Evening star., 1915-12-26

glneering. Tor hydraullc power is o2.
much in the navy. particularly, In the
old type of turret which is moved py
hydraulic power. A third is electrical
engineering, including radio work, ana
a fourth is internal combustion en-
gines.
1t is natural that one of the very big
gest problems in the building of a ship
of war is her motive power. HOW 70
move the mass at the maximum OF
speed with the minimum of fuel con-
sumption. with the machinery and the
fuel storage occupying the minimum OF
space. roughly stated, is the problem
which must be worked out. The rela-
tive Importance. from a military stand
point, of all of these factors must be
ascertained.
II is the business of the bureau of
steam engineering to design all of this
machinery, and to supervise its con-
struction, whether that construction be
done by the government itself or in the
plant of contractor. This involves
the drawing Of specifications. not only
for the completed machine, but for the
material that enters into it as weH
and for inspecting it as delivered. and
also testing the final result when com
pleted.
At the head of the designing force is
Capt. Charles w. Dyson. L. S. n. whose
marked ability In this line and whose
skill as highly specialized tech
nologist is generally recognized As
er officers. and considerable force OF
computers and craftsmen.
Perhaps the most important work
here being considered is designing the
of battle cruiser. ship of $4,000 toms
displacement which must travel
through the water at the rate of
thirty-hve knots an hour. Shall she
have electric propulsion or steam pro
pulsion. geared turbines or direct drive;
what type OF propeller. how many pro-
pellers and how arranged; what type OF
boiler to be subjected to the heat OF
oil fuel--for oil fuel. as Admiral Grif-
I'm will tell you. Is a sine qua non in
wnrship construction in these days;
how shall the space for the machinery
and for storage of fuel be arranged?
These are but some of the many ques-
tiors which must be answered.
Then there is the question of engines
for the new type of big fleet sub
marines which must have surface
speed Of twenty-five knots an hour;
but this question has been determined.
II has bean decided that steam propul-
sion shall be used to drive the big
submarines on the surface. as 1t
seemed impossible to secure the re-
auired speed with oil engines or with
the storage battery electric engines
that are TO be used for underwater
travelling.
Always the matter of the use OF cleo
tricity for driving vessels is before
the bureau One electrically driven
ship. the collier Jupiter, has already
been built by the navy. and the new
battleship California is being built
with electric engines. A greater de-
veiopment of electricity motive
power may be expected, but the navy
Is proceeding with caution in this re-
gard
In this type of propulsion steam. ac-
quired from oil-burning boilers. Of
course. supplies the initial power.
which power. in turn. operates an cleo
trio motor. and that motor gives the
movement to the shaft. Mobility and
the use of a minimum of space are the
advantages 80 far made clear.
Directly connected with the matter
Of engines and boilers is that of fuel
Notwithstanding the constantly in
creasing substitution of oil as fuel.
the navy now consumes some $4,000
tons Of coal a year and about twenty
million gallons of fuel oil, with the