Show SUPPLY OF OIL OL IS ISi SMALL i COMPARE COAL ti WIT Oil Oi Used Alone W Would uld B Be Exhausted in 9 Years Coal in Years George Otis Smith director of or the United States geologist survey surey has re- re recently pointed out the fact that in considering how the world may best manage Its Is power load some Home aid may be found in a few comments comments com com- ments on the differences between these 0 three sources of energy water coal 11 and and oil 01 Man has learned how to harj harness har- har j ness flowing water with great but even in Europe and North America only about one fifth of the potential power has ha yet been devel devel- To that extent only have we succeeded In borrowing the might of i he elements for tor the use and convenience of man but we may expect our rivers to take on an even larger share o of the base load in any power program that seeks to conserve the M supplies in coal oil oi and men Of course even with wih the wisest utilization Ion tion coal must again take up the tho buren buren bur bur- en as full ful development of water ater pow pow- or r Is approached for coal is the worlds world's real reat source of heat and power and the tie largest development of water pow pow- rs i-rs rs is practicable only with coal pow pow- r as the dependable standby ever td to meet promptly any special 1 t OH 01 and natural gas are the popular I fuels regarded as highly efficient bei be- be i i i ause ig e easily they fl are nos produced preeminently l easily u labor transport transport- p savi sav- sav i d d and and easily used As source of pow pow- I 0 rr r these fluid fuels prevent a marked I- I with wih water Hydroelectric ergy Is even more easily distributed nd used but water power develop develop- ent involves large capital outlay and andi i i any national emergency no quick 1 i In water power is possible I lae water power projects planned to i icet leet the power needs discovered in the i ourse urse of our wartime expansion of in- in are even now hardly under way 1 ut when the large necessary necessary invest invest- i 1 lent of labor and material Is once 1 i lade In water power the output of 1 continues for generations Oil 1 nd gas on t the contrary are al developed d and quickly exhausted Already we realize that natural gas I tle Ideal fuel Is a resource so temporary tempo tempo- that Us Its use forms merely an in- in 1 i ident in industrial progress it has 1 lieen a wasted as well as a wasting wel a The sorry lesson we have I learned in natural gas may have Its value alue Uwe apply the truth to our use 1 I of If oil 01 Unless we check the increase a the consumption n of oil 01 it too will wi 1 Ue te but a flash in the pan If I we leave the world point of view for Tor a n moment and look at the power vew 1 In our own country we are able to see In more detail the relative 1 position of or water coal coal and oil 01 as sources of energy Millions of horse horse- thousands S d of billions I n of f tons and de billions of barrels a are the h measures meas- meas ures Ires of our nations nation's naton's wealth in these hee resources yet et no comparison Is possible except as we reduce rEduce these mils to a common denominator something more expressive of true value alue which which is their use by man In- In leed such statistics of or quantity are oo 00 large to be grasped unless we them into some kind of naTional na- na Jonal units To To compare these three resources 1 present hen we ret total r power start r with requirements u the em country's If vye we take horsepower as an J Average figure for the potential water ower of the United States tates without storage we find that if U fully developed ed edl l' l Hid if used a at the average a load fac- fac ya U dlO f t or of today y our rivers and streams ea I Just about meet the countr country's s resent needs and would supply that mount Amount of power for all al time more more- Ver er With wih storage and an improved pad factor they could provide a con con- Increased output of energy 0 o meet the growing demand If Ieh however i we e should 1 mr put the burden o on our coal mines s not even n the water power now used g ido re would find I that by adopting the iest steam practice of today the pres- pres nt mt power requirements of this coun- coun ry could be met with coal for ears lears although we know that long iong be- be 2 ore the end of that period O Oh the h greater erh af of the coal mines and n their h Jn- Jn distance from market would done ilone create power demands for ng and transportation that would cut down the amount of ower available for other uses The comparison becomes more ng and Instructive when we consider he adequacy of the petroleum re- re erves of the United States to drive he prime movers moers of the country Again adopting the best steam practice ol oj oday as known in the largest public utility stations where fuel fue oil 01 la b bcd used cd I and trying to carry the whole power load of the country with wih oil 01 alone wo we I find that that the oil 01 reserves of the United United Unit Unit- ed States although measured by bil billions bl- bl lions lons of barrels would last only nine 1 years and three months al al- al for the fact that steam steam raising for power Is but one of the many uses of coal oa these two W figures years J and nine l and one fourth n f years s are sufficiently Impressive to make us fairly receptive to the general truth of 1 Mr Eckel's Eckels Eckels statement In his recent rEcent book Coal Iron and War Yar We Ve have Just as much real rEal chance of r replacing coal by oil al as we have of en enough gold to use It In place of steel te teI Granted then nUS that we have not I enough oil 01 to permit its Is use where either coal or water power can be had we face the question queston of priority In use First In any priority list must stand essential uses In which there are no adequate substitutes In view of the rapid increase In the employment of machinery first thought should be given to the unique function of oil 01 that of saving power The world will wi always need a supply of lubricants and as the demand will wil be an Increasing ing one no adequate substitute for the lubricating oils and greases now de derived derived de- de rived from petroleum appears to be available I t A |