OIL AS LOCOMOTIVE FUEL 107 



burning engine, regardless of whether it has the right of track or not 

 the train in question must take the siding so as to avoid any possible 

 chance of sparks or cinders from the coal burning engine being commun- 

 icated to the exposed cotton in the train being hauled by the oil burning 

 engine. 



Northern Pacific Railway Company. — It is my understanding that 

 we have yet had no case of fire set out by oil burning engines. 



Rock Island Lines. — Due to the increased cost of fuel oil, we are 

 now converting all oil burning locomotives back to coal burners ; 

 expect to have all our locomotives of the coal burning type by April 

 30th, 1913. 



The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway System. — ^As to the 

 territory in which both oil and coal are used we discontinued the use 

 of oil in Kansas and Oklahoma north of Ptircell and Shawnee, change 

 being necessary on account of our inability to secure a sufficient supply 

 of fuel oU. We have found the use of oil entirely satisfactory from a fire 

 preventive point of view. 



General Superintendent of Motive Power, Southern Pacific Co., 

 San Francisco, Cal. — Our experience has shown that the use of oil fuel 

 in locomotives greatly eliminates the danger, though not absolutely. 

 If masses of oil soot are allowed to accumulate in front end or passages 

 to stack, as is likely to occur when an engine is standing for some time, 

 we have known cases where pieces of carbon have been thrown out of 

 the stack in a burning condition. It does not often happen, however, 

 that this carbon ever strikes the right-of-way in such condition. In the 

 process of sanding, the accumulation of soot is driven out of the stack and 

 shows to be red hot at the point adjacent to the top of the stack. Red 

 hot sand cools very quickly, however, and does not reach the right- 

 of-way in a red hot condition. As a general thing, the fires caused by 

 coal burning locomotives result from masses of btiming solid coke 

 cinders, from coal burners. 



Our records show that in former times with coal burning engines, 

 our losses in damage claims from fires set by locomotives amounted 

 to an average of $100,000.00 per year, and sometimes in excess of that 

 figure. Since bvuning oil these damages have averaged from $4,000.00 

 to $7,000.00 a year. We have roughly, therefore, one-sixteenth the 

 amoimt of damage done by oU burners as compared with coal burners. 



In connection with this matter it shotdd be stated that proper 

 care should be exercised in oil burning matters, so that foreign sub- 

 stances such as sticks, waste, etc., may not be introduced into the 

 fire-box. Also that there should be a regular inspection made of 



