The Raymer enterprise., 1916-10-12
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Griffin. chief of the bureau Of steam engineering
according to Il writer In the New York Sun
These engines, which will be of the electrc-drlye
type. are expected to push the 900-foot ships
through rough seas ut a speed approaching 35
knots; that is, about four knots better than the
latest United States destroyers and at the rate
N passenger train running on carefully
graded road
When Admiral Griffin tells the story one gains
from his manner the impression that about nil
he had to do was to speak to Captain Dyson
about 1t and the design of these $6OOOOOO en-
Hnes sprang into existence but those who know
the admiral have their own opinion about that !:
and 1t differs somewhat radically from the i'm
preston.
YES" said the chief "at first 1t was rather
appalling when we realized the magnitude Of those
engines. The largest in any of our battleships
give 250O0 horse power those of the Lustania
we're 10000; and 1t is said that those which drive
the English Tiger at about 30 knots are from 80.
0U to l20OOO. So one can see that we had TO
make leap, and at first II seemed like lean In
the dark, to provide approximately 100000 horse
power. But somehow, when we got the conditions
right before us. everything seemed to unfold
itself and fall into the right place and there really
was little difficulty.
"We saw at the outset that 1t was impossble
to control and apply the power without adopting
oil fuel and the electric drive. In the great
mercantile ships like the Aquitania and the
Vaterland we had examples of the 9OO-foot
boats with speed of 25 or 90 knots, but 1t is
the last few knots which are so difficult to get.
Very roughly speaking the new cruisers steam.
ing at Is knots will consume the equivalent of
$50 tons of coal day. and to attain somewhere
between "a and 80 knots will burn up the same
0uantffv in one hour. IN nuf n annthor ,poy tho
coal required to drive one of these cruisers at
full speed for day will drive battleship across
the Atlantic and back. If full speed can be main.
tnlned steadily for three days and seven hours
II will take one from New York to Liverpool but
az that would require 1900 tons Of coal It is
certain that such run will never be attempted
on coal fuel.
"No one can tell what the chemistengineer OF
the future will do; but until something is found
battle cruisers will have to depend upon oil to
convert water into steam and without that SUBJ
sttute they cannot be driven many consecutive
hours at full speed. 1t would not be possible to
transmit so much power on one shaft or one
screw Therefore 1t Is distributed to four shafts,
each receiving about $1,000 horse power. or dou-
bic the total power In a superdreadnaught and
greater than that Of any but the largest Of the
modern merchantmen.
'Tf only low or moderate rate Of speed were
required the old-style reciprocating engines
woule, because more economical, probably be se-
tlecteu but to secure the high rates turbines will
he adopted.
"The electric drive is not difficult to compre-
hend II one will think of the familiar trolley sub
way or railway car driven by electricity. The
power is created by the operation of steam-driven
generators or dynamos. They produce the elec-
tric current. which is carried by wire to the many
small motors In the cars scattered along the sys-
TEN. The motorman or engineer turns on the
power and the motor is driven ahead; he moves
his lever and the power is shut of; he shoves 1t
farther over and reyerses his motor. For many
small motors say several large ones and you have
tAe plan of the ships electric drive. The turbines
operate the generators Of the current for the mo-
tors, and the motors turn each Of the four pro.
peller shafts of the ship.