Evening star., 1899-11-25
each set has it's own water to work In. and
is undisturbed by the action of the others.
Vibration Done Away With.

| The turbine system possesses certain fea-
lures which it's inventor thinks of par
ucular advantage to torpedo boats One
of these is, OF course. the high speed pos
sibie. Another is the light weight of the
engine room mechanism and the conse-
quent light draught of the vessels, as well
as the possibility of carrying more weight
in the form of armament Another is the
complete freedom from vibration All
those who have ridden on the Turbnia
agree in say ing that there is less vibration
on board her than in any other vessel they
| have ever known. In fact. Mr.. Parsons
claims that the very slight vibration
noticeable in the TuEbinia was due to the
action of her air-purnp engine, which was
OF the Old style reciprocating type. In the
viper this has been replaced by turbine
driven air pumps, so that the inventor is
confident that in the new vessel there will
be complete absence of vibration. 1t is
easy to understand that this is a matter
of the greatest Importance in launching a
| torpedo or firing guns
The one point to which the opponents of
the turbine have chung is the assertion that
with the terrific speed which it imparts it
Will be impossible to reverse vessel SO
quickly as can be done with those of less
speed OF course, it is a matter cf prime
importance that a torpedo boat destroyer
should he abe to stop, to turn and to run
away quickly. On the basis of the Tur-
binia's performances in this respect Mr..
Parsons is confident that the Viper will do
al! these things as well as any other ves-
sci, If not better.
OF course the only way to reverse any
ship is to set her propellers to revolving
! in a backward direction. On the Viper this
can be done to all intents and purposes in
stantly, and the fact that she carries four
screws to each propeller enables her to
overcome tie forward impetus more quickly
than can be done in the case of a vessel
with single screw propellers. Therefore, the
Viper can come to n stop as quickly as an
ordinary vessel, in spite of her greater for
| ward speed. and she can run backward at
a rate estimated by Mr. Parsons sixteen
knots per hour, or ra her less than half
speed. On the other hand the Niper's en-
glnes can be worked up to the top notch OF
efficiency much more quickly than those OF
| the ordinary type. She can go from d
| standstill to full speed in about thirty sec
onds, instead of in ten to fifteen minutes.
as is required by reciprocal ting engines. This
| is a factor in imparting agility which is of
the highest Importance.
An Event of Importance.
On all of these accounts the result of the
Viper's trial test will be looked upon with
the keenesc interest by all naval men. II
she proves a success it will mean that all
the torpedo boats and torpedo-boat destroy
ers in existence today, representing invest
ments OF hundreds OF millions on the part
OF dlferent governments, are put out OF
date by that very fact The usefulness of
such boats lies in being able to outrun and
outmaneuver all other crafts. AS soon as
This superiority disappears their usefulness
is gone
There is no reason to doubt that the Viper
will prove a success. Her builder is Sc
renely confident. Moreover, he asserts, not
without reason, that within ten years all
steamers travelling busy passenger routes
and making short jouraeys-such as cross
channel and coast boats-will be driven by
turbine motors.
The British government, too, seems to
have confidence in the new boat, for they
have already ordered another to be built
| on prac ctically the same plans. Evidently
the English naval experts believe that the
turbine vessel is the coming type and de-
sire TO be first in the field in securing rep
reSentatiYes of It