The Cordova daily times., 1921-07-05
ELECTRICITY
 HELPS NAVAL
 EFFICIENCY
BY CHARLES HUGHES

TIARBOR. Cal, July 5.-"We learned many things during the recent war The most pertinent of all the knowl. edge 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 conversation aboard the superdreadnought New Mexico, where I had remarkable op. portunity to note for a few days the routine of great capital ship.
 Every sailor and officer on the New Mexico, as well as of the whole Pacif- ic Fleet for that matter. takes a great pride in backing up AdmiralRodman's declaration that ship for ship. the American Navy is without a superior on the worlds seas.'
 In this article brief outline will be given of the New MeXiCos mechan- ical equipment, which is regarded the best in the navies of the world.
 The New Mexico is practically con trollad at all times by electrical de- vices and is generally referred to among American naval men as the electrical ship"
 On the New Mexico electricity hoists the ammunition, rotates the huge turrets, operates the fourteen inch guns, steers the ship, raises and lowers the anchors and boats, pumps fresh salt water disposes of sewage, congresses and heats air, operates the machinery and tools in the ma chine shop, carpenter shop and print ing establishment.
 erating the intricate interCommunica tion system of the ship, including the many, telephones which keep the officers in constant touch with the crew; operates the fire protection 3ys tenn and supplies the artificial cooling system with refrigerating power
 In the various cooking galleys cleo trisity runs machines that peel pota- toes. wash dishes, mix dough; cut rutter and mold it into perfect shapes. all exactly alike. and bake bread h the laundry electrical machines wash and dry clothes.
 great motors that provide the driving
 In the depths of the ship are the 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 uperGreadnought is therefore so sci entifically fitted, and it's construction so up to date, that any order can be executed in few minutes, after it has been flashed from the captains bridge
 Great care has been taken in all the designs. finished machines and war equipment, to have practically every thing duplicated Within a few sec.
 
 ont of comission in time of battle it's effort could be duplicated with an. other device.
 The tottl horsepower energy re. quired to operate the New Mexico Is 32,4S0 There are seven oil burning boilers. fed by Slightly warmed fuel under pressure Each boiler has sev- en burners. and it takes only the turn of q screw to bring a boiler into com mission.
 The great flagship has two main turbine generators. each with 17,0OO horsepower. The generators make 2.100 revolutions minute. The cur rent they genrate is conveyed to four driving motors, each with a capacity of about 5000 horsepower These motors operate the shafts of the yes sells four propellers, giving the huge sea monster twenty-one knots an hour when running full speed.
 Officers of the New Mexico claim the electrically driven propellers are vastly superior ta the steam-driven propellers in the saving of fuel. The vessels logs of recent cruises show that on January % during cruse to South America, the superdreadnought Idaho burned 2l3 tons of oil; the New Mexico, no, and the Mississippi, an other dreadnaught l92 tons. All are of the same class of ship. The other daily records showed about the same ratio in fuel burned.
 One of the effective arguments in favor of the electric ship" aside from economy of operation, is cleanliness.