Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1903-12-28
Chicago Journal)

Chicago Journal)
(The facts given In this article
have been supplied by c. A. Parsons,
the inventor Of the new system).
A mile minute through the water
"a speed equal to that Of our fastest
express railway trains-would seem
to those unacquainted with the latest
developments in methods Of propn
sion TO be an absurd suFzestiOh.
That the idea Of twenty-6ve-mile
an-hour limit on the ocean may be
finally abandoned by the public, 1t Is
only necessary to state that a speed
OF fifty miles an hour has already
been accomplished. and that the ex
ira ten. can be added whenever 1t
is desired to add them. II is the tur
blne steamer which is doing all this
and that the turbine has come to stay
is sufficiently indicated in the facts
that II has already been fitted to many
ships OF war and passenger steamers,
and that now, at least, the Cunard
company Is considering the advis-
ability of putting thom into trans.
Atlantic vessels, ard with this OBJ
ject in view a commission is about
10 begin a full inquiry into the system
$4,000 Horse Power.
Already big firm OF engineers has
offered to ft on board the huge Gun.
arders which are just about TO be
built turbine engines which will de
velop $4,000 indicated horsepower on
a coal consumption of only 1856 tons,
as against 6,S64 tons required by the
use Of reciprocating engines. These
turbines would reduce the Atlantic
passage to 1904 hours or twenty-five
less than Mt present
This. how ever. is considered by the
most competent authorities to be con.
siderably within what is practicable
at the present moment. II Is pre-.
ferred 20 advance gradually and sure.
ly in matters OF this kind, which WHY
revolutionize existing systems, but
there Is really no doubt whatever
that vessel could be built straight
away which would reduce the Atlantic
passage to between three and three
and half days. which would take
three or four days of the passage to
the Cape. FIVE or sly OF that to Hong
Kong. a week or more 10 Australia
and generally effect further shrink
age OF the world the results Of which
would be OF such farreaching char
acter that as yet they can hardly ba
imagined with any degree Of accuracy
what a Turbine ls.
The average person who has little
or no acquaintance with mechanical
engineering matters has still but the
vRgucst notion OF what a turbine is,
II has been proved by experiment that
n ten average newspaper readers are
asked the question only two will be
able to give a proper answer, -four
others will be able 10 commit them.
selves as fa- as to say tAat II is a new
application OF steam power, while four
will declare II To bo a new power al
Osether--something on the lines of
a petroleum engine such as Is usually
fitted to the motor car, The word
turbine" sounds as II II stood for !,
kind OF oil or spirit. hence the con.
fusion OF the public mind.
A turbine would be described,
bluntly. In a small dictionary as a
horizontal water wheel and a water
wheel such as drives machinery OF
some mills In country districts, aud
which is familiar TO everybody. is
really nothing but water turbine.
The steam turbine, which is engaged
In upsettlng all preconceiyed ideas
about ocean voyages, is just the same
principle. save that steam takes the
place Of water, ard that It Is force Of
impact alone. and not force combined
with weight-as In the case OF the
water wheel-which makes the wheel
90 round In the middle OF the ship
there is a big drum placed which win
rOvOlye ON a central axle whence the