New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-09
or,DPypIE SCREW STEAMSHIPS.


one of the most novel features Of the pro
ip,tod Curard steamers is that the power OF
their engines will be applied by means Of four
shafts. There are n number of twin screw
sbins I'm the Transatlantic service. Several war
vessels big and little, have three screws. The
o,iodrupla system will have its first trial in the
new liners about to be built under British au-
spices For its adoption the designers ofler an
excellent reason It is expected that the en-
gines will develop Mt least $1,000 horsepower
possibly more. If this amount were divided be-
tween three shafts, each would be Obliged TO
transmit much more than COCOON certain
emergencies fully $4,000 BY dividing the work
among four shafts each would be required TO
handle only from 10000 10 $4,000. The Lucania
and Camuania have engines developing 10000
horsepower. half of which is used with each
shaft The Deutschland similarly divides
10000 and the Kaiser Wilhelm ii 10000. Thus
it will be seen that there Is only n solitary
precedent for going beyond $4,000 horsepower.
When one pauses to consider what twist is
given 10 n tube of steel in communicating that
amount to screw propeller, he wonders that
the achievement is possible. The Cunard COM
pany's advisers argue moreover, that If one
shaft should he temporarily disabled during
voyage. the ship would lose, not one-third Of her
engine power. but 4 fourth. Indeed, a tur-
bine can stand considerable overload, the re
duction would probably not be even that much
In all craft hitherto equipped with Parsons
machinery there have been three shafts. and
the cylinders were arranged parallel with one
another. As all Of tho steam generated went
through every cylinder, there but n single
engine, technically speaking. In the Cunarders
there will be two engines. The outside shafts
will be rotated by high pressure cylinders. and
the inner ones by those IN which the later
pansion occurs. The exact size Of the screws
! has not been announced but Il number Of other
details are already available. The outermost
| shafts will reach further astern than the inner
two. that there viii be little chance OF inter
ference Again, while the shafts viii revolve
much faster than those OF the old type OF
marine engine they will move more slowly than
those OF the boats which went into service on
the English Channel last year. In the latter
from 800 TO 800 revolutions minute are made.
The advisory commission which has recon-
mended turbines for the new liners would not
favor more than 40 revolutions However the
screws VIII be so enormous that their outer
most edges viii have rotatory speed fully
equal TO that Of the Queens propellcrs.
The claims which have been made for economy
of space and fuel by the friends Of the turbine
are not fully substantated by the commission
That body anticipates only a trihng saving in
weight, and is alert to the possibility that this
may eventually disappear. As for the steam re-
CURED, 1t merely says that It is not safe to ex-
pect the same results observed in the channel
/ boats Furthermore, its proposals concerning
speed certainly very conservative. There
has been talk about 26 knots. All that
the company's advisers recommend is a mean
speed OF 24l5 knots I'm nil weathers. To secure
that they would require n showing Of % knots
on the trial. that a small margin of reserve
power may he left for a stormy passage. In
asmuch the Deutschland can now make near
y 23Ia knots and the Kaiser Wilhelm II n
fraction over that, It will he seen that the de-
signers Of the English liners cherish rather
modest ambitions, or else adopt an excessively
cautious tone. In any case. they probably real
ize how prOblematical is the issue Of the ex-
pertinent about to be tried.
At last accounts It had been decided TO make
the new ships 760 feet long but there was some
uncertainty whether the beams would be s. or
IS feet 1t will be seen that the 500 foot shin
is still matter Of the remote future. The pro-
jected Cunard vessels TO be only about 80
feet longer than the Oceanic and the Kaiser
wilhelm II, and from - to Il feet wider Off
hand, one would say that no attempt is to be
made to gain speed through increased SLENDER
ness. The chief reliance, evidently is upon the
wonderful power of the engines How fully
these hopes are to be realized the world will not
know for two three years