The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-08-11


When the attention OF engineering
experts was first drawn to the 9casi-
bllities OF the steam turbine. As Hts
trated BY the British torpedO boat de-
strcyers Viper and Cobra. its CHEZ
merit was the high power developed IL
proportion 70 the space occupied py
the machinery. II now seems prcb1e-e
that. under certain conditions. Afr. par
sons famous device will exhibit an a.
ditional virtue-economy In ruel coa-
sumption A large engine OF this klne
has recently been installed ID an
electric light station in Hartford
Conn. and The Iron age learns tnat
the new motor develops A horsepower
FOR every one and one-fourth pounds q
coal burned The significance Of that
statement viii be better appreciates
when one remembers that the best
compound condensing engines OF the
reclperocating type. in service on
steamships and IN Waterworks. call for
al least one and oEe-half pounds while
IN many power plants fully three
pounds Of coal are consumed hourly
for every horsepower. In making sueh
q comparison. il is desirable to know
something about the grade OF fuel used
Much depends. too. on the continuity
OF running. Again, saving may be
effected merely by careful stoking, and
IL is not incredible that the Hartford
experiment represents an effort TO
make record in that and other re-
Epects- All the same. there seems to be
d good prima facie case for economy.
If this is well backed up by later ek-
perience. the steam turbine viii have a
fresh claim to favor
IL has long been automatic in marine
practice that every steam engine has
one particular rate OF running at which
the development OF power is less ex-
pensive than at any other. .yith tor
pedo boat destroyers this happens to
be their maximum velocity. IN conse-
cuence. the Velox is to be provided
with two sets OF engines for cruising.
It follows that If the work which an
engine on land was called upon to do
was very variable the turbine might
not prove any more economical than
any other type. The demands made
upon an electric light station for cni-
rent 1uctuate widely in the course OF
day, and ten or fifteen years ago this
fact worried the managers of such
establishments greatly. A remedy has
been found for the evil. however. Stor-
age batteries now accumulate the en-
ergy when there is a surplus. and rein
force the dynamos when the require
ments are excessive. thus they
"equalize the load" and facilitate that
uniformity OF output on which econ
omy depends. An even bolder venture
than that in Hartford will be the in
stallation OF ten two thousand horse
power ste am turbines In the power
plant OF Mr.. Yerkes' underground cleo
tric roads In London. for which the
contracts have just been let. II this
experiment works as well as the other
the effect will be almost revolutionary.
Whatever b. the future of the steam
turbine on land, its popularity for
marine service is already pretty well
assured. The great saving of space
which it makes possible Is 6 much
greater advantage in the latter sphere
Of usefulness than in the former. That
recommendation alone is sure to be
highly influential. During the current
season the Parsons engine will be tried
on several new craft. Something like
half & dozen yachts are to be equipped
with It, at least one of them having
been ordered by an American. Refer
ence has just been made to the Velo1,
now in process Of construction. Nor is
1t any news that the success Of Kina
Edward on the Clyde last year has led
to the construction OF another small
passenger boat to be propelled by a
turbine. As yet the new motor hcs
not been put on board a vessel displac-
ing more than a few hundred tens I'm
til 1t has actually been tested on \ bla
liner the result cannot be predicted
with certainty, but strong hopes Of its
success are iustifed.-New York Tri-
bune.