The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-03-21
YANK INGENUITY LANDS U.S..
AT TOP OF WORLDS NAVIES

tain the maximum Of efficiency at the
least possible cost.
The heating losses of this type OF
motor are reduced to a minimum
amount, and require comparatively lit
tie attention; il Is also quite light IN
weight per horse power given off, anu
has become very popular on shore OF
recent years, mainly owing to It's pow
erful starting torQue and It's freedom
from commutators and brush-gear.
"A burnt-out armature-the perpet-
ual source of dread to other types Of
electric motor in ~psactice-is practi-
cally unknown in this type. even when
put TO such severe service as propeller
reversing. Indeed, its depreciation un.
der proper conditions for which It
would be designed Is as low as any
other type OF revolving mechanical ma.
chinery, and owing to its peculiar run
wing character it is especially suit
able for main marine propulsion work
on battleships, and especially rs this
efficient electric motor can be designed
for large powers, while its constru"-
tiOHal details represent the very acme
OF simplicity"
Hats Her Tendency to Race.
A feature which the captain also
noted, and laid much stress upon, was
the fact that it was impossible for this
type of motor TO race" when the YES
sci was under heavy rolling or pitch
ing conditions, and thus allowing the
vessel to run at high speed even in q
severe gale and heavy seas, while the
load balanced itself automatically be-
tween heavily and lightly immersed
propellers, while under those operat-
Ing conditions and without straining
the ship as Is the case in every other
type OF propeller drive, and he esti-
mated a great saving in fuel In con-
nection with the propulsion Of such
warships when propelled under heavy
weather conditions, and so noted in
the case OF the New Mexico.
Captain Durtnall added that the SUBJ
ject was then receiving close attention
on the part Of shlpbuilders and en-
gineers, forming the topic Of repeated
discussions of various engineering as
sociations, both In England and
abroad. Electrical power transmits
sion for ship propulsion" he said,
twas nigh at hand" and he urged ma
val and mercantile engineers to make
themselves an fait with all the pOten-
tialities of this twentieth century In
vasion Of the orthodox methods Of
steam propulsion on a direct propeller
drive"
"That, be 1t remembered, was ten
| years ago., and the matter did attract
a. considerable amount of favorable
comment, but that was about as far as
Ii went.
How Captain DurtnaII Won His Point.
One Of Captain Durtnall's chief crit
les was Sir Charles Parsons, who said
he feared the system would prove n
source Of grave danger to the engine
room crews, as "if n short circuit oc.
Cured they would all be poisoned by
copper poisoning from the fumes that
would be given off," And yet within
a year Sir Charles Parsons firm, to
| gether with the Thompson Houston
Electric company (the English repre-
| sentatives of the General Electric
company, U. s. A., were both de-
PENDANTS in actions brought by Captain
Durtnall before the comptroller gem
eral of patents, in London, I'm which
they sought to infringe Captain Durt-
nails patents, the settlement of which
was brought about by Captain Durt-
nall agreeing that he would be salts
fed If a disclaimer as to this poly
phase alternating current ship propul-
sion was inserted in the applicants
specifications.
Since that time several successful!
patent actions have been placed to
the credit Of Captain Durtnall, whose
original invention is considered basic.
But the real reason why Captain
Durtnall's invention was thrown down,