SUCCESS OF NEW ENGINES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17438, 9 April 1931, Page 11

SUCCESS OF NEW ENGINES

ECONOMY OF OPERATION .C.P. S.S. CO. IMPRESSED LIVERPOOL. March 14. The Canadian Pacific. S.S. Ltd. has completed its programme for modernising the machinery of the post-war cabin ships of the Montclare type. It is interesting to note what they have obtained for a very large expenditure. When they came out as recently as 1922. these ships were the last word in cabin-liner construction. Tlieir double reduction geared turbines of 12,500 shaft horsepower and Scotch boilers with a pressure of 2151 b. and superheat of 550 degrees Fahrenheit, brought their consumption down to roughly one pound per shaft horsepower per hour, which was regarded as being excellent at that da v.

VVhen the Canadian Pacific decided to take the Empress of Australia, off the trans-Pacific run and replace her German engines and Foettinger transformer with single reduction geared turbines, they obtained such excellent results that 'a similar plant was installed in the Empress of Canada and the three "M" ships, although in the case of the latter there was no hydraulic gearing to which exception might he taken. But increased economy appeared impossible, and the expense was undertaken, the Montclare being officially described as saving 450 tons of oil fuel per round trip on her previous l consumption. ." It is understood, although official figures have, not been published, that in tHe Montrose and Montcalm the result is even better, as they had the experience of the Montclare to work upon and further minor improvements were effected. A firm requires to have a good deal of moral courage, in addition to _ substantial assets, "to consider re-engining stripy as modem as those, but the results effected might well persuade other companies to take the same line.