New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-04
TIE NEW CrNARD STEANSHIPS.

The decision Of the Cunard company to equip
fits long projected new liners with steam tur-
bines will probably not excite great surprise.
Within the last three years such engines have
demonstrated more fully than before their it-
ness for the merchant marine. Until 1901 no.
body knew what they could do at sea except
from their performance on tiny torpedo boat
destroyers, IN whose design everything was
sacrificed To speed. In that year an excursion
boat was built for the CLYDE, another followed
in 1902. md last year two or three larger
steamers began running across the English
Channel All OF these craft though small COM
pared with a Transatlantic liner, demonstrated
that better time could he made by n vessel OF
q given size, and with machinery occupying
no greater space, If turbines were substituted
for the old type Of marine engine.
These achievements coupled with the ire
mendous popularity Of the turbine for power
stations on land. produced two conspicuous ef-
fects. The naval authorities Of England. the
United States and Germany decided TO intro
duce engines OF this class on small cruisers
aud gunboats, and the great steamship compa-
MES also considered more seriously the wisdom
Of putting them into large vessels for trans
atlantic service The Allan Line formally con-
tracted n few months ago for such an equip
ment for the Victorian, it's newest and fastest
ship. The Cunard company appointed com
mission to make special tests (more particularly
with Channel boats, and on the strength Of the
report made by that body 1t is now positively
settled that the next pair Of vessels built for
that line will have turbines too.
The prime motive I'm designing these latter
ships IS to recover for England the glory of
owning the swiftest liners in existence. Both
Of the German companies have recently outdone
the best performances Of the Cunard and White
Star lines. The Lucania and the Campania
nOminally good for twenty-five knots and the
Majestic and the Teutonic for twenty-one, while
the Deutschland and the Kaiser Wilhelm IL
have greatly exceeded twenty three knots for
the whole OF a voyage. Patronage and mail con-
tracts have gone to the German ships in pref
crence TO the English in consequence of these
differences. What IS more, If Great Britain
should need 20 impress the Cunarders into SER
vice as auxiliary cruisers in time of war, the
military disadvantage of inferior speed would
be n serious matter. Hence the British govern
ment had special reason for promising hand
some subsidies to the Cunard company in case
it built ships that could develop twenty five or
twenty-six knots. Designers Of the old kind
Of marine englne-at least those in Great Brit
ain-felt that ii was almost n hopeless task
to continue along the old lines. They also
feared that the cost of operating a steamship
Of this kind would be so enormous rs to spoil
the profit. Even the builder Of the Kaiser Viii
helm II evinced disappointment Mt her behavior.
The latest vessel of the North German Lloyd
Company has engines with capacity of 10000
horsepower, and those of the Deutschland show
only $4,000. but the former beats the latter by
only a small fraction Of a knot. Almost the
only chance of recovering England's lost pres
tige, then, seems 10 be TO try the turbine.
One Improvement in the design of the new
ships will affect their model. They will be fifty
or seventy-fve feet longer than either the
Kaiser or the Deutschland, and only about
foot broader Slenderness promotes speed. The
greater length adds to the displacement, of
course. but it seems probable that engines will
he so planned as to have capacity of $1,000 or
GOOOO horsepower and it is not unlikely that
$4,000 may be attempted. 1t is also suggested
that perhaps the triple screw system will be
resorted 10 in place of the twin screw. If,
is customary with the best liners now running,
the power is divided equally between the shafts,
each unit in the Cunarders might be called on
TO exert from 10000 TO $4,000 horsepower. The
biggest single turbines planned for power sta
tons on land will develop only 5000 or 5000
horsepower. The engine Of the Queen, in the
Channel service. has a capacity OF nearly 10000,
and that Of the Victorian ALLAN Line is ex-
pected to yield 1000 horsepower. Mr.. Par
sons expands his steam in three separate cylin-
ders in his marine engines, and he puts these
side by side. Three shafts therefore
CURED for what is technically a single motor.
If he follows that practice in the new Gu