Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 262, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 October 1919 — Page 2

»XCLE X-'n.’s *sup<r<lr<'lidnnught S’vw H I Mexico )< very much in the yes of M I the world these days for the special /’"'■'’M reason that this biHlhshjp is tin' , * f * t ”! at:-, nniioii to be propelled by electrti tx. .Moreover, -electric drive AIT has been ;o successful and its lightV Ing 'advantages have become so grnf erally recognised that the navy de* | partment hats derided to equip all of its new capital. ships with electric —1 propulsion untmrat.us. The New Mexico is a most impresslve light Ing machine. She was built at the Brooklyn navy yard and laniwluxl in the slimmer of 1917. /She is £24 foot over ulL—She-weighs (displaces!. 32,000'tons. She draws 30 feet of water. She has 87 feet 4U» incites hwuij at the -waterline.—At-full-speed she can make slightly in excess of 21 knots «n hour. She generate 1 -- 2*.horsepower for propulsion. Her ere" numbers nearly I.2<M> men. She burns oil Instead of coal as fuel and has a total fuel capacity of aboutT.tXK’.lM’” gallons. It’s not an easy thing nowadays to get permission to examine a battleship from stem to stern and td take photographs of her interior. But representatives of one of the big concerns which had a hand in making the New Mexico what she is was recently allowed the privilege—xvhtrh-tnrs been exceedingly rare since the beginning of the great war. The following account of an inspection of the superdreadnaught at drydock in the Brooklyn navy yard is the result. Lieut. Com. P. L. Carroll, chief englheer, turns us oxer to one of the junior engineers. We start —with the navigating -bridgeand examine the vnrious pieces of apparatus for transmitting signals to the engine room for the control of the vessel, and so half a dozen other parts of the ship, each of which has a particular and important function to perform. Next we begin a systematic survey of the ship, and to begin as far down into ■the vitals of the vessel as possible we are led through- circuitous routes, down steep hatchways, .through narrow alleys, and down more ladders, through deck after deck until we have lost all know ledge of time and space. We find ourselves at last on the very-bottom ofthe ship, directly behind rhe rudder. A complicated mass of machinery, pistons, rods, valves, dials and electric motors, combine to make up the steering gear engine. This machinery is qpera cxm troiltd directly from the navigating bridge—by acontroldevice. Thisis—only one of five different *methods of steering thfxship. In a water-tight compartment directly aft is what is known as the auxiliary steering gear. And here ■we see four large wheels connected to a shaft which when occasion demands, can be used to xnove the rudder by hand —which takes eight men. , But this shaft is aisxx connected’ to ti» electric /'motor and by tjie'Simple turn of a switch can be operated cldctri’caHy; ' Two other elepirtic;il units trol and if all steering methods fail, a “jury” rudder may be rigged off the stern. Going forward along the bottom of the ship we •come presently to the propeller shafts —four in number- —each operating an immense propeller. These shalls extend from the motors which opertate them back through the ship and out at the stern, through what are known respectively as the starboard outboard shaft alley, starboard inboard, (port inboard* and port outboard alleys. Following along the inboard shaft we go through •several more ' water edit compartments, drop' down a hatchway and find ourselves in the propelling motor room. .This is the section of the ship which actually drives the propellers. i The tremendous. which meets our gaze the.big shafts-revolve. ■ ‘ ' • w;. This motor stands' 12 feet high from the floor, and is 12 feet wide. It generates 7,000 horsepower. Like the rest, it is inclosed in a water-tight compartment. protected by bulkhead-;, and if anything ehould happen to. it, the current may be cut off at once and directed to the operation of the otherthree propellers. To see how the motor is controlled, reversed, started, stopped, etc., we follow the wire cables (further forward, still almost, on the bottom of the chip until we come to what the engineers call the ■center engine .room. Here spread out before us lies a switchboard containing levers, dials, telephones, indicators, and instruments for measurijng electrical currents. It is the .main control etation of the ship containing the arteries through which courses the life blood of the yeseel. the electrical current. In fact, it. is often called the heart of the vessel. Here in this compartment the electrical current |ls received, measured and passed on to the motors ■which we have just left. From this station the (propellers may be made to reverse, or to go at (full speed ahead; two propellers may be reversed while the other two are driven ahead. Here also any combination of control may be made up. The flexibility of control made possible by this central control station constitutes one of the advantages of the system of electric drive. The captain ®f the ship communicates directly to this station -and gives instructions concerning the control of the vessel. Having seen how the ship is propelled, and controlled, we are naturally curious to see the source from which (he tremendous energy comes. The cables from the switchboard lead us forward .into

