The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-06-23
International News Service Cores

International News Service Cores
 pOndent.
 U. s. s. New Mexico, Flagship Pa cific Fleet, Los Angeles Harbor. Cal, June 22.-''We learned many things during the recent war The most pertinent of all this knowledge is that the American Navy must be 100 per cent efficient at all times to be really efficient at all"
 A naval officer recently made this remark to me during a conversation Mexico, where had a remarkable Op- portunity to note for a few days the routine of a great capital ship.
 By CHARLES E. HUGHES.
 Every sailor and officer on the New Mexico, as well as of the whole Pacific fleet for that matter, takes a great pride in backing up Admiral Rodman's declaration that ship for ship, the American Navy is without a superior on the worlds seas"
 In this article a brief outline will be given of the New Mexico's mechani- cal equipment which is regarded the best in tke navies of the world.
 Electric Throughout.
 The New Mexico is practically con- trolled at all times by electrical de- vices and is generally referred to among American naval men as the electrical ship"
 hoists the ammunition, rotates the huge turrents, operates the fourteen inch guns. steers the ship, raises and lowers the anchors and boats, pumps fresh and salt water, diSpoSes Of sew age, congresses and heats air, oper- ates the machinery and tools in the machine shop, carpenter shop and printing establishment.
 Electricity is the medium for op- erating the intricate intercommunica- tiOn systems of the ship, including the many telephones which keep the officers in constant touch with the crew; operates the fire protection sys- tenn and supplies the artificial cooling system with refrigerating power.
 In the various cooking galleys cleo tricity runs machines that peel pOta- toes, wash dishes. mix dough; cut, butter and mold it into perfect shapes, all exactly alike. and bake bread In the laundry electrical machines wash and dry clothes.
 w Duplication of Utilities. .
 In the depths of the ship are the great motors that provide the driving power. And in every part of the great fighting craft are lights that feed on electric current.
 The New Mexico is said to contain 75.OOO miles of electric wiring. The superdreadnaught is therefore so sci entifically fitted. and it's construction executed in few minutes after it has been flashed from the captains bridge.
 Great care has been taken in all the designs, nn1SneO IlSlCnlneS ana WAT equipment to have practically every thing duplicated. Within a few sec onds after some vital equipment is put out of commission in time of battle its effort could be duplicated with an other device.
 The total horsepower energy re ouired to operate the New Mexico is 4SO There are seven oil-burning boilers, fed by slightly warmed fuel under pressure. Each boiler has seven burners and it takes only the turn of a. screw to bring a boiler into com | mission
 The great flagship has two main turbine generators, each with 17,000 | horsepower The generators make | ? 100 revolutions a minute The cur | rent they generate is conveyed to | four driving motors. each with a ca | pacity of about 5000 horsepower. | These motors operate the shafts of | the vessels four propellers, giving | the huge sea monster twenty-one | knots when running full speed.
 Marked Cleanliness 1
 Officers of the New Mexico claim | the eIectrically-drfven propellers are vastly superior to the steam-driven 1 nropeIlers in the saving of fuel. The | vessels logs of recent cruises show that on January 29, during cruise to South America. the uperdreadnausIht Idaho burned 21S tons of oil; the New Iexico 11o, and the Mississippi. an-