The Marine Turbine.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 233, 6 October 1904, Page 4

The Marine Turbine.

AS IT LS TO-DAY ON THE LOONGANA. The Union Steam Ship Company's new turbine steamer Loongana which is to replace clu? l'aieena, in the Launce»ton trade, lias room lor 2-10 first-class passengers, who arc accommodated amidships and forward of the boilers. The dining saloon is situated in a steel deckhouse ojl tlie 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 second class accommodation, which is situated abaft of the turbine, is somewhat similar to the first-class in comfort and convenience, differing on- ( ly 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 electricallydriven fans\ The appliances l for working the vessel at the terminal ports aro very powerful, and consist of a windlass ioiward 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 bundling of which, together with the mails, she- isi lit ted with double derricks and a winch at each hatchway. Tiie turbine machinery, although it occupies the same floor space, does not require half the same height in the engine-room us the ordinary engines in common use at present. There are eighteen furnaces altogether, two double-ended fund two singleended boilers. There are three propellers, similar in design to t'ju every day pattern, although considerably smaller owing to the greater number of revolutions to the minute Alum the common type. The new vessels propellers measure 4ft. in diameter, and run at a velocity of 430 revolutions a minute. The tlu-ee propeller** are placed in a position similar to that of the ordinary twin screws, one on each aide of the rudder and the third propeller between the other two. The absence of vibration is not the least striking feature ol' 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 lat-ter-day invention, but only of recent years has the attention of experts been turned towards applying the device t-o marine engines. Tl.e turbine cannot reverse, therefore other turbines are fitted, which are idle until the vessel is required to go astern. Interring to t.us new vessel, one of the leading English whipping papers recently wrote The advent of this steamer will be watched with intemst in many quarters as she will practically be the first turbine steamer. to be built for a voyage of any length. r )|he turbine steamer Queen, which has earned such a good reputation on tlie Channel service, only runs a distance of twenty-one miles, as against 270 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 oceangoing steamers is anotlvcr instance of the enterprise of the company. : They were the first to adopt mild steel in the building of mercantile steamers, their steamer the ltotomahuna having been built of mild steel as long ago as 1877, and she is ;>till running. They were also the first to recognise the advantages of bilge keels, and adopted them in the fame steamer hi 1879, and in every vessol Since added to their fleet." ,