The Washington herald., 1916-05-01
By E. b. JOHNS.


a trial Of the Nef system of propulsion
for submarines is recommended by Sec
retary of the Navy Daniels in a letter
to Chairman PadEctt. Of the Naval
Affairs Committee. The Neff system dis
penses with the use of storage batteries
which have been responsible for all of the
accidents to the undoreea boats. 1t also
Increases the speed of submarines as the
same power propels the boat whether sub
merged or on the surface.
a report Of the naval board upon a
trial of an experimental boat which was
built on the Pacific Coast has convinced
the naval authorities that the Neff
| system is a mechanical success. There
is no doubt in the minds of naval officers
who have investigated the subject that
| the NefT system will increase the speed
and the radius Of action of undersea
| boats and will make them more effective.
| The question haH been raised as TO
whether the noise of the engines under
the water and the wake of the air
bubbles which would come from the
exhaust oil engine Of the Neff system
would betray the presence Of sub
marine This is called a military Ques-
| ton and to settle it the Secretary has
asked Congress to appropriate $4,000 to
remodel one of the old submarines by
! installing the Noff system. In the course
of his letter the Secretary says:
"While the probability is that these
conditions would exist, the problem is one
that can be definitely determined only by
experiment as it Is cXtremelp desir-
| able to get rid of storage batteries II a
satisfactory substitute can be found. IL
| is believed that there is sufficient merit
| i'm the scheme to justify trial OF IT.
| While recognizing that there are obleC-
! tiOns to the system which might render
! is unsuitable. the Bureaus of Construc'
/ ton and Repairs and Steam Engineering
nevertheless, recommend that it be test
ed in order to definitely determine Its
merits"
The Secretary includes in his letter a
proposed amendment to the naval appro'
| priation bill to carry out these recon-
mendatiOns.
The noise from the oil engines under
water to which objection has been raised
| by naval officers in criticising the Neff
system, is caused by final expansion OF
| the gas after it leaves the cylinder. Since
| building the first boat it is claimed that
| the inventors who have been working or
| 1t have silenced this exhaust. This is
+ done by turning the exhaust of the en-
! CINE into condenser or a closed cham
! Der from which it is drawn at a partia
vacuum and discharged overheard al
, nearly the OUTSIDE water pressure. Inc
remaining noise is due to the clicking OF
| parts Of the machinery and it is claimed
/ that this has been dispensed with by a
new system of regulation and adjust
ment
| To prevent the submarine from making
| a wake OF foam, the expanded gases are
! condensed and drawn inboard by me.
chanicsl exhausters and in turn pumped
overheard. Underneath the hull the eX.
! haust is sprayed out and carried back tC
! the propellers. II there are any bubbles
I left they are churned up by the propel
! lers as by an egg beater, thus eliminat'
| ing any train Of air bubbles.
! The owners of the Neff system say
that they have completely solved the
military problem and the Secretary Of
! the Navy has indicated that he is will
| ing to give them a trial.
The signal detachment of the District
National Guard will sec real service this
year when II is attached to the War
, College troops on the annual staff ride
/, of the class, The District National Guard
Signal troops win leave Washington