U.S.S. NEW MEXICO: First Electrified Battleship

another compartment where we view the machine ..Which genera les. the elect rival current which turns the propellers. This is the turbo-generator section. There are two turbo-generators consisting of a steam turbine direct, connected to a powerful generator. This generator is’operated by the steam turbine jtmi produces the current we have been seeking. Each of the turbo-generators produces 14.000 horsepower. In technical language this spot within the ship is known as the power plant. The turbine id an essential part of this plant. It illustrates another advantage of the electric drive. A steam turbine to operate at its maximum efficiency mtlst revolve at a relatively high speed, say 2,o<K> revolutions per minute. On the other hand, tiie propeller to be most efficient, must revolve with comparative slowness, say 200 revolutions per minute. This is because if the propellers revolved at high speed they would merely churn up the water and fail to drive the vessel ahead. Now electricity, acts as a connecting link between this highspeed .arbine and the motor which drives the propellers. Mechanical gears, which in the turbine driven vessel have been usedTo reduce the turbine speed down to a suitable propeller speed, are entirely eliminated, and the necessary reduction accomplished by simple electrical means. Moreover the operating --nrnte vvatei* tight compartments.. In■ iiumnoti the= machinery is grouped very close to the center of the ship as far as possible away from the sides. “The possibility of so grouping the machinery,” says an officer, "means a greater protection of the apparatus from shell fire, grounding and collision. We might say that this feature, plus the flexibility of control’ and the ability to cut off defective or damaged apparatus, constitutes one of the essential superiorities of electric drive.” To follow route to its source, we must g-> still further forward to a point amidships. Here are nine huge steam boilers, arranged three in a compartment. They store up the steam under a pressure of 250 pounds to the square inch and deliver it to the turbines. The New Mexico burns oil instead of coal. New- Mexico may be briefly summarized as follows: Nine steam boilers deliver steam to two turbines. The two turbines operate two generators. The two generators produce electrical current. The electrical current is led through copper cables toi“acontrol station whereTt is distributed and passed on to four big motors. Each of the four motors turns a propeller and thus the ship is driven through the water. The current which the two turbo-generators produce is used entirely in the actual propulsion of the vessel. The New Mexico must have additional electrical energy with which to operate scores of auxiliary apparatus. For instance, electric motors operate the 12inch and 14-inch guns, blowers wfiiSfc supply the ventilation of the-ship, electric fans, telephones.. heaters, pumps, refrigerating machinery, wireless apparatus, kitchen appliances, laundry equipment, etc., to say nothing of- the lighting system. Motor-driven machinery also operates the boat cranes and the anchor windlass. There are scores of storage batteries which stand ready to keep ■ the electric lights going should the main lighting system fail. It has been estimated that there are aboard the New Mexico no less (han 50 electric motors. “Where does the current come from to operate them ?” we ask. It comes from six auxiliary turbo-generator sets and we find two of them well up toward the bow of the vessel, still on the same level as the boiler room from which we have ]ust emerged. This turbo-generator, and the others similar to it. are responsible fbr the wonderful applications of electricity which we will make the acquaintance of as we go upward through the New Mexico. There are four separate decks

