A BIG STEAMER'S ADVANTAGES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 9

A BIG STEAMER'S ADVANTAGES.

Pio ! "Scientific Amfirican,", disousSing the effect- of bad weather experienced by, the LuSitama, ono -of. tho Cunard Company's nejw'big steamers; says " it is provetl .that in-; crease 'in; the size- and .power contributes enormously .' [to .the ; comfort; of tjio passengers' and tho averago speed of the trip, "Although, -the .rise and ..fall -of the- bow must at times havo been as great as 50ft,; tho mOvemont, except on raro occasions, was gradual, and, did not involve: thos6 : sudden changes, of. .position . aro so; strongly. proyocativo' ofi, seasickness. So, also, tho rolling, which' rarely reached lOdog., each Side of tho normal was; very slow, and was .accompanied by an appreciable period of rest beforo 'recovery.' ■ . ■' "Tho , 70,000. horse-power quadruplo ' turbine engines proved to bo; admirably adapted for driving the vessel into'a head / sea. Racing; that bugaboo of ;tb6' marine engineer, has;.boon.,practically i.eliminated.. Tho four, propellers are so deeply, immersed, and their' diameter is relatively so small that tho tips 'of tho blades are fully 12ft. below tho surfaCo of tho water, and consequently they aro Very rarely lifted clear';of-tho water, even when tho ship is pitching heavily. When they do ! lift, the spectl of rotation is already so high that the increase due to tbo .lessened resistance is scarcely noticeable. Moreover, there i? ho lowering.; of speed, as in tho case', of a, racing reciprocatin'g engino,: tho thrust oiv t-liO' ship*, being constant, or-only-Subject to sliglit variations. The turbino as a , tlrivo for big ships, has already rendered it-self very popular with the officers on tho navigating bridge. ..-.•'.'During-the first heavy gale, which was encountered oft', the coast of Ireland, tho ship was driven: into enormous head seas for somo hours, at a speed of ovor 23 knots an; hour. In spite of her -freeboard forward of fully 50ft. sho began to ship , green seas, whioh swept tho forodeck, tore loose tho der- - rick - booms, and began 1 to 'batter in tho lighter plating of tho forward breastworks. Tlio navigating bridge ( is 70ft. abovo the wator, yet 'at times tho seas struck tho rails and stanchions so heavily as to bond and split them in soveral places. For tho rest of tho trip tho Lusitania was drivon, under ' reduced powor, tho '; revolutions ■ being about 157,: as against the maximum speed of 180 per minute." "