Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-08-13
SMOKELESS WARSHIP
SWIFT, NoIsELEss FIGHTING VESSEL PREDICTED AN
GINsER--WHoLE DECK

War vessyi. OF TIE future viii he |
swift, s:lci.e!csE. noiseass the craft |
lying low il the water, with every |
vulnerable part below the water line |
the entire deck Icing given over to the I
work of the guns. There will be no !
smoke because there will he no smoke |
stacks. In the nighttime there will |
be nothing to betray the presence OF
this invincible fighting demon TO the
enemy
This prediction was recently made by |
Robert Haywood Fernald, mechanical |
engineer, who has for several years
been connected with the fuel inyesti-
cations of the United States geological
survey in behalf of the governments
campaign for the conservation of the
natural resources of the country. Mr..
Fernald believes that the gas engine
or internal combustion motor. as it is
called by engineers, will be installed in
naval vessels of the United States
within the aeXt few years.
The purpose OF the government has
| been to develop the gas engine as Il
| means Of conserving the coal supply.
Experts declare that if the present in
crease in consumption keeps up the
| better part of the coal Will he gone be-
| fore the close of the next century and
| that the nation will long before that
| feel the effects of Il waning supply.
The government itself spends $4,000
| 600 yearly for coal. aud it was primdri-
| ly to get the best results from this OK
/ pendture that the investigation of the
| gas producer and gas engine was taken
up.
| Il expect to see the United States
| ahead of every other nation i'll this in
I novation." said Mr. Fernald. The gas
| engine. in my opinion. is feasible on
| any vessel because of its economy over
the steam engine, but it is, especially
desirable Oh the fighting ship for the
| reason that it makes no smoke. The
gas is generated in producer, which
has no chimney and needs none. The
coal is turned directly into gas, which
goes straight to the engine.
THE smoke nuisance has been scri-
Gus problem to the navies of the world
for Il number of years. In the day
time the presence Of an .enemy's ship
| has been discovered miles away by the
smoke from it's stacks, and in the night
flames from the tops of the stacks
have spoiled many Il well laid plan Of
attack.
1.-THE elimination of the smoke is
sufficient to cali for the installation
of the gas engiae yet there are many
other features in its favor. The vessel
would have free deck for tile play
of it's big guns. There would be no
towering stacks to puncture or destroy,
thus perhaps crippling the boat Then
It would be unnecessary to carry as
much coal, for the same power can be
dcyloped with one-third less than the
steam engine uses. The gas producer
and the gas engine would take up less
room and weight than the same power
Scotch boiler and steam engines. If ii
!, were necessary it would be possible to
carry more coal, which would give the
vessel Il radius of travel far greater
than ut present
"Of course | do not expect to see gas
engines confined to the use Of the
: navy. The fact that it shows econ
omy will compel IL. installation in al
sorts of vessels. One of the big items
of expense TO the modern ocean linci
!, is its coal bill. These vessels will con
sumo 10000 tons of high grade coal oil
: "a round trip. With the gas engin,
this could be reduced TO 6,000 or 1.00t
tons, saving of several thousand dol
lars.
/ ''0he of the big steamship companie!
j of the great lakes is. about to max,
the initiative in this movement Pian
J have been made for a freighter tina
will use-a 1000 horsepower gas engine
This company is not making the OK
y pertinent because of the smoke fron
the stacks of its vessels. but TO demon
u strate the economy of the gas engin
i ever the steam engine. At present thi
$ concern is paying So ton for Goa
and its managers figure considerable
U saving If the gas engine proves sue
T. cess in marine work, and | see no rea
d son why it should not Already til
marine type. of, gas engine has bee
-,designed M to 1900 horsepower. TIL
future. win see much larger units.