CABLE NEWS. (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—COPYRIEIGHT.) A FAST PASSAGE.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 81, 3 October 1904, Page 5

CABLE NEWS. (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—COPYRIEIGHT.) A FAST PASSAGE.

THE LOONGANA'S TRIP FROM GLASGOW. SUCCESS OF THE TURBINE SYSTEM [press association.] (Received October 3, 10.51 a.m.) PERTH, This Day. The new steamer Loougana has arrived fiom Scotland after a fast pa&sage of thirty and a half days. The steamer averaged sixteen knots on a daily consumption of 63 tons of coal. The turbines never stopped once except when coaling at ports. Vibration was entirely absent, and the "steamer never shipped a single sea. The chief engineer, Mr. Dunlop, states that the succefcs of the turbine system was thoroughly proved by the experience of the Loongana. The vessel cou.d easily maintain eighteen knots in the worst weather with four boilers. Only two were used on the run from Glasgow. The Union Steam Ship Company's new turbine steamer Loongana, winch ia to rep.ace the Pateena in the J^aunceston trade, has room for 240 fiist-class passengers, who are accommodated amidships and forward of the boilers. The diniug saloon is situated in a steel deckhouse on the upper deck. There is ar large open vestibule on the upper deck, where passengers embark, from which. "T" stairs lead down to the main deck accommodation, and up to the vestibule and musicroom on the deck above. The secondclass accommodation, whioh is situated abaft the turbine, is somewhat similar to the first-class in comfort and convenience, differing only from it in the plainer finish of the various apartments. A feature has been made of the ventilating system, which consists both of natural-draught ventilators and electrically-driven fans. The appliances for working the vessel at the terminal ports are very powerful, and consist of a windlass forward and warping winch aft . While the vessel is primarily intended for the passenger trade, she will carry a limited amount of cargo, for the rapid handling of which, together with the mails, she is fitted vrith. double derricks and a which at each hatchway. The turbine machinery, although it occupies the same floor space, does not require half the same height in the engineroom as the ordinary engines in common use at present. There are eighteen furnaces altogether, two double-ended and two single-ended boilers. There are three propellers, similar in design to the everyday pattern, although considerably smaller owing to the greater number of revolutions to the minute than the common type. The new vessel's propellers measure 4ft in diameter, and run at a velocity of 450 revolutions a minute. The three propellers are placed in a position similar to that of the ordinary twin screws, one on each side close to the rudder and the third propeller between the other two. The absence of vibration is not the least striking feature of the turbine. There are three turbines, one fitted to each tail shaft, and, of course, working entirely independent of each other. The turbine as an engineering contrivance is by no means a latter-day invention, but only, of recent years has the attention of experts been turned towards applying the device to marine engines. The turbine cannot reverse, therefore other turbines are fitted, which are idle until the vessel is required to go astern. Referring to this nejv vessel, one of the leading English shipping papers recently wrote :— " The advent of this steamer will be watched with interest in many quarters as she will practically be the first turbine steamer to be built for a voyage of any length. The turbine steamer Queen, which has earned such a good reputation on the Channel service, only runs a distance of twenty-one miles, as against 276 to-be performed by the Union Company's new steamer. The fact that -the Union Company should be the first to adopt the turbine system of propulsion for ocean-going steamers is another instance of the enterprise of tha company. They were the first to adopt mild steel m me building of mercantile steamers, their steamer the Rotomahana having been built of mild steel as long ago as 1879, and she is still running. They were also the first to recognise the advantages of bilge keels, and adopted them in the same steamer in 1879, and in every vessel since added to their fleet."