The morning call., 1891-04-19

have four of them with two sets of twin
screws. You can readily see that to carry
this extra machinery and at the same Tune
not decrease the freight ana passenger
carving capacity we must have some pretty
big sbjps In the Nnrmanla, our two engines
make a total of 70 500 horsepower. so if this
horse power were doubled the force at our
command would be very great.
"And as TO electricity as motive power,
Mr.. SchuTZ?
"Oh, you see | am not figuring on that,
but il will be all the better IN case We can
use electricity. The question with electri-
city is we do not yet know what its peculi-
arities ale and what it is capable of doing.
/ should not be surprised to see it adopted
in our Atlantic passenger ships almost at
any time, bat there are certain problems TO
be solved i'll electricity before we can use 1t
in big steamships as a motive power. We
must know that it is safe. That is the very
important question that has not yet been
satisfactorily answered. We must be able
to secure 1t at a reasonable expense. |
don't suppose that any of the great steam
ships lines would hesitate at few hundred
thousand dollars on every ship, but the
cost of the original plant is not the thing
that they would hesitate at. What could it
be run for, and what room would the manu-
featuring parapheTnalia take up III the ships
hold? II il would occupy mere room than
the machinery now in use, that would b.
very bad, but it is more than likely it would
take much less space, and every foot of
Snace on Il big ship has its value. Even
though electricity would cost US much more
than the present system of motive power,
if we could make faster time and be assured
that il was safe we would adopt it. We
can't experiment with electricity, which is
an unknown power to great extent as yet.
on one of our bic vessels out IN the middle
of the Atlantic, where IL might kick up Just
like an untractable horse. l believe Gle
time will come, though, when electricity
will be used as the motive power on our
great railroads and steamship lines. But
until we get it we cannot stand idle, but
will 90 on improving and perfrctlng our
machinery now in use. We have landed
passengers from New York in London in
seven days and in Hamburg in eight days.
Ten years from now we may be able to land
passengers in London in say four days and
in Hamburg in five days. | believe in fast
two days | would favor 1t"
And as to the danger Of the speeding of
steamships ."
There is just as much danger in running
at the rate of fifteen or eighteen knots an
hour as twenty knots, the fastest runs yet
made by our steamships. Twenty-Five knots
al hour is the possible speed of the future.
There has been much talk about iCebergs
that have been floating in the path OF the
passenger steamers and of the alleged dan
ger Of fast running in connection with them,
but where a ship is provided with twin
screws there is really little danger. You
will remember the NOrmania'S experience.
She was headed right for a mammoth ice
berg, but with the twin screws ana her
powerful rudderS she was turned right
about when within a Shin'S length OF the
berg. OF course when l say L believe In
faster time | want all the mechanical i'm
provements to keep pace.