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an MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. TURBINES FOR CUNARD SHIPS. | Disposition to Adopt them Prompts the British Government to join in an Inquiry into the whole Question--In the hands of a Commission of Experts--Glasgow Shipping Letter. Glasgow, Sept. 26.--The admiralty, on the suggestion of Lord Inverclyde, has decided to join the Cunard Steamship Co. in instituting a commission of inquiry into the whole question of the steam turbine. The admiralty has nominated as their repre- sentative Admiral Oram, the deputy engineer-in-chief of the navy. The admiralty has also agreed to Lieut. Engineer Wood acting as secretary, in which capacity he has served on the boiler com- mittee, and has done good work on trials, which experience will make him serviceable on this turbine commission. Mr. J. Bain, the general manager of the Cunard company, is also a member, and he knows all the requirements of the Cunard company's serv- ice from the engineering point of view. Mr. J. T. Milton, the engineering surveyor of Lloyd's Registry, will represent Lloyds. Mr. H. Brock of Denny & Co., builders of the present turbine- propelled merchant boats, will be a practical member. Mr. An- drew Laing of the Wallsend Engineering Works and Mr. T. Bell. the engineering manager at the Clydebank works of John Brown & Co., complete the list, which is a very representative one, and includes men of wide experience. The commission will conduct a number of trials with the view of setting at rest the question of the steam consumption, or fuel economy, of the steam turbine fitted to merchant ships. The results of the special admiralty trials of the torpedo boat destroyer Velox, which has Parsons' steam turbines, will be placed at the disposal of the commission, and special trials will be made in one of the vessels recently built with turbines--the Queen Alexandra or King Edward. The Cu- nard company is anxious to take no step which will involve any doubt as to the absolute efficiency of the new ships to meet the most severe war or peace conditions, and to ensure that the vessels embody all that experience, patient research, and sound judgment can suggest, and represent the highest attainment in marine construction according to present conceptions. The work of design of the new Cunarders will be delayed until the turbine commission makes its report. ADVANTAGES OF THE TURBINE SYSTEM. An experienced Clydeside engineer declares that the Cunard company is performing a duty to the nation in endeavoring to decide the dimensions of the proposed two fast steamers and the motor to be employed. In considering these points they have met the fact that to obtain the contract speed of 2414 knots per hour across the Atlantic in fair and foul weather, these boats must be capable of at least 26 knots an hour, with another knot to spare. These speeds require at least 75,000 brake horse power. With reciprocal engines, he says, it is practically impossible to use more than three lines of. shafting, thereby involving the transmission of at least 25,000 brake horse power per shaft, whereas the great- est power hitherto transmitted on board ship has been under 19,000 per shaft. This would require shafts of over 31%4 per cent. greater strength than the strongest now in use. If it is attempted to meet this by increasing the diameter of the shafts the. friction will be rapidly raised, not only by the mere increase o surface and leverage against the engines, but by the weight, to say nothing of the difficulties of manufacturing these large shafts. If it is attempted to meet the case by the use of nickel steel, or by ,Btead's method of converting the metal largely into "sorbite," then will arise all the uncertainties of homogeneity of metal throughout the shaft, and the probabilities of shafts breaking ina heavy seaway through "racing" or contact with floating wreckage. Therefore, the shafting question alone puts the reciprocal engine out of court. He does not dwell on the enormous vibration which would be produced by 75,000 H. P. of reciprocating engines aboard ship, of their great cost, weight, space occupied, multi- plicity of parts, large and expensive oil consumption, army of en- gineers and oilers, and their great coal consumption, which in the case of the Deutschland exceeds 1.45 Ibs. per indicated horse power hour, or about 1 2-3 Ibs. per brake horse power hour. Against these the turbine, he holds, presents the following ad- vantages: Five shafts may readily be employed, thus reducing the power to be transmitted per shaft to 15,000 B. H. P. (against 25,000 B. H. P. for reciprocal engines) and the turbine shafts (owing to their increased number of revolutions per minute) may be of less diameter and weight per horse power transmitted, thus greatly reducing friction and leverage adverse to the turbine and rendering the making of the shafts comparatively easy. Tur- bines are of less. cost and weight, occupy less space aboard ship, produce no vibration, and consequently neither annoy the passen- gers nor injure the hull of the ship, require no oil inside, thereby returning the condensed steam free of grease to the boilers, and require. comparatively little attention from the engineers. Con- sequently many fewer men are needed on board. As their racing in a heavy seaway can be automatically prevented, they require almost no repairs, owing to their simplicity and strength of con- struction, and, what is of great importance, will drive the ships easily up to 30 knots across the Atlantic with under 1 lb. of coal per brake horse power hour. The saving of coal per round trip with turbines would