New-York tribune., 1909-04-11
FEAR FOR BATTLESHIP
THE NORTH DAKOTA MAY
BE SLOW md COSTLY.
Curtis Type of Turbine, scith Which
TcsscI Is Equipped, Eats Up
coat on Scout Cruises

WASHINGTON April 1O-The greatest anxiety
regarding the efficiency Of the battleship North
Dakota is felt by the officers Of the Navy Cen
eral Board and the board of construction, be
cause the North Dakota is equipped with the
Curtis type of turbine which. on the scout
cruiser Salem. has demonstrated an ability to
eat up coal at a ruinous rate. In the tests now
in progress it has been found that the Salem re-
quires 202 tons of coal an hour to make twenty
knots. while the Chester. equipped with the
Parsons type Of turbine. makes the same speed
with 157 tons, and the Birmingham. with recip-
rocating engines makes the speed with less
than 154 tons
The experts estimate from this that while the
Delaware. equipped with reciprocating engines,
viii be able to steam 5000 miles at ten knots an
hour with the coal she can carry in her bunkers'
the North Dakota, her sister ship, could traVel
little over half the distance with the same
amount of coal. although the comparatively
small speed of the battIeshfp may make some
difference. This would take the North Dakota
out of the class for which she is built and make
her the lame duck of the fleet 1t would mean
that the North Dakota could not take part III
a run from Hampton Roads to Gibraltar with
out depicting her coal supply below the hNed
minimum Of safety. A battleship which could
not make the runs required Of the fleet on us
crcumnavigatfng cruise would have to he rele-
gated to the class of coast defence vessels, and
would of course. represent an outlay far in eX-
cess of that warranted for such a vessel.
1t was expected that the test OF the scout
cruisers would demonstrate that the turbine
mechanism involved a greater coal consumpIioi
than that of recprocatng engines, but no such
discrepancy as the tests have thus far shown
was expected. The experts believe that the
Chesters coal consumption viii he less than
that of the Birmingham when greater speed IS
developed. but it is feared there Will be no inn
provement in the record of the Salem.
This situation recalls the controversy which
occurred when the Navy Department authorities
had before them. some time ago the question
of type of motive power for the North DaKota
and the Delaware. 1t was considered not ad-
vfsable to install the Curtis turbine in the North
Dakota as had been recommended, until some
thing definite was known concerning the mech
anism as the motive power of battleships. 1he
wisdom Of the proposed delay of the installation
of the type is now made manifest in the PROB
lem with which the Navy Department will soon
be confronted The question is already being
asked whether the North Dakota, thus ham
pered as compared with the sister ship, the
Delaware wilt present any adequate return for
the amount of money involved in construction
and equipment. The idea of changing the mo-
tive power of the North Dakota can only be
entertained after demonstration that the great
expense thereby entailed IS absolutely unavoid-
able
on Monday the three scout cruisers, the Ches
tor the birmingham and the Salem, will start
from, Eevnort on their final test, a twenty-tour-
hour run at top speed, when careful records VIII
he kent of the coal water and oil consumption
The three ships have already completed com
netitive runs for one hundred hours at ter
fifteen and twenty knots