The Elbert County tribune., 1919-10-17

another compartment where we view the machine
the propelers.
This is the turbo generator section. There
two turbo-generators consisting of steam tur-
bine direct. connected to II powerful generator.
This generator is operated by the steam turbine
and produces the current have been seeking
Each of the turbogener,,tors produces $4,000
horsepower. In technical language this spot with
in the ship is known the power plant.
The turbine Is an essential part of this plant. 1t
illustrates another advantage of the electric drive
A stenm turbine to opernte ut its maximum eff
Cheney must revolve at relatively high speed
say 1000 revolutions per minute. On the other
hand. the propeller be efficient, must
volve with comparative sIowness. say 200 revolu-
tons per minute. This Is because If the propeilers
revolved ut high speed they would merely churn up
the water and fail to drive the vessel ahead.
Now electricity acts connecting link be-
tween this highspeed .Lrbne and the low-speed
gears, which in the turbine driven vessel have
been used to reduce the turbine speed down to IL
suitable propeller speed, entirely eliminated
and the necessary reduction accomplished by sim
Pile electrical means. Moreover the operating
units of vital Importance are each nclosed in sep
nrate water-tlgh compartments. In addition the
machinery is grouped very close to the center of
the ship as far possible away from the sides.
THE possibility of so grouping the machinery"
says an officer. 'menns greater protection of
the apparatus from shell fire, grounding and col
lision. We might say that this feature plus the
iexibility of control and the ability to cut off
defective or damaged apparatus, constitutes one
or the essential stiperiorites of electric drive"
To follow the power to its source we must
go sun further forward to point amidshps.
Here are nine huge steam boilers. arranged three
In compartment. They store up the steam un-
der pressure of $50 pounds to the square inch
and deliver 1t to the turbines. The New Mex
leo burns oil instead of coal
Thus the electrical propulsion equipment of the
New Mexico may be briefly summarized as fol-
lows: Nine steam boilers deliver steam to two
turbines. The two turbines operate two genera
tors. The two generators produce electrical. CIR
rent The electrical current is led through copper
cables to control station where 1t is distributed
and passed on 10 four big motors. Each of the
four motors turns propeller and thus the shin
is driven through the water.
The current which the two turbo-generators
produce is used entirely In the actual propulsion
of the vessel The New Mexico must have oddl.
tional electrical energy with which to operote
scores of auxiliary apparatus.
For instance, electric motors operate tbe 10
Inch and l4-inch guns. blowers which supply the
ventilation of the ship. electric fans telephones
heaters, pumps. refrigernting machinery wireless
apparatus, kitchen appliances laundry eouin.
ment. etc. to say nothing of the lighting systen,
Motordriven machinery also operates the boat
cranes and the anchor windlass There are scores
of storage batteries which stand ready I'd keen
the electric lights going should the main lighting
system fail. II has been estimated that there 81 re
aboard the New Mexico mo less than 90 electric
motors.
where does the current come from to operote
them? we ask. II comes from six auxiliary
turbo-generator sets and find two of them veI,
up toward the bow of the vessel, still on the same
level as the boiler room from which we have just
emerged This turbogenerator. md the others
similar to It, responsible for the wonderful
applications of electricity which we will make the
acquaintance of go upward through the
New Mexico. There are four separate decks