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BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Dec. 22, 1921 - Commuters will not have to shovel any more coal nor take any more ashes to the pit, if the prophecy comes true which Mr. J.A. Larocca, a combustion engineer, made here.
He was addressing the New Haven section of the American Chemical Society, a feature of whose special meeting was an address by Mr. Larocca on "Fuel Oil and Some of its Applications."
"The transportation of coal," he said, "is a very big problem, and both the apartment house owner and the man who has his own house find this problem becoming a more difficult one. Oil is more easily handled and takes a great deal less space. It can be put in a tank in the cellar and then fed to the furnace by a simple pump or by gravity. Any furnace can be modified for oil burning. The addition of a fan to aid combustion and a thermostat will make the outfit complete and automatic. Some industrial plants are using oil burning furnaces in various parts of the country, hotels and apartment houses are also employing them.
"It seems to me" continued Mr. Larocca, "that the average commuter should hail the oil burning furnace as a boon. Instead of shoveling on the coal, all he would have to do would be to let the oil flow. This is certainly an automatic way of feeding a furnace, or rather, giving the furnace a drink. One great advantage of the new way is that the householder would have no ashes to sift nor will there be any to dump in his back yard. When he wants a new supply of fuel he can have it without running the risk of having his wife's tulip beds run over by a heavy truck. The oil tank wagon which is equipped with a long hose can keep its distance. He can get the fuel inside his cellar without a shower of black dust and the rumble and rattle of the chute. If the fuel arrives on wash day he can also be sure that the clothes on the line will not be encrusted with black diamonds. Certainly cleanliness and comfort will come from the continued use of oil as a fuel for furnaces."