Evening star., 1926-08-22
SHIPPING BOARD SEEKS
TO REPLACE OLD ENGINES
New Type Cheaper, Need Fewer Men
and Increase Cargo Space and
Speed, Benson Holds.

bership on the Shipping Board had
advocated its use.
"The advantages Of the Diesel en-
gine are so obvious" Admiral Benson
said in explaining his thesis to this
correspondent, that a child should
grasp them. In the first place Il
uses onethird of the fuel that the old
steam engine consumes. 1t requires
no boilers and consequently the en-.
gine room space is reduced and the
ship can carry that much more cargo
The below-deckS crew is reduced by
roughly, two-thirds. since there are no
fires to feed and no boilers tp take
care of. Repair bills are a big item
on most steam vessels. hut with -
Diesel engine all the piping and
boilers and stuff that is constantly
needing repair is eliminated. More
over. it is possible to carry the fuel
for Diesel engine in the cargo
space.
1.-THE chief disadvantage of tho
Diesel engine is the fact that no Amer
lean happened to invent it. and there
fore any American ship which uses
this kind of an engine has TO pay
royalty TO the European inventors
Also it is expensive to make ami
install.
Got S25. .000.O0O Appropriation.
The Shipping Board was able To
get an appropriation from Congress
of $25 ,0O0. 900 for the installation of
these engines in Shipping Board YES
sells. We ordered II of them built
originally I'm factories spread over the
country, so as to divide up the work.
Later the Worthington Pump Co
perfected an American design. and we
ordered two ships to be equipped with
this type. Two of these engines are
now completed and are being installed
in two ships in Newport News.
"The ultimate idea that I have been
trying to sell the shipping men Of this
country is not only the Diesel engine
but the Diesel electric drive. That
means that instead of having the
power of the engine transmitted
straight To the propeller Of the ship.
the power Of the engine generates
electricity, which then turns the pro
peler. This is the same electric drive
which is used in our battleships. eX-
cept that we generate the power by
burning oil to create steam. The
Diesel. of course, eliminates the in.
efficient steam engine.
THE Shipping Board is flIrtherinc
the installation of the Diesel engine
but selling some of it's ships ut low
price with the understanding that
they are to be converted by the pur-
chaser into Diesel engine drive. We
have sold some ships as low as S. To
$40 n ton. believing that by giving the
purchaser Il reduction he can stand
the heavy cost of installing the Diesel
engine and then have an aggregate
cost, which will he q little less than
the foreign shippers initial expendi
ture for a ship.
Five tankers have been sold To
the Atlantic Refining Co. which
were converted into Diesel engine
drive. One Of these, the Allentown
was converted into Diesel electric
drive so successfully that the com
pany has ordered three more. The
chief reason we must install Diesel
engines. in my opinion" concluded
Admiral Benson, lis because the de
mand Of today is for fast freights.
The days of the old slowgoine
freighter are over. The merchant will
ship his goods only on the fast line.
and he wants to know within a few
hours when the ship will arrive. If
American ships don't keep their en-
gines abreast of the times we shall
fall far behind in the race for the
cargOes of the world
(Copyright, 1926)