Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-26
makes NAVIES> old,
Vessels viii Go to Scrap Heap
if New Device Is Successful.
IMPROVED TURBINE Invented

IMPROVED TURBINE INVENTED
Work Of Three Famous Marine Ensi.
nssrs Intended to Put New StyIs En-
sines Into An Glasses Of Ships,
Seeming ImpossibiIity Conquered.
Unless the greatest Of the worlds
marine engineers are mistaken in theiI
estimate of the new turbine device in.
vented by Rear Admiral Melville, John
H. McAlpine and George Westinghouse
the world will soon see q revolution In
the art Of building marine engines.
The new device means greatly in
creased speed, with greatly diminished
space for boilers. engines and coal,
and therefore great and economical
changes In construction. 1t is perhaps
not too much to say that 1t means also
complete rebuilding of the navies of
the world, for diminished size and
weight Of driving power, with in
creased speed, means capacity for car
! rying heavier armor and heavier guns
The first nation to possess vessels Of
this new type will have vessels Of all
other kinds at its mercy, and other ma
tons must follow the example Of the
first or allow their navies to stand con-
fessedly inferior.
The Westinghouse-McAl Alpine Melville
invention Is intended to permit Of the
driving Of marine turbine engine at
high speed, while the propeller con-
nected with the turbine revolves at a
lower rate Of speed. This is prob
lem that has long baftled marine en-
gineers. Owing to its seeming impos-
sibility Of solution the turbine engine
has heretofore been used only in ves-
sells of the greatest speed and proper
tionately small carrying capacity, max
ing them enormously expensive. The
new device is an arrangement Of gears
and pinions that reaches the desired
end.
Development Of the Turbine.
To make the nature and Importance
Of this invention generally understood
it is necessary to remember that all
the world was talking about steam
turbines few years ago-not the en-
cheering world only. but the world Of
laymen too. Turbines were to change
steam engineering practice everywhere,
ashore and afioat. They have not done
so except on land. For stationary
practice-that is to say, for driving
machinery for the generation Of cleo
trio currents-they are immensely sue
cessful. But for driving ships they are
far less successful-not mechanically,
but financially.
They drive ships, but at far too great
a cost. Ashore they are economical;
af1oat they are extravagant. A few
fast vessels have them, some liners and
warships. but fast vessels comprise
only 3 per cent Of the ocean going ton
mage Of the world. # the war craft
are deducted there remains not more
than per cent Of sea ships that have
a speed exceeding 20 knots an hour.
And of these but few have turbines.
Ships intended for less speed than 20 |
knots an hour cannot afford to use tur-
bines And even the fastest ships have |
proved that the turbine drive is very
costly Ship turbines take too much |
steam. This means an excessive cost !
in fuel and serious reduction in
profits. 1t also means an excessive en-
croachment Of bunker and boiler and !
engine room space.
: Prope!lers Must Move Slowly.
A steam turbine is most efficient !
that is to say. pound Of steam does |
the most work in it-when the motor is |
driven at a high speed. But the pro-
pellers of a ship are most efficient, they |
do the most work per pound Of steam.
when they turn at a low speed. The !
faster propeller turns the smaller 1t |
must be in proportion to the work 1t |
has to do, the size Of the ship 1t has to
drive. The propellers Of the turbine |
driven Mauritania are not more than !,
eighteen feet In diameter. They turn |
1866 to 10 times minute. They are |
smaller than the propellers of the Kali
ser Wilhelm der Zweite, which revolve !
ninety to hundred times a minute !
and are driven by reciprocating en-
gines. All turbine ships have their |
propeller shafts connected direct to the |
turbines. Therefore the turbine speed |
and the propeller speed must be the |
same. This is a serious disadvantage.
because the turbine il high speed en~
CINE which has to work slowly and the
propeller is low speed appliance !
which has to work too fast.
If the Mauretania's propellers were
to turn faster the ships speed would |
not increase 1t would diminish, be- |
cause the screws. would lose their /
grip on the water; they would drive
the water away. Larger propellers
turning at slower speed would drive
the Mauretanfa faster. Why, then.
are they not used? Because they can
not be used with the present turbine
practice. The new invention. however.
will make their use possible. !: |