Evening star., 1940-02-04
Refutes Charges
Contained in Series
Of Franklin Articles

Boilers now being used by the
United States Navy in its new
fighting ships are superior to the
La Mont type as exploited in
Europe, according to Secretary
of the Navy Charles Edison, and
there is no basis for any state
ment that German warships,
ship for ship, are the superiors
of American vessels.
The Navy Department has
made lengthy tests of the La
Mont boiler and has been guided
in its adoption of boilers for its
new ships by the results of these
tests and tests of other boilers of
competitive design. 1t is the sim
cere belief of Navy leaders that the
boilers which have been adopted as
the result of these tests are the best
which have yet been developed to
meet the needs of the American
Navy.
AS a result of tests which have
been in progress for several years,
Secretary Edison stated, the La
Mont boiler has not been approved
as satisfactory for naval use, nor
has it revealed superior character
istics which warranted special con-
sideration by the Navy Department
in the way of sponsoring further
development of the La Mont boiler.
Moreover, Mr.. Edison declared, the
German Navy, after starting out ex-
perimentally with the extremely
high boiler pressures, which are an
outstanding feature of the original
La Mont boiler design, have been
backing away from these high pres
sures and now are working with
pressures reported to be identical
with those employed in our latest
naval vessels.
Tests Authorized in 1888.
Mr.. Edison pointed out that the
La Mont boiler situation has been
"a long drawn out procedure, and
this isn't the first time the question
has come up" The use Of high pres
sure and high-temperature boilers,
he said, is not limited to the La
Mont type of boiler.
Naval records show that the Naval
Boiler Laboratory was authorized
on october 20, 1888. to test the La
Mont boiler and that necessary con-
struction at the laboratory, in the
Philadelphia Navy Yard, was begun
shortly thereafter. The inventor.
former 1t. Comdr. Walter Douglas
La Mont, graduate of the United
States Naval Academy in 1910, be-
gan experimental work in the field
of high-pressure steam generation
in 1918.
With reference to the bureaus
authorization of the test of the La
Mont boiler" the Navy Bureau of
Engineering stated in an official re-
port signed by its then chief Rear
Admiral Harold G. Bowen, now head
of the Naval Research Laboratory,
to Senator Walsh of Massachusetts,,
chairman of the Senate Naval AZ
fairs Committee, released for pub
lication for the first time, ut is
the policy of the bureau to require
that equipment to be tested at naval
laboratories to determine suitability
for naval use be completely devel-
oped beyond the experimental stage.
Inventor Used Laboratory.
''The La Mont test was author
lied under special conditions not
ordinarily accorded other exhibitors
in that the La Mont boiler was en-
tirely experimental and had not
been erected or tested prior to in
stallation at the boiler laboratory
A section of the boiler laboratory
was assigned to Mr.. La Mont for the
erection of his boiler, which was
occupied without cost to Mr.. La
Mont for a period of over three
years.
ITO operate his boiler makeshift
pumps and other auxiliaries were
employed by Mr.. La Mont. Air for
combustion was supplied from the
navy yard mains rather than by a
blower, as in shipboard installa-
ton. Under these conditions it was
impossible to get complete data dur
ing the test of the La Mont boiler
to determine its suitability for naval
use
Shortly after the test was au-
thorized Mr. La Mont informed the
bureau that unless unforeseen de-
lays occurred his boiler would be
ready for test within approximately
two months. However, it was found
that the boiler as originally de-
signed required numerous modifica-
tions, and it was not until January
IL, 1887, more than three years after
the test had been authorized, that
the development had proceeded far
enough so that Mr.. La Mont was
able to present his boiler for test
For more than three years the IA
cilities of the boiler laboratory were
available to Mr.. La Mont, during
which time he had the help and ad.
vice of members of the laboratory's
staff"
Abridged tests of the La Mont
boiler were completed on February
6, 1887, according to the Navy De.
partment record.
Operated Only 130 Hours.
"Since suitable auxiliaries are 9
most essential part of a forced cir.
culation boiler, and since the LIS
Mont boiler was equipped with
makeshift auxiliaries, the boiler
could not be given the usual com.
plete set of laboratory tests to de.
termine its suitability for naval use,
it was explained.
1t was impossible to determine thu
net steam output of the unit or thu
efficiency of the entire unit, nor wa.