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

tietween the bottom of the ship and the main (leCk. T : ~ _ All the’ baking is done electrically—electric motors operate the dough mixers, and dough kneaders, while the loaves are baked in electrically heated ovens. Next we visit the electric laundry wh-lt its many ingenious machines electrically driven. Electricity also plays its part in other iflaces, such as the crew’s library, reading room and recreation quarters; the barber shop; the sick bay, with its operating room; Capt. A. L. Willard’s quarters, the officers’ wardrooms, etc. The New Mexico aas 12 14-inch guns and —many of —smaller —caliber, including a batteny of anti-aircraft guns. The larger caliber guns, three in each of four turrets, are operated by electricity. The turrets are revolved and the guns elevated by electric motors. Ammunition hoists run electrically and ’th&e are electric gun loaders, whife even the big guns are fired by electrical means, but tiie smaller caliber guns are generally oprated by hand. In examining into the control of these great batteries of destruction, we come to one of the most interesting spots on the ship —the conning tower. Nayy regulations designed to withhold important matters of military design, forbid us from obtaining a picture of the conning tower. - But it is /permissible* to descriM The is. ii wellrshaped shaft extending perpendicularly through the ship from top to bottom with ladders running up and down the sides and convenient methods of transmitting instructions by means of indicators and telephones. Duripg an action the vessel's commanding, officer "usually stations himself in this tower which is also known as one of several fire-control stations and transmits instructions. Up on one of the masts we encounter one of the big "eyes” of the ship —an electrical eye which can see for miles in inky darkness. The current for the Operation of the searchlight comes from one of the turbo-generators heretofore described. Is the electrical propulsion of marine vessels opening up an entirely new era of scientific advancement and will the day come when the seven tSTS. our own navy, is concerned. Secretary Daniels expressed the essence of the idea when he said: "I think this country has cause to be proud of this achievement m engineering, not alone because of the pronounced success in this particular instance (referring to the New Mexico), but because of the assurance it gives us of the superiority of our capital ships to those of “The New Mexico is the first and °nly~ dreadnaught of any nation to have electrically operated propelling machinery.” continued Secretary Daniels. "On this account she has been an object of surpassing interest to the officers of our own navy and to those of foreign navies as well, and to electrical engineers in general. "The result was satisfactory from every point of view and confirmed the judgment of all who were in any way concerned in its design and adop-tion.-There was not the slightest mishap with any part of it, everything worked to perfection, and the crew was as enthusiastic over the performance of the machinery as is the department proud in pojtsession of such an efficient dreadnaught. "When we entered into contract for the machinery we stipulated that, in addition to being capable of developing the maximum power, she should also give an economy at cruising speed very much superior to that obtainable with the turbine installations previously used. This stringent requirement was also met. As a matter of fact, the New Mexico will steam at ten knots on less fuel than the best turbine-driven ship that preceded her.” > , / Anyway, electrical engineers are now turning their attention to the "adoption of Similar prineb pies to the driving of merchant ships and to large passenger vessels.

In Princess Gown

Favored Frock Not Affected by Downfall of Royalty. , ✓ Women Cling to Some Version of This Type of Dress—New Evening The general downfall of royalty seems to have affected not one whit the princess, frock. Always there are women of fashion who cling to some verslifti of this type of dress. This year there are quite a few New York

White Taffeta Evening Gown.

designers who are adopting the princess frock, states a fashion writer. Of course, the princess of this year is a very different affair from that tightly molded dress which policed the figure some years ago. Very often the distinctive touch is confined to one side and draping is arranged so skillfully that the line is becoming to both slim and not so. A new evening frock is of white taffetaembroidered in silver and combined with silver lace, which gives an echo of the princess mode on one side only. Like so many of the evening frocks at present, an ostrich plume is. employed as the climax of trimming. Both are as familiar in dress scenery as they are in desert scenery.

LONGER AND WIDER SKIRTS

Conservative Styles Are Predicted by the Fashion Art, League at Chi? cago Convention. ■,~j , - ‘ to be much different from those now prevailing —much different. Skirts will be longer —much wider — more conservative. And in this connection there is a war just starting —a war by American women to make the style more conservative. - This was the news coming from within the Fashion Art league, in convention recently in Chicago. The doughboy is at the bottom of the whole thing. In France the Parisenne beauties wear extreme styles. When the doughboy struck that country he was dazzled. Styles became more and home he was full of new ideas of styles, but the American girls rebelled they went on a fashion strike, demanding new styles. The correct skirt length, according to Madame Alla Ripley, president of the league, should be six to eight inches above the ground. Of course, the wndth will be built around the person, but generosity will be plentiful among the designers, it was pointed out. Forty-seven inches w*as agreed on as the average width for the slender person.

