The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1920-12-09
EIRcO snip RON
By ELECTRICITY
Ee1poe, Soon 10 60 Into Service,
First American Ship Driven
by Sush Power.
COST Of OPERATION IS CUT


Washington. nres electrically
Dsopeiisd cargo vessel 10 fy the
American nag will be placed In scrv'
tee 1t this port within the next few
weeks By the United states shipping
Beard The vessel will ny the house
oas Of the International Mercantile
Marine company and Will be used by
lat concern In transatlantic trade.
The Eclipse. Is the ship has been
christsDed. viii mark the introduction
of electricity as = motive power for
merchant yhips, the use Of this power
In the past having been confined to
naval vessels
confident Of the success OF the Eclipse
that construction Of several other
freiEbters similarly powered has been
started. The Eclipse Ii Of l2.0O0
dead-weIght tons. 40 feet long and
90 feet beam. Her electrical propul-
sion machinery was built BY the Cen
ernl Electric company al Schenectady.
and installed by the Vulcan iron
Works Of Jersey City.
Driving ship by electricity means
revolving the propeller shaft from
motor. To supply the power TO turn
this motor Z generator must be oper-
Ated somewhere else IN the vessel. just
a. generators In power houses make
current for street railways On board
ship these generators may he driven
BY an economical steam turbine Or by
= Diesel engine
Cost Of Operation Cut In HaN.
The records Of the electrically driv-
en- New SIexico Of the United States
navy, show that oil consumption IL
lowered about one-third by the use Of
electricity as motive power and the
cost OF operation Is cut In half. prin-
cipally rs result OF the reduced num-
Der OF men necessary In engine rooro
crews.
II Ia not only possible for an officer
20 operate an electric chip" witt,
small levers from the bridge, but. II
need be, virtually the entire engine
room mechanism can be handled by
one man. Among the many advan-
taEcs attached to electricity as sea-
power are the added hull space for
cargo and the greatly reduced fuel
consumption.
The nrnt application Of the electric
drive principle WAS made on a vessel
resembling closely the merchant ship. |
although the nrst really successful
craft TO use this power WAS the naval |
collier Jupiter, launched In 1912. II
was this ahip that proved conclusively !
that electricity could be used success
fully In soaxoing vessels.
When Admiral ~ =. Benson was
chief Of naval operations he encour-
aged the adoption oe the electric drive
for naval vessels. After he had retired |
from the navy and was appointed to
his present position as chairman OF /
the Hhipplng board his interest WAS
enlisted again In the electric drive NJ
The most economical method Of oper-
ltlnE merchant vessela.
Economleal. Aays Benson,
The admiral II the 6rst chairman OF
the shipping board to come out In
favor Of an electrically operated
merchant feet.
Il am convinced" he said. "of the
Of electricity In our mer-
.hant marine
I'VE have demonstrated on our bat
ieship that the electric drive 10 more
economical than the ordinary drive.
We must save every gallon OF fuel
IL that We possibly can. and when
'ay coal say II with = good deal OF
0gret. because eur cOmpetitora win
outend that We must 70 back TO coal
'urning: that Ne caAnot ges cir In ali
arts Of the world. o. that II doesn't
~ or something Ike that II We
ver give up fue'-oil. unless We can
~ somsthing better, we might a. well
axe to the woods, ard cut timber
- our fuel We cAnt cOupsta with
orelEn competitors "a any other
Nan an Oil-fuel hantas