NEWS IN BRIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1808, 2 April 1918, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

A Norwegian , ship of 200 tons dead-weight, built of ferro-con-crete, was tested in a heavy gale in the Christiania Fiord, with Norwegian shipping authorities on board. It is stated that the vessel had “wonderful stability,” and that there was practically no vibration from the engine. The practical advantages of the new shipbuilding system are described as being, especially, the lower cost, greater rapidity of construction, and reduced working expenses, jdnce no painting is required for the hull except some composition to prevent growth. The vessels are fire-proof, and, it is declared, neither rust nor rot. In most of the British shell-mak-ing plants an ingenious type of transformer is being employed for heating the copper shell-bands. Briefly, the transformer consists of a closed core of laminated iron, one leg of which is hinged and counterweighted so that it can be readily lifted to permit the copper band to be inserted over the primary winding. The copper band when once in position forms the secondary of the transformer, and because of the conversion of a small flow of standard lighting current into low tension but high amperage current in its single turn of winding, the copper band is heated in short order to the desired degree.