Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Marine Review (Cleveland, OH), 11 Oct 1900, p. 22

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oe MARINE REVIEW. IN THE ENGINE ROOM OF THE DEUTSCHLAND. The following very interesting account of a visit to the engine room of the Deutschland (37,000 H.P.) was written by a correspondent of the Scientific American, who also made some notes of the recent record- breaking passage of that vessel: "The outward voyage was noteworthy for the high average speed maintained, 23.36 knots an hour, the high average horse power devel- oped, 36,913.for the whole voyage, and for the fact that the passage was the shortest ever made between any points in America and Europe, the time from Sandy Hook to the Lizard being 5 days 7 hours and 38 minutes. The return journey, in view of the highly unfavorable weather conditions, was even more remarkable; for, although head winds, vary- ing in strength from 7 to 11 out of a possible strength of 12, with ex- ceptionally high seas, were encountered on the first four days of the trip, the run from Cherbourg to Sandy Hook was accomplished in 6 days and 33 minutes at an average speed of 21.16 knots an hour. "The eastward record was rendered spectacular in the public eye by the fact (purely accidental, as it happened) that the Deutschland was scheduled to sail one hour later than the Kaiser Wilhelm, whose fastest record of 22.79 knots an hour had been accomplishéd on her last east- ward run. Twenty-two and a half hours after starting, the Deutschland was abreast of the Kaiser, and she continued to add to her advantage at a remarkably even rate of one knot per hour. A visit was made to the engine and boiler rooms while the two vessels were abreast in the so- called race, and at a time when the Deutschland's engines were indicat- ing between 37,000 and 38,000 H.P. everything was quiet and orderly. The temperature in the stoke holds and on the lower engine room plat- forms was but slightly above the normal of the atmosphere, and this in spite of the fact that coal was being consumed in the 112 furnaces at the rate of 572 tons per day, and that steam at 213 lbs. pressure was being expanded in the twelve cylinders of the twin, quadruple expansion engines at the rate of 178 tons per hour. No clearer proof of the fact that steam- ship designing, as carried out in a first-class establishment, is an exact science, and ship building a perfected art, could be asked for than was presented by the utter absence of excitement or evidence of unwonted effort in the engine and fire rooms of this fine vessel under circum- stances where such excitement would have been expected and natural. That a 23,000 ton Deutschland with 37,000 H.P. would overtake and pass a 20,000-ton smaller edition of herself with 28,000 H.P. was a foregone conclusion, provided, at least, that the safety valves were just lifting at the board of inspection pressure of 215 lbs. to the square inch. "Steam is led to two 3654-in. high pressure cylinders which are placed in tandem above two 108%4-in. low pressure cylinders, the total height from the lower platform to the top of the high pressure cylinders being 45 ft. It then passes to a 735-in. first intermediate, then to a 104-in. second intermediate, and finally to two 108%4-in. low pressure cylinders, from which it is led to a surface condenser with 21,315 sq. ft. of cooling surface. There is thus quadruple expansion in six cylinders, acting on four cranks, the two intermediates being above the two outside cranks, and the four high and low pressure cylinders driving the two inside cranks. All the reciprocating and rotating parts are of massive propor- tions. Thus, each low pressure piston weighs 7 tons, the piston rod 3 tons, and the connecting rod 10 tons. The crank shaft is 59 ft. 33¢ in. long, of 3 ft. throw, and weighs just under 100 tons. When it is remem- bered that each of these mammoth engines runs at the exceptionally high speed of seventy-seven to eighty revolutions, and that the piston speed runs up as high as 1,040 ft. per minute, it can be understood that a view of the two engines from the amidships bulkhead doorway, when the ship is at full speed, is profoundly impressive. The cut-off for the high pres- sure cylinders is at 73 per cent., for the two intermediates at 70 per cent., and for the two low pressure cylinders at 62 per cent. Bearing in mind the high initial pressure, the late cut-off, the length of the stroke and the high piston speed, one can realize how the unprecedented indication of 36,913 H.P. for the whole voyage could be accomplished. "The total coal consumption for twenty-four hours, including the auxiliaries, was 572 tons, which works out at the highly economical figure of 1.45 lbs. per