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of mail contracts. Under this plan the shipping board should determine the essential mail services and certify to the postmaster general the com- pensation to be paid for carrying ocean mails just as the interstate commerce commission now fixes the payment to railroads for mail trans- port. Admiral Taylor is right. We have many doctors prescribing for our sick merchant marine but few of them seem to be in agreement. Geared Diesel Drive (Continued from Page 23) weight of the installation including the engines and gear unit, flywheels, couplings and thrust bearing is 485,- 000 pounds. Certain additional in- formation is tabulated below for con- venience. Particulars of Installation Power at low speed gear filange, b.h.p. 2600 Propeller speed, LsOeM. © coscccccsccessaseccnceovseonse 99 Engine speed, r.p.m. about on... cece 275 Cylinder diameter, inches... 18 RG Oe ATA R oh hoc sedeocchsrwecnstvacasvccsesteusbaateesecs 22% Height above ec¢.l. of shaft, ft. ins..... 11—6 Depth below c.]. of shaft, inches ........ 32 Overall length of engine and gear unit, RA TAB ses sees (Sumy sauce necn datos dapsvcnidesoateveaabWesshace 9—1l% Overall width over base plate flanges, SDF UNS eae esatanctsernundsductcendsesackyvoassigcncosesventias —1 Face width of GearsS, INS. ...c.ccccccecccecssecees 30 Net width Of “teeth, INS. i.iiississsccessscosdesetess 25 PMA MEO SL HILCN, =< G. De (icccesevsecesexscosesercoupiucensaes 2 Pitch circle diameter of low _ speed MENT AEN cae csc sy cLaducetecncoBsiseaaaviccccssedserdceaevcenase’ 76% Pitch circle diameter of pinion, ins 25 Angle of teeth, degrees: ..5...c.:cccsciecsc sacs seee 30 Number of teeth, Gear .....cscscccsssssssccsesssonses 153 Number of teeth, pinion -h..eeeeeeee 50 Diameter of crank, main bearing pins, TAB ey octscdec Seabac ce isctab oh sic seaav ngs hes veccaeesavvesssdebes seat 10%, Diameter of low speed gear bearings, PING ic eeevaxtscaccateccssnevesouctccshsauee oi sytonvennnases sand coce 15 Diameter of pinion bearing, ins... 12 Diameter of line shafting, ins. ............... 12% Diameter of tail shafting, ins................ 144% Diameter of propeller, ft. ins............. 17—9 Pitch of “propellers: Tt. “INS. ssicecssesssesveoewes 13—3 The connection between the crank- shafts of the engines and the pin- ions which mesh with the low speed gear is by means of 6000-pound Falk flexible couplings. 'The degree of rig- idity of these couplings and_ the masses of the flywheels were definite- ly selected to place the critical speed at the most favorable point. The advantage of the flexible coupling is in that it introduces an articulation -between the crankshaft and the pin- ion. The entire geared unit is nar- row and its foundation in the vessel is structurally very rugged. Thus the gear is subjected only very slight- ly to any deformation due to the working of the ship’s structure. Low Cost of Conversion The total cost of the conversion of the HERMAN FALK, a vessel of 431 feet in length between perpendiculars and of 59.2 feet beam; of 31.4 feet depth and deadweight capacity of 10,200 tons was low. Shipyard work including the complete installation, drydocking, overhauling, painting and 52 repairs amounted to $193,520. The two main engines complete with re- duction gear, amounted to $185,000. One, 110 kilowatt generating — set driven by a three cylinder 165 brake horsepower Falk oil engine complete with General Electric generator; one, No. 5 Sturtevant scavenging blower and General Electric motor; one, Schutte and Koerting geared lubri- cating oil pump with General Elec- tric motor; one five-inch Allis Chal- mers centrifugal cooling water pump with G.E. motor; two Rix starting air compressors with 25 brake horse- power American Blower Co.’s steam engines; two 5l-inch diameter 11 feet 7% inches long, 350-pound pres- sure, starting air receivers; one, DeLaval oil purifier; one, four-inch duplex lubricating oil strainer; one fuel oil drip tank with pump; two recording gages for cooling water and lubricating oil pressure with siren alarms; one Bacharach indica- tor; two 16-inch Maxim silencers for main engine; one, 8-inch Maxim si- lencer for auxiliary engine; and one fuel oil float tank with strainer; all came to $385,095. So that the total conversion cost of this tanker was $413,615. The two wing boilers of the, orig- inal installation were retained for the purpose of heating the heavy grades of fuel or crude oil which are car- ried as freight. Consequently this tanker is fit to carry any liquid freight in bulk, such for instance as molasses, cocoa oil any grade of fuel or crude oil and gasoline. It is thus different from the special tankers which carry only gasoline, kerosene or diesel oil. Such tankers do not require an extensive boiler plant but this tanker is equipped to carry all kinds of oil which may be offered. Pulverized Coal Used (Continued from Page 19) to the furnace to a plain, simple, front and is connected to it tangen- tially. The fine coal then hitting an arrangement of vanes is given great turbulence. This turbulence com- bined with super-fineness makes _ it possible to entirely burn the neces- sary amount of coal and to keep the flame all within the furnace. The flame does not even reach the ex- treme end of the back connections. What is left in the form of ash or residue is a light powder which is mainly blown out with the _ soot blower. : The successful design of the burn- er which is undoubtedly the most im- portant component part of the equip- ment is due to the Peabody Engineer- * MARINE REVIEW—December, 1927 ing Corp. which has done a great deal of work of an experimental na- ture. This company has also had experience with a number of suc- cessful pulverized coal installations for stationary purposes. The coal bunkers for the MERCER had to be arranged in the best pos- sible manner under the circumstances. On a new vessel they could of course be designed with their convenience for the crushers and mills specifically in mind. As it is on this vessel the coal is conveyed by ordinary bucket conveyors to the crusher located on the main deck above the mill com- partment on either side of the ship. The crusher needs only to work for a few minutes per watch or perhaps an hour or so a day to deliver the necessary amount of coal needed. This erushed coal moves by gravity to a day supply hopper located over each mill. The amount of coal which to feed from the hopper to the mill can, of course, be regulated. Once pulverized, however, it must have a place to flow to, that is to the burn- ers without restriction. Mercer Sails for Rotterdam In order to give everyone interested in the subject a chance to observe the S. S. Mercer under operating conditions, dock trials were held at Hoboken, N. J. during the meeting of the naval architects and on Nov. 15 and 16 sea trials were held in New York bay. At all of these trials observers have remarked on the com- plete success of the entire system. The S. S. MERCER was to load at Philadelphia and was scheduled to sail on Nov. 21 for Rotterdam. ‘The two men who have had more _inti- mately to do with this job than any other, Carl E. Jefferson and Com- mander J. S. Evans, are sailing on the vessel with a staff of assistants and it is expected that some definite accurate and interesting data on the performance of this vessel will be available to shipping men on her re- turn to the United States. Open Bath Iron Works Plans are rapidly developing for resumption of operations on a fair- ly good scale at the new Bath: Iron Works Co. The new interests plan to take over the major part of the Keyes Fiber Co.’s interests in the old Bath Iron Works here. Looking to- ward the resumption of operations on a fairly good scale it is stated that contracts have already been completed for the building of three yachts. Pro- duction will begin within a short time. The plans now standing call for a working force of between 700 and 800 men by the early spring of 1928.