers, but as soon as possible thereafter the erection 

 of tanks was begun, tank cars were brought into the Island, receiving and service 

 stations were established, and the necessary conditions for giving the required 

 service were Iteing completed. "Chaparra" and '•Delicias" had been using oil for 

 the past two crops, and a very large number of mills are either now using oil 

 or are making the installations required to this end, and all indications point to 

 the fact that for the next crop fully 75% of Cuba's mills will be using oil to a 

 greater or less extent in their factories, while it would seem that in all prob- 

 ability all our mills will be using oil in their locomotives for plantation service. 

 The increasing scarcity and high price of wood is also one of the factors which will 

 cause many of our mills to use oil to eke out their supplies of bagasse. 



The practical experience of some of our mills in the use of oil as fuel has 

 shown that care is necessary and that the intelligent installation of the burners 

 is essential. In more than one of our mills during the past crop which used oil as 

 fuel, the flame was directed from the burners in such a manner as to come in 

 contact with the crown sheets of the boilers, with the result that the extremely 

 high temperatures developed rapidly burned them out, thus compelling the cessation 

 of ojierations and resulting in considerable damage and loss in more than one 

 instance. Prac-tical experiment, however, has given the knowledge necessary to 

 avoid such difficulties in the future. 



The advantages to be derived from the use of oil as fuel are almost self evident. 

 Ease of transportation, ease of handling, especially easy and compact storage, clean- 

 lines? of combustion resulting in no ashes, and ease of operation are among the 

 principal advantages to be derived from the use of oil as fuel. The saving of 