horse power per hour. This high economy is due in general to the all-round excellence of the boilers and engines, but par- ticularly to the Howden forced draft with which the boilers are fitted, in which the air supply to the furnaces is raised by the heat of the escap- ing furnace gases from 70 degrees to 270 degrees 'Fahrenheit before it en- ters the furnace, the temperature of the uptake being lowered by a cor- responding 200 degrees Fahrenheit. "On the return trip to America the Deutschland received the first real test of her capabilities in varying conditions of wind and sea, and the result proved that, given a vessel of sufficient strength, weight and power, the full strength of an Atlantic gale is powerless to stop her. Leaving Cherbourg at 6:40 P. M. on the 17th ult., she at once encountered a fresh wind and rough beam sea, in which an average of 22.1 knots was main- tained for seventeen hours, or until noon of the 18th. In the next twen- ty-four hours the vessel made 440 knots in squally weather and a very rough sea, despite a lengthy detention while steaming in a circle and lowering a boat in search of a seaman who had been carried overboard. On the 19th the wind increased to a strong gale, the rollers meeting the ship on the port bow. For six hours it blew with a strength of 10 to 11 out of a maximum possible rating of 12, and the ship maintained a trifle over 20 knots against what the ship's log designates as a 'strong gale, with long, heavy rolling sea, and irregular high swell,' the crests of the rollers making a clear sweep of the forecastle deck and falling in a.mag- nificent cascade far to leeward. It was only after the seas had torn loose an iron ladder and twisted the railing of the forecastle deck that the engines were slowed down to 13.5 knots, at which speed for four hours the ship rode easily across the seas without the least suggestion of a roll. The utter absence of rolling in a quartering sea of such proportions was surprising, for in the height of a gale in which the St. Paul had to turn and run before the seas for five hours, it was not necessary to place the racks upon the table at the lunch hour. On this day the ship ran 502 knots, an average of over 20 knots an hour. On the following day the vessel made 573 knots, and on the last day over 600 knots, although, owing to an error of calculation, the run was given as only 581 knots. "Tt is inevitable that the development of 87,000 H.P. on the propel- lers of such an elastic structure as the hull of a 700-ft. liner should result in a certain measure of vibration. This vibration is not due to defective [October 11. balancing in the engines, which are built on the Yarrow-Schlick-Tweedy system, but is probably inevitable when two propellers are each expending 18,000 H.P. upon the water. We very much question whether the appli- cation of turbine propulsion will remove a difficulty whose source evi- dently lies elsewhere than in the engine room." FINE COLLECTION OF MODELS. Few ship building firms in the United States possess so large or valuable a collection of models as that which ornaments the walls of the office of Arthur Sewall & Co., in Bath, Me. These models serve as an object lesson, showing as they do the many changes which the styles in vessels have undergone in the last seventy-five years. In the early years of the century vessels were comparatively small, with round, full bows, heavy quarters and full run. Compared with ships of today they were clumsily built, were dull sailers and though safe were uncomfortable sea boats. Up to about 1837 they had flush decks, the cabin and crew quar- ters being under the deck. The galley or "cookhouse,' as it was then called, was a six-by-six box lashed abaft the foremast. About that time our ship builders adopted the topgallant forecastle, which was soon fol- lowed by the deck house, a square structure, built on the open deck near the stern of the ship. covering the gangway leading to the cabin and used as a dining room for the captain and officers during fine weather. The vessels in the coasting and Cuba trade ranged from 20 to 100 tons burden. They were single deck with a high poop, under which were quarters for the officers and crew. They were large carriers for their tonnage and were excellent sea boats, but very dull sailers. The first improvement noticed in marine architecture was in the fish- ing fleet. The square stern was adopted, the bows were built on sharper lines and the breadth of beam was increased, making them better boats and swifter sailers. Then the coasting trade began to feel the need of a better class of vessels. The high poop deck (so called) of lighter con- struction than the other parts was built over the main deck, from the stern to the mainmast, and