New-York tribune., 1903-04-23
THE LIMITS or OCEAN SPEED.

Few people expected the Kaiser Wilhelm IL
to surpass all records for speed by the brevity
of the time in which she accomplished the TRIP
lust ended. The weather at this season is not
so favorable to fine performances as it is in
June or July Owing to the unusual abundance
of icebergs in the North Atlantic this spring she
took longer course than would have otherwise
been deemed necessary. What is still more i'm
portant is the fact that new steamships rarely
reveal their full powers until they have been
in service several weeks and the bearings
of their machinery have become worn
enough to correct defects in original adjust
ment Before the season of 1903 is far ad-
vanced the newcomer may demonstrate her su-
periority over all rivals; but It would have been
unreasonable TO look for such a showing just
now
With every fresh accession to the number or
fast liners in the Atlantic service the question
Of further improvement in speed comes up. 1t
is raised on the present occasion by the presi-
dent of the North German Lloyd Line and by
the director general of the company which built
the new vessel, both of them well qualified, of
course TO understand what they are talking
about. These men are pessimistic in regard to
the future AS yet they are not in position 10
say how much has been gained by giving to the
Kaiser Wilhelm II engines of 10000 horsepower,
or from 1000 to 1900 more than the Deutsch-
land and the Kronprinz Wilhelm. They do feel
warranted in asserting though, that $1,000
horsepower would be necessary for 241a or %
knots, and 100, 900 horsepower for 26 knots, TO
say nothing of possible changes in model. Other
shipbuilders, who know that an enormous in
crease in engine power is requisite to effect even
a small improvement in speed, will doubtless
sympathize with these views to some extent.
Moreover, the difficulty which the Cunard COM
pany has encountered in eliciting tenders for its
proposed % knot steamships is not without sig
nif1cance.
Nevertheless. these German experts may pos
sibly have been too conservative. Apparently
they have ignored the possibilities of the water
tube boiler and steam turbine. They might well
do so, because neither device has yet been tried
in vessels like those under consideration. The
turbine has been introduced only on few tor
pedo boats, private yachts and two or three
small passenger steamers The first venture
with it on the English Channel is TO be made
this summer. No one can tell how satisfactory
it will prove for larger craft. Indeed. in actual
practice it has some drawbacks-amo them
difficulty in reversng-which excuse the present
reluctance to employ the turbine on a big
scale. Water tube boilers have had more ex-
tensive test, almost exclusively in the navy; and
the results are not such as to convince disinter-
ested engineers that perfection has been reached.
Both Of these types of mechanism are likely to
undergo distinct Improvement, and it is impos
sibIe to say how much this change will affect
the sentiment Of shipbuilders. Already, however,
their Ughtness and cOmpactness are famous.
Filling the same space as that now occupied by
the old motive equipment, water tube boilers
and steam turbines together would probably
give from % to 40 per cent more power. Should
the claim that some Of the turbines now running
in electric light stations show a marked econ
omy IN coal consumption be established, there
would be an additional reason for their use on
steamships. The world may yet see 25-knot
and 26-knot merchant vesselsi