SHIPS AND THE SEA.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 12

SHIPS AND THE SEA.

The experiment with tin bine-driven ocean sti-uineis enteied upon by the Cunard lino is being watched with the keenest interest, by I lie who.o ol the. shipping world. Two of thu rao»l pouciful rivals ot tho celebrated British company — tho Jlaniburg-Ainoiican and tho .North (ieiman Llojd — .stand ready to buiUf mammoth racciH equipped with tiiibinu engines, should tlie Cunurdci'd prove sueecbflful. The competition for tho transAllunlic tiiido is keen, and tho ruco is to thu swift. At pieseut the. Germans .•ire in the lead, with boals which travel more than 26 knots an hour, and «>iigineeis say that reciprocating engines can do no more for a vessel than those installed in these slenmcis. A higher ruto of speed means a cost in operation which is commercially prohibitive. The triumph of the turbine,; theicfove, wiil moan a new era for ocean steamship tratlic. Tho Cunard Turbine Coimniwion, whicji was appointed in September lasL to make a full and exhauslivo enquiry into the subject, has made • it.s report. 1 1 decided to adopt the tuibnio system, and recommended four shafts, not only because the four screws will give a higher efficiency, but because it was imprudent to divide the power through n less number of shafts The Commission considered the power necessary to give tho sea. speed of 2A i knots with various forms* of hull; and, although 24^ knots can bo realised at sea under normal weather conditions, it is necessary to havo a coiihidciablu margin of power to ensure that this rate v% ill be maintained under tidvci.so conditions, and for this reason 25 knots will bo attained on an extended trial trip. Consequently, with throe shafts the power transmitted through each would lequirc to have about 25,000 indicated horsepower, whereas with lour shafts it will not much uxceed 18,000 indicated horsepower, which has already been adopted in ono or two cases. As recommended by the Commission, theVe will ho one goahead turbine on each of the four tjhatls, which will bo almost equidistant from each other. Tho high-prcssuro turbines will be mounted on two oulfide shafts— an arrangement which enables the shafts to be far from the centio of .the ship without interfering with tho lines* of the hull. These shafts will have the propellers at a considerable distance from the stern of tho ship, so that there wiil bo tho minimum of disturbance to the ilow of water to the two inside propellers, which will bo placed right aft in the usual way. On each of the two inside shafts thero will ho two tin bines. On each there will bo the two low-pressmo turbines for driving tho ship^ ahead. The other two are for stern motion. It will ho noted that the power for ahead motion is in two steam unitt'., each with one high and ono low pressure turbine, giving the best expansion of ulcum j but should there bo any breakdown of one shaft, turbine, or propeller, Iho three remaining fihafls may bo run, oud thus only one-fourth of the power will bo unavailable. Another advanttigo of tho four screws and of tho two central .shafts being lilted with astern driving turbines is Unit the power lor driving astern will bo equal to about one-half tho forward motion power distributed through two tthaltn. Tho Commission we.ro not concerned with the boiler arrangements, but it is arranged that these arc to bo of the cylindrical lype, with Howden'a forced draught. The measure of tho instnllation in found in the fact that, even assuming a high degree of economy, tho coal consumption will exceed 1000 tons per day. An abject lesson in tho danger of delay is supplied by Bristol (says tho May number of Syren and Shipping). Thu Delphic should go there with a cargo of fro/,t:ii mutton Iron* Now Zealand, nnd a-3 there was no accommodation at Avonmoutli it was resolved to .send the boat into I'orUsthej.d, but jh the dnto of orlivul and neap tidi'H isynuliinnize it will be impossible to dink her then-, hence sho will have lo ciohs tho Chitnnel ami discharge her inward cargo al Barry, returning to I'ortishi-ud to load outwards, tvith the completion of tho new dock tho risk of such experience* as thin will be removed, but had the extension been taken in hand earlier, there might have been no Much experienco to lieplovc, Yet after all, who thought a. few years ngo that tho undent city would make tho fepuit it has done? Foreigners aru oiiHting the British sailor more and more each year from British ships, nnd it is not uncommon to find among cicwb only one or two men natives of Britain. The position is amusingly summed up in this .story, related by the Liverpool Daily Post: — The skipper of tho tramp steamei Bumping Billy was engaging a new crew. "Whul's your nameV ho said lo tho foremost applicant. "Guisoppo Grinolieri," replied the man. "Eyetulinn?" "Vees, sar. "Very good; step on ono side. And yours?" he went on to the next A.B. "Ivan Ivankoff." "Russian?" "Bolisb, snrp." "Right, step alongside Yowaeppy. Next man?" "Wilhelm Zwillunguzi." "German?" "Ja." "Very good; over you go. Next?" "Mnnool Olivciia. I Portuguese scumon, sonor." "Step over, then, Manniwol. Next?" "John Thompson, sir." "WHAT?" "John Thompbon, sir.' 1 "What in th-thunder — what the-— what nationality?" screamed the horrified shipmaster. "English, sir," replied tho man. For a full half-minute tho unhappy skipper stood speechless, his countenanco turning from purple to otange, aud from orange to grey ; and then, with a gurgling gas>p of "English, BY GUM !" ho tottered, staggered, and fell prose, upon tho ground. The Manila Times, in a leader, Bays tho principal shipping firms of Iho Philippines have- not experienced any considerable prosperity during the past year. This applies particularly to the coastwise business, and in seeking reasons for this our Manila contemporary says : "Tho complaint has been heard, and it does not Heeni to bo without foundation, that tho military government has not thrown its insular bushes in Iho way of local, shippers for, moro than n year, but has chartered foreign vessels to carry its freight to insular ports. As the military government is the most extensive shipper of freight in the archipelago, it is not difficult to undeistiincl how this slight has worked to the detriment of tho coastwise vessels. Of course, tho military government is at liberty to charter foicigu vessel."* to carry on this trade, but unless a considerable saving resulted to the- government it would appear that the local firms should have the preference of contracting for {ho coastwise business. Tho local shipping linns are old, reliable, wellestablished institutions; they furnish a means of livelihood to hundreds of natives of the.se islands, as the ship* are -manned almost wholly by Filipinos. In fact, thero are many considerations against seeking ships opciuting under a foreign Hug. If the ships plying between Manila and insular ports are not of American registry, it is very certain, us a rule, they are not of any other registry, and by strict right should not be- debarred from any privileges that might be extended to boats of American build. But evon if these coastwise- steamers were of [Spanish or English registry, tho interests of their owneis in tho island should protect them n gainst unfair discrimination on the- p.trt of the government. The coast wire bouts have not, and di> not as>k a .subsidy, but only equal privileges with other boats that may be M-eureil to carry on the insular shipping. Everything being ctjmil, wo believe thi» inter-ialund traffic should bo given to the firms that aro efilabltahcd in the islands."