Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1898-04-28
ELECTRICITY AT SEA.
OUR GREAT STEAMSHIPS GUIDED BY
A FINGERS TOUCH,


- -, .,. Mo~,c tower
v,ootr,c C,rr.nt.
""""'' '"'"'. ~ r,. plan,
All signals 'er'is A"'''''
on the st. Paul.
r,o ,oo, ,,vster;es md the most in
..:. o,., ~ , o,.eot oceon steam.
'.ie''ins pa vs. w an,. aro 70 no fo,pd
snip vi 'i'o Pi.'
Ill two parts ol tno snip "i'iOiA ''''
are seldom able to get at
Here is the nerve center or 'he
Shin" said the officer as he stepped UP
on thc bridge. "and here day and night
,+,,ds ~. Officer. M, watch. during cvcry
minnie tbat sha Il; under way, posted
ON tho weather side and able with Il
torch and n plance to guido her, to
,,ovo lion. backward or forward. and to
i,rn,, ,ritbort ozl.ina whether each Of
lis orders il hainp ohoved promptly by
thc mon and mechanism toiling down
IN tho hold.
UfEcro ;, 10 continued. moving to
roo, tbn center. ,f the bridge. "is the
oloct,;c orronrclncnt lv which we
transmit our orders TO the engine room. &"
Tho device ,,on which he laid his hand
was Of brass ard was shaped like a
drum. sunported ON its side on brass
standard IN nloro Of the drumheads
wero Dlotcs of glass and behind these
wcre lettcred dials. on which were
marked tho orders Of the engineer. Han.
dies came nm tbrouyh slots in the ton Of
the dru,n and these moved. Indicating
points around the face of the dials.
zone of these dials carries orders for
tho movements Of the port engine. "said
tbe officer. "and ono for the starboard
epc;nc Move tho handles forward of
the center and the orders are for going
ahead. move them the other way and
they relate to the movements Of the en-
pines when reversed"
but suppose the wires are broken o.
the electric current docs not work--whI
them" the reporter asked.
"You see the second set of indicators
ON the dials?" he replied. 'When the
engineer gets an order he sets a simila.
dial in the engine room to the mark in.
dicatod and that second Indicator *
our dial goes around and stops at tho
signal Thus we know at a glance that
he has not only got the order, but that
he has got it correctly.
owe have, however another indicator
here" and he touched IL button which
lighted I'D a translucent dial Just under
the coping of the bridge bulwalll,
(which tells us at every moment lust
what the engines are doing"
This dial was perhaps a foot long and
narrow, with indicator point resting at
the time at a zero mark at its cento.
On either side were graduated scales
with numbers. 1.-The numbers, " the Of
fcer said, represent the revolutions
per minute which the screw is making,
and when the point goes over one way
the screw is working ahead, and when
it goes over the other way it is going
aback There is the other indicator fol
the other screw. All the signal appa.
ratus is in duplicate also"
Turning then, he pointed to an cleo.
tric button in the front of tho pilot
house. THAT blows the whistle" he /
said.
Then he nointed aft to yvhcra tho
whistle stands in front Of the forward
funnel and indicated two electro 1nar.
nets, which. when the current goes
through their wires draw omen this
whistle valve and let the steam into its
hoarsc throat
Within tho nilot borzc bo thor
another electric contrivauce
which, in connection with Il clock moyo. /