New-York tribune., 1922-10-08
Coal w aste ON
Liner Stopped
By New System,
tcont,nucd from Preceding Page,

moved through the coal bunkers. or
through the ash hoist trunks, not to
interfere with the cargo handling of
the vessel. Each of the boilers was
titted with gas sampling tubes and py-
rometer connections to make possible
an intelligent study of the combustion
conditions and properly to regulate the
forced draft pressures
In addition TO these notifications the
boilers were cleaned inside and out
side as we'll as time would permit,
which, of course, is a matter of routine
operation carried on each time the yes
sci is in port, but which made the task
of modifying the furnace fittings the
more difficult, as it is impossible for
workmen TO carry on furnace fitting in
stallations while the tubes are being
swept.
The general manager and port engi-
neering staff of the United States
Lines. the chief engineer Of the vessel
and his assistants, down to the coal
passers, entered heartily into the pro-
gram and gave their fullest co-opera-
ten to the efforts of the committee
Without such cooperation on the part
OF the ships personnel it is needless
Eor me to state no efforts of ours would
have been of any avail.
Three assistants to our committee
made the trip over and hack for the
purpose of advising the ships force
when such advice was necessary. and
without interference in any way with
the routine of the fireroom. These were
all practical men, who had had fireroom
experience themselves and "speak the
language" of the stokehold. At fre-
q quent intervals these assistants made
analyses OF the gases, taking samples
ffom the bottom of the smokestack. in
order to determine that the right mix
lure of air was admitted to the fur
naces. This Is found out by testing
for the percentage of carbon dioxide'
winch, II kept as nearly as obtainable
between 10 and IA per cent, indicates
good combustion.
oneFof the indirect accomplishments
OF the Improvements made was the
elimination of much of the black smoke.
which IS an accompaniment of poor
combustion. Before we took hold of the
Joo the America was notoriously bad
smoker and in fact the health authori
ties at Hoboken, N. j., where the shin
is moored while in New York, had on
several occasions made complaints to
the manager of the line on account of
excessive smoke rising from the yes
sel's stack. She sailed from New York
at the same hour with the Olympic and
oeieilSarla, Dotn oil burners, and along
the water front there were frequent
remarks that the America was making
much less smoke than either one Of
these ships. In fact there was only a
slight brownish haze, at times almost
lmperceptible, escaping from the
Americas stack.
The, great saving already made on
this ship does not complete all the re-
duction ia fuel costs for this vessel
which the committee, hopes to make bv
any means. Attention to various de-
tails Of waste in small items of steam
consumption will, we feel confident, re-
suit in still further definite savings
on the America.
There are at present approximately
400 ships operated under the Shipping
Board, about S5 per cent using oil and
the rest using coal as fuel. We intend,
as rapidly as consistent with circum-
stances, to apply methods of saving
fuel to the entire fleet. We make no
predictions as to the ultimate saving
IN money to the government, but we
feel confident that excellent results
along that line will follow our efforts.