Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-10-16
JOKE, SAY NAVY MEN
Of TURBINE ENGINES
Government Declared to Have
Wasted Millions Installing
Them On Vessels.
NEEDED FOR HIGH SPEED.
Rigid Inquiry Thought Necessary tC
Determine Merits of New Type,

Naval officers at the Philadelphia
navy yard assert that the Curtis tur-
bine engines installed on a number of
vessels built for the United States
navy, are "joke"
They declare that navy men have
held the opinion that the Government
has wasted millions of dollars equip
ping vessels with engines of an ineffi-
cient type. It was said that the Navy
Department is face to face with arse
rious proposition in deciding upon the
type of engines TO be used for future
vessels, or whether TO order the in
stallation of new engines, which would
entail a tremendous cost, in those YES
sells already equipped with the Curtis
type of engine.
One high naval athority at the navy
yard said turbine engines are unques-
tionably better adapted to produce a
high speed an essential in such craft as
destroyers and scout cruisers, than are
reciprocating engines. Turbine en-
gines. at the same time, he said, are
more costly to be operated. on account
OF their excessive consumption of fuel.
and are liable to "blading" trouble.
necessitates their laying up for repairs
and their withdrawal from usefulness
at frequent periods, a tremendous Grip
ping Of the navy's effectiveness. But
you cannot place the heavy reciprocal
ing engine. he added, in such craft as
destroyers. which must be speedy. 1t
is a "Hobson's choice"
The consensus of opinion was that
the Navy Department. through its Bu-
reau of Steam Engineering, which plans
the specifications for the engines to be
installed in naval vessels, must con-
duct a more rigid inquiry into the com
parative merits OF various types of en-
gines. So far as stability under gun
FIRE was concerned. it was said the tur-
bine engines were the equal of the re-
clprocating engines.
Satisfaction was expressed over the
showings made by the engines install
ed in the new colliers, the Neptune and
the Jupiter, which. by means of cleo
trio reduction gearings, produce the de-
sired low speedp ropellor thrust stimuli
taneously with the high speed for the
turbines, at which they give their
greatest efficiency. The fault of the
unimproved Curtis engines has been,
it was said that without the reduction
gearings it has been necessary to drive
the turbines at a lower speed and the
propellors at high speed than was
good for the engines.
If proved thoroughly successful the
electric reduction gear will be made
part of the system installed in the SUI
perdreadnaught California. On the
Neptune the Westinghouse reduction is
being tested. and on the Jupiter the
General Electrics idea is being given
trial. The naval officers at the navy
yard declared that it would be imposs-
ible, without long calculation, TO es-
innate the amount of money which the
Curtis engines have cost the Govern
ment. Application was made some time
since to have new engines placed in
the battleship NorthDakota at a cost of
some 100000, exclusive of the work of
installation but was said that so long
as the vessel could continue to develop
the speed which she can at presnt the
request would not likely be granted.