The evening times., 1899-12-06
ENGLISH TORPEDO BOATS.
ieut. H. r. Norton Refused Informa-
tiOn About the New DestrOyers.

Lieut.. HI. r. Norton Refused InfOrma-
tion About the New DestrOyers.
Lieut. Harold P. Norton, United States
Navy Inspector Of Machinery for the Urtted
States cruiser Albany. at the Armstrong
shipyards. Newcastle-on-Tyne. England
has been having a hard time OF 1t trying
to get some detailed information about the
torpedo boat destroyers Turbinia and Vi
per. which have been advertised as the
most wonderful vessels ever designed In
regard to speed. He was permitted to
inspect the engine and the boiler rooms
of the Turbinia, but not to see them while
the vessel was running and he had to be
satisfied with walking around the outside
of the building where the turbines for the
destroyers were being built. He was not
even allowed to look through the doors.
Lieutenant Norton was promised by Mr..
Parsons. the inventor of the turbines, that
he should have a chance to witness run
of the Turbinia or one of the large boats.
but the promise was subsequently with
drawn.
Lieutenant Norton managed to get con-
siderable Information, however, which Is
contained In a report to the engineer-fe-
chief of the Navy. The turbines, he says, are
placed very low down In the Turbinfa, and
all the platforms are above them and very
much cramped. The heat being all below
the platforms makes the engine room very
uncomfortable. He was informed that 1t
was almost unbearable. The air pump Is
driven by an ordinary steam engine which
is not Of good design, and whenever the
boat has been In use 1t has caused a
great amount Of trouble. The thrust is TAX
en- up In collars inside OF the turbine case.
working in an oil bath with forced lubri-
cation. There is a small Worthington
pump, the same as used In the United
States service launch. for circulating the
oil and keeping it COOL The turbines will
not reverse and this difficulty has caused
some accidents in the case Of the Turbinia.
as 1t is impossible for her TO go astern
Lieutenant Norton had a chance to ex-
anime the boiler very carefully and he ex-
presses the opinion that large part Of the
success of the Turbinia Is due to her having
boiler that could furnish adj the steam
that the turbines could use and considers
that nearly as good. II not quite as good.
results could have been obtained with the
same boiler and a well balanced recipro-
eating engine.
Mr. Parsons furnished some figures about
the Turbinia, In part as follows: Total
WSi6ht VI iuoAh cu6iucs, touS 10 aohuSo"
weight; total weight machinery and boil
ers. screws, shafting, tanks. ETC.. - tons;
weight Of hull. Is tons; coal and water.
Z 1-2 tons: total displacement. A IL tons:
maximum mean speed on the measured
mile, 37.76 knots: maximum speed reached.
"a 1-2 knots, maintained for four onsecutive
hours; calculated propulsion horse power at
81 knots, 9S0.''
Lieutenant Norton includes In his report
a letter from Mr.. Parsons containing a
comparison Of the United States destroyers
now building and the two British turbine
destroyers. Il notice that in the United
States destroyers. says Mr.. Parsons. "a
horse power OF 5000 is specified with a to-
tai weight Of heading Of 19O tons. In our
destroyers We have guaranteed $500 and
expect to reach u, 900 and total weight Of
heading of 0tons. Our boilers are about
10 per, cent net, Jess both in heating and
CRATE surface. than yours. The displace-
ment Of our destroyers will be about $40 to
800 TONS"