be nearly (on 75,000 B. H. P.) 7,000 tons, and in time 45 hours (nearly two days). In other words, 75,000 B. H. P. of reciprocal engines will drive the ships across one way in 123 hours (taking the speed at 24%4 knots and the distance at 3,013 knots) with about 6,864 tons of coal; whereas 75,000 B. H. [Oct. 8 P. of turbines will accomplish the passage one way in 100% hours at 30 knots speed with about 3,305 tons of coal. INDICATIONS OF AMERICAN COMPETITION IN IRON, There has been a perceptible easing down in pig iron since my last letter, on dearer money and weaker advices from your side, but no appreciable change in the position of steel, and, there- fore, of ship building material. There are, however, reports that American agents are beginning to negotiate the sale of iron and steel in England, and also that British steel makers are preparing to combine. both against undercutting among themselves and to counteract imports. These things tend to keep back owners who may be thinking of treating for new ships. HOWDEN DRAFT SYSTEM ON 1,500 MERCHANT VESSELS. As showing the change that has occurred in recent Years in the system of draft applied in connection with marine boilers, it may be noted that according to Lloyd's latest list the installations of the Howden system on merchant ships now number 1,500, in addition to battleships, cruisers and yachts. Ten years ago the closed stokehold system was almost exclusively adopted where a high evaporation was desired; but nowadays Howden's system is most favored because the means employed to ensure adequate air supply direct to each furnace independent of atmospheric con- ditions combines the utilization of a large part of the waste heat in the uptake to the funnel, for heating the draft for impfoving combustion and' economizing fuel. With broad-beam ships such controlled draft is necessary to get the required amount of air to the boilers in the wings, as ordinary down-cast shafts at the sides must not be allowed to obstruct promenades. Several of our fast channel steamers are being fitted with this system and the three fast-night boats on the Queensborough and Flushing route are now in succession having the closed stokehold system removed in favor of the Howden arrangement. The new boats for the Lon- don & Northwestern, the Lancashire & Yorkshire, the Great Cen- tral and other railway companies are being equipped with the same method; while several warships for the British navy are being fitted with Howden's system, both for cylindrical and for water-tube boilers. Trials with water-tube boilers for continental powers have shown that there is improved economy with the Howden system. SHIP BUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES. The commissioner of navigation has received from all the ship yards of the country that are equipped for the building of steel vessels returns showing the capital of each firm, number of men employed and the number and tonnage of. merchant ships and government vessels: building on July 1, 1903. A comparison of these figures with corresponding statistics representing the con- ditions July 1, 1902, shows a very heavy decline in the construc- tion of merchant ships which has not been entirely offset by the unusually large amount of government work in hand. The total number of steel merchant vessels under construction on July 1, 1903, was eighty-eight, having a gross tonnage of 255,675 tons, as compared with 104 vessels with a gross tonnage of 347,486 tons on July 1, 1902. The government vessels under construction on July 1, 1903, numbered forty-seven, with a gross tonnage of 334,147, as compared with sixty-seven vessels, with a gross ton- nage of 260,890, on the same date of 1902. The total number of steel vessels of all kinds (merchant and war vessels) under con- struction on July 1 of the present year was, therefore, 135, with a gross tonnage of 589,822 tons, as compared with 171 vessels, with a gross tonnage of 617,376 tons, on the corresponding date of last year. Of course since these returns were compiled a great many of the vessels have been completed, and it is significant that very few new orders are forthcoming. Another statistical report from the bureau of navigation deals with the number of merchant vessels built during the three months ended Sept. 30. In this quarter the ship yards turned out 310 sail and steam vessels of 66,023 gross tons, compared with 348 vessels of 103,421 tons during the corresponding quarter of last year. The ship building of the past three months was divided as follows as to districts: WOOD. STEEL: SAIL. STEAM. SAIL. STEAM. TOT 'wr, | Gross|, | Gross||. _) Gross|,_ | Gross||___| Gross No.) tons. |No-| tons. |} 9] tons. |No-| tons. ||No-| tons. Atlantic and Gulf} 87] 10,4%2} 82] 4,681 1} 3,248 8| 2,208]| 178} 20,519 Porto Rico ... 1 7 ; CER ede 1 7 Pacifies 4.304 9} 1,972), Bt} 5,005} 2.01. 22...) 1] 48H) 44] 7,851 HAWANl yt ann Sap babes : Ber Nea | PORE es i ies Great Lakes. 3 36} 28 649, cee 14] 33,917|| 45} 34.602 Western Rivers. hue ADIOS 864s [| Re, ee |) 421 8,854 Tot 100] 12,437} 186] 13 729]| 1| 3,248/ 231 36,609 | 310 66,023 __ In the month of September the number of new vessels was eighty-seven and the tonnage 13,579. The largest was the lake freight steamer Robert L. Ireland (4,470 tons), built at Chicago. H. A. Dean, purchasing agent of the Staples Coal Co. of Taunton, Mass., has bought the ship yard owned for many years at Bath by William Rogers. It is said the purchase price was $12,000. Mr. Rogers, during his career as a ship builder, launched 103 wooden vessels. It is understood to be the purpose of Mr. Dean and his associates to increase the facilities of the yard.