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492 stantial - scale with a view to insuring the satisfactory operation of the ship under all. circumstances. For the full length of the boiler rooms, two suction and filling mains, of 8-inch bore, are fitted, one port and one starboard. In each boiler room, these mains are cross connected, and in addition suitable shut-off valves are provided, so that the system in one boiler room can be entirely isolated from any other boiler _ room, How Liner is Bunkered Special attention was also given to the bunkering arrangements, so as to insure that the minimum of time will be required to bunker the vessel. Each boiler room is provided with two 8-inch filling pipes from the working deck, one port and one starboard. These pipes communicate with the suction mains. ('Special filling compartments have been arranged on "E" deck, where the connections for couplings to the tank steamer or shore hose are fitted. These compartments are entirely sepa- tate from adjoining accommodations, so that should any oil escape from the save-all trays which are fitted under the valves and strainers, the oil will not be free to spread over the deck. On 'each. side of the ship;. there are four connections for bunkering pur- poses. -- Precautions have been taken to elimi- nate all possibility of overfilling the tanks. A special arrangement of air and overflow pipes has been installed by means of 'which should any tank be inadvertently overfilled, the oil overflow into one of the storage tanks specially arranged for this purpose. An overflow storage tank is provided in each group of tanks in each boiler room, port: and starboard. With the arrangement of overflow pipes and tanks, a sequence of tank-filling must be ad- hered to. These overflow connections, however, are only fitted as a safeguard should the other means provided for ening. the quantity | of oil in the tanks fail. Each storage tank is provided with a gage, supplied by Messrs. Kelvin, Bot- tomley & Baird, Glasgow, Scotland. By means of these gages, the depth of oil and quantity of oil in the tanks can be noted at any time. It is usual to fill the tanks to 95 per cent of their capacity, and this quantity is indicated on each gage. In addition to these gages, electric float alarms are fitted, so that when the 95 per cent capacity Ievel 15 feached, a bell rings. No sounding pipes are fitted in any of 'the oil tanks. To insure that the oil will run freely from the tanks in cold weather, or when heavy oil is being used, heating coils are fitted in all the side bunker will © THE MARINE REVIEW tanks and in the double bottom tanks, but not in the cross bunker tanks, where it is considered the heating of the adjacent boiler rooms renders heat- ing coils unnecessary. From the storage tanks, the oil is pumped by large, vertical, direct acting pumps of Weirs' design to the settling tanks. Two of these transfer pumps are fitted in each boiler room, those in No. 4 boiler room being of 70 tons per hour capacity each, and those in the other boiler rooms of 100 tons per hour capacity each. The capacity of each settling tank is such as to insurd 1¢ hours' supply for three double-ended boilers, so that about 15 hours will be allowed for the settling of the oil in one tank while the other tank is in use. To facilitate separation of water from the oil; heating coils are fitted in these tanks. Gages and electric float alarms are also fitted to the settling tanks. The removal of the settled water from the tanks is done by the transfer pumps, for this purpose, so arranged that it will not be possible for the pumps to draw oil from the settling tanks and discharge it overboard. Precautions Against Fire From the settling tanks, the oil pressure pumps take their supply through suction strainers, discharging through the heaters and discharge! filters to the burners in the furnaces. A ring main is fitted in each boiler room to which each pump unit is connected. An emergency connection is also 'made to this ring main so that the pressure pumps can draw direct from the oil storage tanks. Special attention has been given to the fire extinguishing arrangement in the boiler room. With a view to speedy detection of oii on the dotble-bottom tank tops, a special skeleton arrange- ment of stokehold flooring has been fitted. Broad working gangways have been fitted in front of the furnaces, but these gangways are kept well clear of the bulkheads, leaving an open space to view the tank top and oil gutters. No wood has been used in the con- struction of the flooring. The electric wiring of the boiler rooms has been rearranged to suit the altered conditions. The ventilation of each boiler room, auxiliary machinery: room, passage, fan flat, tank tops, etc., has been thoroughly considered. Addi- tional ventilating fans and trunks have been fitted. For raising steam from cold boilers, a motor-driven pump is fitted in one boiler room. When re- quired, power can be obtained for this pump from the emergency lighting set on the ship, or from shore current supply. Hand operating, steam raising pumps are titted in each of the other which have special connections | September, 1920 boiler rooms. Special gas exhausting nozzles and pipes with connections to the oil suction mains have been fitted to remove dangerous gases from- the storage tanks before these are en- tered for inspection. Critics of the steamship companies which have shown the courage to tury the greatest express transatlantic liners into oil burners declare that the oil supply of the world is not adequate to meet the present. and future demand and, therefore, it is unwise for the merchant marine to place its entire dependency upon this form of bunker. ~ These critics have been answered by William Albert White, the inventor and engineer who supervised the work on the Oxrympic, and whose patent devices were installed on the Aourranta. It was largely upon the advice of such engineers as Mr. White, that the Cun- ard and the White- Star lines con- sented to withdraw their prize ships from service for nearly a year go that they could be converted to oil burners. Mr. White declares that the produc- tion of fuel oil is assured in adequate quantities. In a formal statement he issued through the White Star Mr. White - said: "Take the Tampico district of Mexico alone with a known petroliferous area of 12,506 square miles, of which not more than 2 per cent has been devel- oped, and yet this development has in- creased the production from 78,110,000 barrels of 42 gallons in 1911, to 278- 160,000 barrels in 1915, with only an eccasional dry well. While this is the amount of production, only a small portion, 13 per cent, or about 36,000,- 000 barrels is being exported, due en- tirely to the shortage of transportation facilities. As these facilities can and are being increased, just so fast will cil fuel be adopted. "The fuel oil developments of the world are considerably in excess of the amount of oil exported, due entirely te. the lack of transportation: ~ This may be readily demonstrated by taking Mexico alone, of the western hemi- sphere, disregarding California, Texas, Oklahoma, and last but by progress not least, Peru and Venezuela, of which large areas are petroliferous, and the figures are staggering. line, Lack of Tanker Tonnage "The present daily potential produc- tion of Mexico, but not exported, is around 762,080 barrels, or 278,160,000 barrels a year, equaling 42,100,000 tons. and this out of a very small percentage of the petroliferous area of Mexico alone. To handle this quantity. would require eleven 10,000-ton tank ships to sail daily from the ports of Tampico - and Tuxpam.. Give each ship an aver-