The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-05-03
GAS ENGINE wARsHIPs.
Nixon Says They Are the Vessel Of the
Future.

The possibilities OF gas as proPeilins
mower for warships are being seriously
discussed by builders and naval archl'
tects both here aud abroad, Lewis Nixon
has stated that the plans are practically
finished Tor Il torpedo boat destroyer oil
only G25 tons with 1900 horsepower that
will be able to keep at top speed oil ~
knots across the ocean. MIR. Nixon says
that the fourday boat at last had become
feasible through improvements that have
been made within three years IN gas en-
pines. Mr.. Nixon is president of the
STANDARD Motor company, which has lts
plant in Jersey City, and which has begun
10 erect a large plant ut Iottenville TO
take care of the marine branch oil its
work He declares that gas Is bound 10
replace steam as motor power III shlps
and that the plan of those who are be-
hind him is TO demonstrate positively
through the construction OF the torpedo
boat destroyer whose plans have Just
reached the finishing stage that not only
is a four.day boat feasible but that gas
as a motor power is applicable.
The machinery in the destroyer that has
been planned will weigh, he says, only
2lO tons. 1t will have 10000 horsepower,
He declares that he can produce 3O,OW
horsepower with only 500 tons weight OF
engines including gas plant, and that
only $50 tons OF fuel, crude petroleum,
will be required to make speed OF from
30 TO 30 knots for 5000 miles. lie y
certain that the gas engine in large boats
has passed the experimental stage. Capi'
tai he declares, is about to demonstrate
this fact. One advantage OF tins form oil
propulsion is that there will be no boil
ers, no condensers, no ashes, no pressure
on pipe lines, no forced draught blowers,
T..
ing BY no stocking OF furnaces ana no
smoke. The machinery will weigh prob
ably less than one-fourth Of the present
machinery OF steam propelled vessels, ana
will also give much more room Tor cargo
In the matter OF expense for fuel there
will be tremendous saving. Commander
4. Il, Willis of the navy, an authority
ON the subject, recently has prepared
paper in which he says;
Steam installation ailoat has about
reached the upper limit OF its efficiency;
Supplementing this, Mr. Nixon sad:
There is nothing experimental IN this
application OF gas engines to boats. III
is simply a transfer to maritime con
ditions; that is all
Furthermore. paper read before the
Institution OF Naval Architects IN Lon
don. Yesterday, predicted that warships
in the future would be propelled by gas
engines instead of steam. This would
make possible the doing away with fun,
nels, 50 that all big guns could be fired
through much greater arc than at pres
ent. Boilers would also vanish. 1t was
stated that Nickcrs Sons 4 Maxim after
three years continuous research work, had
perfected a system OF gas machinery Tor
propellng ships, the engine being OF the
| familiar internal explosion type. The nrm
had already designed such vessel with
ont tunnels. While her dimensions are
moderate. she is specdier than any exist
ing battleship. She carries battery more
uow.rful than the Dreadnoughts. since
all her 10 guns can be fired on either
bram. and six of them ahead or astern.