surrounded by a light but strong open rail. Eventually these light decks were extended to the top gallant forecastle, thus making the vessel practically double decked. These improvements had the effect to spur up the inventive genius of the ship builders and naval architects, and it soon became apparent in the many new depart- ures from the old existing types, in the improved models and greater tonnage. The ship builders rapidly increased the tonnage of their ships built for the foreign trade. In 1841 the Rappahannock, registering 900 tons, was built by the Sewalls and was the wonder of the world as being up to that time the largest ship ever built for the merchant service. She was another departure from previous models. Her cabins were built on the upper deck and were lofty and spacious and were fitted up in a style previously unknown. She was what was then known as "frigate built," a round bilge, tumble-in topsides and very wide double channels. During the 40's the ships built were considered models of strength and beauty. Their large poop cabins were fitted up with an elegance and a view to comfort never before attempted on a sailing ship. Their gracefully flaring bow, their true sheer and light counter were distinctly American. But they were built expressly for capacity, not speed, and it remained for the exciting news of the discovery of gold in California to stimulate the genius of our naval architects, and the result was the Ameri- can clipper of the 50's, one of which, the Flying Cloud, made the passage from New York to San Francisco in eighty-two days and her time has never been beaten. But these magnificent ships soon proved to be not exactly what was wanted, and at once our ship builders turned out the medium clipper, a ship combining the qualities of large carrying capacity with speed, safety and comfort. 'These clippers were very sharp at the bow and some of them were so much so that every plank was put on without once resorting to steaming. The coming of steam vessels into the foreign trade drove the builders into continually increasing the carry- ing capacity of their ships, and the sharp lines had to give place to more rounding ones which, while they tended to decrease the speed, materially increased their capacity, and today we still see another change, that of building ships of steel instead of wood. NEW DRY DOCK AT SAN FRANCISCO. The proposed new dry dock to be built at Hunter's Point, in San Francisco harbor, will be operated by the San Francisco Dry Dock Co., which has taken over all the dock interests of the old California Dry Dock Co. These include an existing dry dock, in dimensions: Length, 490 ft.; beam, 125 ft.; depth, 24 ft.; also two floating docks of 3,000 tons and 1,200 tons capacity, respectively, and a marine railway capable of handling any vessel up to 800 tons. The new dock will be excavated in the solid rock, which at the Point is green serpentine. The plans call for a dock 750 ft. long, 122 ft. wide at the coping, 74 ft. wide at bottom, 32% ft. deep over sill below coping, and with 28 ft. of water at high tide. In dimensions, therefore, the dock will be one of the largest in 'existence. 'Concrete will be used for the interior facing of the dock, and granite for the approach and seat for the caisson. The keelson and working floor will be of Douglas fir well anchored and embedded in a sub-floor of concrete. The entrance to the deck will be closed by a steel floating caisson, which measures, length 10-t ft.; beam, 28 ft.; depth; from bottom of keel to underside of upper deck, 33 ft. 9 in. Wharf approaches on either side of the entrance to the dock will be constructed by piling, and will be about 200 ft. long and 60 ft. wide. 'The pumping plant will con- sist of three centrifugal pumps, each having a 38-in. discharge. The combined capacity of these pumps is 110,000 gallons per minute. They will be arranged with double suctions, so that they can empty both or either of the dry docks. Two hours is the estimated time for emptying the new dock, and forty-five minutes the old one. Three Corliss engines, 24 in. by 48 in., and each of 345 H.P., will operate the pumps by the rope drive, the engines being located on the surface and the pumps in a pit on a level with the bottom of the dock. Steam will be supplied by six water tube boilers, and there will also be a 75 H.P. donkey boiler for furnishing steam to the drainage pumps and power capstans. A brick stack 110 ft. high and 7 ft. inside diameter, will be put up on the boiler house. The officers of the dock company are: President, William Babcock; vice- president, J. H. Meyer; secretary, W. F. Russell. Howard C. Hoimes is the engineer in charge of the work. net Soegannem

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