THAT NEW SUIT FOR WINTER

Advantages and Disadvantages in Having It Ready-Made or Made' to Order. There are possible advantages in going to a tailor and having your suit made to order and just as many possible advantages in buying It ready made. With the ready-made suit there is always this: You can see the finished garment. There is never the possiblity that you won’t like it after it is finished, for it is finished to begin with. Moreover, If you are a person whose time is precious, the ready-made suit has advantages in that way. Even if it needs rather elaborate alterations you will need far less fitting than if you are having it made entirely to order. And

of course, the ready-made suit, if you buy a good one from a smart shop, has probably been made according to the design of a very and highly paid person, whereas your tailor may or may not have the eye of a real designer and he may or may not follow skillfully the lines of the design you select for hiru;' However, if you aro blessed with a good figure the tailor will reveal the fact as the ready-made suit cannot possibly da even if It is altered, for it is necessary to make ready-mades according to designs that do not as a rule play up the figure. They must be built for the average figure and built according to lines that require the least possible fitting. If you do go to the tailor bear this inl’mind': That for this winter suits made of heavy meals suit fabricsaregolngto- beextremelysmarr-Se-lect such a fabric that show§" a decided stripe—one that would probably not be the one you would choose for your husband or son, because the stripes should be quite far apart and quite noticeable. A suiting .of dark slate gray with a lighter gray stripe is a splendid selection. Now have the bodice pieces of the pattern cut lengthwise of the stripe with a tunic on the jacket cut the other way of the material. Or in some such way as this make use of the striping to give the suit its only trimming.

DRESSES NOW MADE OF KID

Whole Sport Outfits Made of the Material and Some Have Leather Ornamentation. The increasing use of kid and other soft leathers for the making and trimming of women's garments is bri»U4.Lugup the question here as to what effect it will have on other lines. Latest fashion reports from Deauville- say that whole sport dresses made of colored kid were worn at the recent races there, and the Paris cables tell of leather dewdabs on many of the new frocks, says the New York Times. In the reported general scarcity of kid, which there is no reason to doubt, the question has arisen as to just what effect this vogue will have on the supply available for the glove and shoe trades. It is also asked if the use of colored outer garments of kid will bring about a revival of the vari-colored kid shoes that were so much in vogue here a few years ago, and also serve to increase the color ranges of kid glove off erings in-the near future.

TO MAKE NEWSPAPER HOLDER

Remnant of Narrow Stair Carpet May Be Easily Made Into Decorative Article. The sketch show’s a good use to which a remnant of narrow stair-car-pet may beput, in the way of making a newspaper holder with it for hanging upon the wall. If possible, the should be selected of a color to match or harmonize with the wallpaper upon which it is to hang. The edges where the carpet has been cut are bound with colored braid,

An Easily-Made Newspaper Holder.

and at each corner a ring is sewn on in the manner shown in sketch B. Then nails are driven into the wall at a distance apart corresponding with the width of the carpet, and they should slant slightly upwards in the way Illustrated in diagram A. i .Th'* so that the carpet hangs downwards and forms a large loop, into which the papers may be slipped from .either side. All tidy housewives like a place to keep papers in, so that they do not litter the room, and this is just the thing needed, as it is strong and practical.

FASHION BREVITIES

Irish crochet blouses are new for fall. A little bag of fine gold-plated mesh is always smarL Blouse coats are really becoming only to small women. An Imported overblouse of gold colored georgette has monkey fur about the sleeves and skirt hem. The gowns that combine pink and blue are decidedly French. The bigger and more crushablo > sash is the more stylish it is. Purple chiffon over red velvet in a negligee is almost exotic in its beauty. ” Cadet plaits are the means employed to acquire the popular ripple effect in a coat suit. ’ Yellow is introduced on navy blua serge frocks »for the growing girl by means of wool embroidery or pipings.

To Prevent Crocking.

Before wearing black stockings 01 black cotton gloves, scald, them in gait and water and they will not crocks