Evening star., 1926-05-09


countered on her voyage off Cape
1Tatteras the Baden Baden. at noon
today was preparing to enter quaran-
tine early tomorrow morning. Our
position at that time was - degrees
4 minutes north and 80 degrees 80
minutes west-about so miles off
Ambrose Light and little more than
100 miles from New York Harbor.
Late tonight or early tomorrow
morning she will pick up pilot in
the lower bay and proceed to quar-
antine there to be met by Anton
Elettner, the inventor of the rotor.
All is we'll aboard the little yes
sci, now approaching the end of her
6.000-mile voyage from Hamburg.
Three days ago, while she bucked the
gale between HatteraS and Virginia
Capes. things looked bit different.
Prayer Brings Gale.
CallSen's prayer for more wind was
granted by Father Neptune. who
hurled Il full gale Squarely in our
faces, with the result that our voy-
age was heightened by fully SO hours.
The storm was preceded by several
rain squalls that burst a noon Tues
OaN. Inc MAIN OnSlJuS came
shortly before nightfull. Wind and
rain came out of the gray blanket
ahead and quickly churned up such Il
sea that the little 150-foot Baden
Baden found herself standing first on
one end and then on the other.
Hard driven spray came kissing out
of the hlackness ahead and the wind
screeched about in the wireless. bring
ing back to our minds unpleasantly
our experiences in the Bay of BiScay.
Forced to Head In.
The next morning the wind moder-
ated for a few hours and then picked
up with renewed violence, forcing us
TO head in closer to the coast. We
held this direction until Thursday
morning. when Callsen, fearing the
proximity of the shoals. put out to
sea on a northeast course. During
the day the storm reached its peak
and the Baden Baden did little more
than to hold her own as one huge
wave after another swept down over
her. In the engine room they were
compelled to keep "a re1oubled watch
over the dials and Indicators. which
moved up and down diZZily.
Several times it was necessary to
stop the motors altogether as they
became overheated and on these oc-
casions we proceeded under the
rOtors alone, although we were almost
in the teeth OF the wind.
Night before last the sun went
down again in a tangle of flaming
mares tails and also the barometer
Nevertheless the weather was much
better yesterday morning and we
headed again for New York. With
almost the suddennesS with which the
nf< 1. i i
and at the same time the thermome-
ter dropped like bucket of sea
water from 20 degrees 10 As
Make Little Speed.
The blow was so nearly head-on
that it did not enable the rotors to
aid in accelerating the vessels pro-
gress as the blow off Gibraltar did
nevertheless they enabled US to make
two knots an hour - -;n!t@. and two
knots, when d ship cannot make
more than four or live ut the best are
worth having. The gave us steetage
way at all times.
If the rotors had !sca tnsecurely
fastened to the deck We would have
lost both Wednesday OF Thursday
for the ship was going through a
succession of dizzy acrOuatics which
put a tremendous strain on the tow
ers. The quarterdeck ratings would
go under. immediately followed by Il
corkscreW plunge ~ the rear that
would leave the ship prouetting on
her propeller blades but all through
the storm the rotors kept turning at
100 revolutions per minute or more.
never showing the slightest sign Of
weakness or the need Uf additional
support.
5000 Ton Ship Building.
While this 600-ton ship rotors
toward New York carrying a cargo
OF building stone q similarly con-
structed vessel of 5000 tons is
rapidly nearing completion in Bre-
men under the direction of the
Reichsmarine. The new boat will be
launched on her maiden voyage to
South America in August
Five times as large as the Baden
Baden, her giant sister will have
three rotor towers developing 1000
horsepower to the Baden Baden $
two. There will be constructed of
new aluminium alloy to tower so feet
above the water line with Ii diameter
Of over - feet. The Baden-Baden' S
rotors are slightly over so feet high
with a diameter of less than 10 feet.
A 000-horsepower Diesel auxiliary
plant will propel the ship in emergen-
ries, and when extraordinary speed is
desired and turn the rotors The
Baden-Baden's auxiliary plant is only
200 horsepower.
The new craft, projected since the
successful voyage of the Baden Baden
then the Buckau-acroSs the North
Sea last year. will furnish a thorough
test Of the claims of the inventor
Anton F1ettner, and the promoters of
the rotorship.
Many Claims Made.
Following the voyage of the
Buckau, the Flettner Schiffsruder
KonZern, owning the rotor patents,
and the Hanseatische Motorschiffahrt
the constructing company, which has
since relinquished its interest in the
boat and gone into liquidation. made
number of specific claims for the
rotor principle as having been proved
by the test voyage.
They emphasized again that the
rotors would never be more than an
auxiliary means of locomotion since
extremely stormy weather had made
necessary the use of the auxiliary
plant of the Bucl1au virtually
throughout the voyage.
They claimed, however. that the
action of the rotors in the wind made
tue snip more StdpIe ana inucfl
easier to maneuver. The economy
of fuel. they estimated. runs from II
TO so per cent. depending on whether
the auxiliary motor is being used or
not. This variation in the economy
was explained as follows:
In the Buckau, the 45-horSe power
motor that drove the rotors used
Kilograms of oil an hour to
make Z knots. The l60- horsepower
motor that drove the propeller used
30 kilos an hour to make the same
speed. indicating an economy of ap-
nrnXimatelv so ner cent