The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-05-02
Steam Vessels Fafed
To Disappear Before
Diesel Type Motors
Naval Architect Predicts Success
Of New Ships II Sufficient
Oil Is Available

L. and NJ. Society, DR.. +. 2. Purvis
professor of naval architecture in the
Imperial university Of Japan, made
this statement: ....
| "ln due course, aud provided a suf
fcient supply of oil can be obtained,
think there is no doubt the motor en-
CINE will drive ont the steam engine
but before this can occur in any true
scnse many years of perfecting will
be needed, 50 that the steam engine
is likely to have stiIl long life be
| fore it, 49,.
Coming from n man Of DR.. Purvis
professional standing, this prediction Is
interesting. Many will disagree with his
belief that steam has a long life be
fore it, however. It Is only Ave years
since the first Diesel vessel appeared
at San Francisco; Honolulu saw its first
in the Falsttia last June; yet the East
Asiatic company has. turned to internal
cOnbu; ton heavy7oii imgines hltoge
ther, having disposed Of its steamers
Contracts For Twenty Vessels
The East Asiatie line has contracted
for twenty motor vessels, varying from
10000 to 10000 tons. Delivery of the
last of them will not take place until
1920 or 1921. About twelve vessels ar,
in the East Asiatic service now.
A leading builder Of motor ships is
the yard Of Burmeister & Vain, Copen
hagen, which has booked orders for
forty-four, the contract prices exceed.
ing $25, 100000 in the aggregate. Som
of the new vessels are large. Cont acts
recently executed call for six vessels of
10000 tons displacement and for six
Of almost $4,000 deadweight tons capa.
city, to be delivered in about four
years. Formerly the largest vessels
were Of from 5000 TO 5000 tons, rarely
exceeding 420 feet in length.
Turbine For Speed
Discussion of the motor ship is limit,
ed to eargo-carying. There is nothing
to indicate that the Diesel engine can
compete with the steam turbine as to
speed, although il may be developed
as highly as the gasoline motor. But
merchant marine supremacy is not
based on the liner; it is based on the
tramp. % ..a-t 1a.A
No steel motor vessel of consequence
flies the American flag, or did recently
although numerous wood vessels have
Diesel or Diesel-principle engines as au.
xiliaries. No country is situated more
favOrably than America for successful
operation Of motor vessels, inasmuch as
supplies of fuel oil are available on ev.
cry coast and on the Great Lakes, and
a failure of this country to read the
signs, failure to expand building be-
yond the confines of wood vessels equip
ped with motor auxiliaries, would be
grave error, perhaps as grave as hold.
ing fast to the wood clipper ships be-
fore the Civil War.
What England win do is of profound
Importance. If the motor vessel is to-
succeed steam as the motive power Of
the freighter, no country is concerned
more vitality than Great britain Her
first experience with motor vessels has
been unfortunate. Moreover she lacks
plentiful supply of fuel oil at home
she has developed her coal mines
throughout centuries; first entry into
the field by the Scandinavians will give
them a great lead; retarding of mer.
chant work by the war is a potent fac
tor. In view of these circumstances it.
is doubtful whether England win build
enough motor vessels in time to main
tain her relative position, although IL
would require years of retrogresSion on
her part and Of progress by other ma
tions before she would be threatened
always provided that the motor vessel
is to be one freighter of the future.
To the people of the States it is most
important what this country does; to
the world in general there win be no
more noteworthy development in ship
ping during the next twenty years than
what the British do as to motor ships
They may hold to steam, as Americans.
held to wood clipper ships, while Eng.
land was building iron-hulled vessels
and fitting them first with paddle
wheels and then with screws.
British owners and builders are wor-
ried, however. The war is permitting
the Scandinavians to 90 ahead while
the British either cannot get private
work done at all or are forced to take
what thev can obtain, and be thankful
for that little.
London Fairplay voices one phase of
British opinion which certainly is signi-
fcant.
''White undoubtedly the East Asiatic
have been able to work their
motor driven vessels with success, ill
luck seems to have followed a large
number of the vessels built in ths coun-
try (England) with the result that in
some instances the Diesel engines have
been taken out and ordinary reciprocal.
ing engines substituted, " said that welk
known shipping journal. in commenting
upon the annual report of the Flower
Motor Ship Company. -.
at is very unfortunate that the com
pany should not have met with more
success, as now shipowners will be more
chary than ever in giving up ordinary
engines to take ON the special type fit.
ted on board the Flower Motor Ship Com,
pany's vessels, - Fairplay concludes.
The Flower line made profits of f21,'
$40 last year. A dividend of five per
cent was recommended, with the carry,
ing forward and wr'ting of of certain
amounts. The corporation was organ,
lied in 1913. Three vessels were order
ed. The Abelia was sunk by a Ger.
man submarine December 80, and the
Arum and Arabs were turned back to
the builders. being unsat sfactory
More vessels would have been ordered
and built except for the war.
} GooD RUE FOR THE HOME.
MIX" il Iu'P ~ vow h me 10 nj