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42 THE MARINE REVIEW February, 1912 The Toiler and Her Experiences Her Performance on the Lakes HE Toiler, fitted with Diesel oil en- STD poe has now been on the lakes for some months and certain facts concerning her performance are grad- ually being made public. It is known that she crossed the Atlantic ocean from Middlesborough to Halifax in the wildest kind of weather in thirty- four days, carrying a cargo of 2,000 tons. Considering her low power this performance was quite respect- able. The engine behaved splendidly, but it is understood that trouble was caused by salt water getting down the gas escape pipes into the oil tanks. This salt water, mixed with oil, formed a kind of emulsion and in spite of efforts being made to free the oil, some of the salt water got into the cylinders. The conse- quence was that the engine upon arrival at Montreal was not in good shape but as the lake season was drawing to a close she was dispatched to Port Colborne for her first cargo. It was found that the Toiler on the limited dimensions prescribed by the canal locks carried greatly in excess of any previous vessel built for this service. She loaded 94,000 bu. at the Port Colborne elevator, which is prac- tically 10,000 bu. more than has ever passed through the Welland canal on 14 ft. draught. The stowage of cargo was also greatly facilitated by the saving in space effected by the use of oil engines. The Engine Handled Easily. "In spite of the fact that the en- gines were in poor shape, the oper- ator handled them most successfully. The reversing was simple and reliable and one man could operate both en- gines with the greatest ease. In the canals the engine arrangement was most satisfactory, but in the currents in the St. Lawrence river and in going into the locks it was found that the small twin-screw propellers - could not hold her back sufficiently | quick to make it safe to handle her in the ordinary way. It should be added, however, that the crew was green and not accustomed to canal and lock conditions. The trip from Montreal to Port Colborne and re- turn was completed in thirteen days, which is three days longer than the usual type of steamer takes. The economy of fuel was most remark- able. It is well known that the or- 'power. dinary Diesel engine does not burn more than half a pound of crude oil per hour or about a quarter or a fifth of what a steamer with ordin- ary triple-expansion engines con- sumes. It was found that the Toiler could make the round trip to Port Colborne on 8 tons of fuel. It should also be added that the Toiler tied up nights so as to avoid any possibility of damage. Obvious- ly the oil engine is singularly adapt- ed to a service where interrupted con- ditions in running are likely to be encountered because there is no loss of fuel as in a steamer with boilers. Commenting on the performance of the Toiler, a correspondent writes as follows: Electric Transmission Gear. "It is now known that the results of the Toiler would have been great- ly improved if electric transmission gear had been fitted between the en- gine and propeller. It is found in loaded condition that the engines cannot develop their full power as the revolutions are cut short by the propeller holding up the engine. On the other hand in light condition the engines get away with the full rev- olutions and develop their full horse- It is essential on this type of boat that some form of transmis- sion gear should be adopted and it may be stated that arrangements are now being made for the construction of a further. vessel of this type with somewhat larger power and with electric transmission gear. A further advantage of this arrangement is that one or any of the generating units can be shut down for adjust- ment, which is an important matter in regard to the Diesel engine. If any one cylinder is found to be skipping, the engineer is at once informed by the change of the ignition periods and it is important that the trouble be at once located and an adjustment made, otherwise oil may be injected into the cylinders and not burned. ._ "Tt is impossible to make such ad- justment when the engines are coup- led direct on the propellers as the vessel is at once out of control if the engines are stopped. This is a serious matter in such conditions as are found in St. Lawrence river cur- rents. The experiment has, however, demonstrated most successfully the possibility underlying the Diesel en- gine and there can be no question that this form of motor must be reck- oned with on the lakes. Any troub- les with the machinery are purely mechanical and can easily be taken care of by competent people. The engines should be in the hands of those who have watched their man- ufacture so that those operating them may have a clear understanding of what is going on and to the end also that a staff of trained engineers may be developed. Personally I rather deprecate the use of the reversing type of engine.- It is my opinion that the Diesel engine runs much more advantageously if the reversing feature is done away with. This is particularly the case in the canal trade where there may be as many 'as twenty or thirty locks in a series requiring heavy locking, backing and filling of the engine. It is for this reason that I advocate an electric transmission gear so as to make the reversing of the propeller a simple matter of switching. There are, of course, other transmission systems, such as Foetinger, which are also ap- plicable, but in this case the crank shafting and propeller shafting must be in one line, whereas in electric equipment the engines may be placed anywhere suitable and connections made by wiring to the propeller mo- tor." Coast Yards Busy That the ship yards of the east are in for a period of activity is evi- denced by orders already placed or about to be placed. The Coastwise Steamship Co. has given contrict to the New York Ship Building Co. for a steamer to carry 7,500 tons. W. R. Grace & Co. have given Cramps, Philadelphia, an order for a _ 10,000- ton vessel and it is reported that the Southern Pacific railway intends to order four ships. The Standard Oil Co. is also going to add to its float- ing equipment. The Thomas Furnace Co., Milwau- kee, Wis., has given a contract to the Variety Iron & Steel Works Co., of Cleveland, for a steel bridge clec- trically equipped for handling a 6%- ton bucket. The bridge will have a capacity of about 250 tons per hour. N