moo.] The Hon. C. A. Parsons on The Steam Turbine. 823 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 

 Friday, May 4, 1906. 



His Grace the Duke of Northumberlaxd, K.G. P.O. D.C.L. 

 F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



The Hox. Charles A. Parsons, C.B. M.A. D.Sc. F.R.S. 3f.R.L 



The Steam Turbine on Land and at Sea. 



It was with some diffidence that I accepted the subject of Steam 

 Turbines on Land and at Sea for this evening's lecture, for since I 

 had the privilege of dealing with this subject six years ago in this 

 room, there seemed to me to be very little new to add, either from 

 a scientific or a practical point of view, which had not then been 

 to some extent considered. However, after consideration, there 

 seemed to be a hope that an account of some further developments 

 during the last six years on land and on sea, and a more extended 

 description of the mechanics of the turbine and its applications, might 

 prove of some interest, in view of the more general adoption of the 

 turbine principle for the generation of electricity, for the propulsion 

 of vessels, and for driving air-compressors, fans, and pumps. 



Six years ago there were 75,000 horse-power of turbines on land, 

 and 25,000 on sea. At the present time there are more than two 

 million horse-power at work on laud, and 800,000 horse-power at 

 work or building for use at sea. 



There are at present afloat, equipped with turbines — 



3 Pleasure steamers. 6 Yachts. 



9 Cross-channel steamers. 3 Destroyers. 



5 Ocean-going vessels. 2 Cruisers. 

 3 Atlantic liners. 



Yet it cannot be said that the turbine engine is superseding the 

 reciprocating engine generally, although this is undoubtedly to some 

 extent the case in certain fields of work. 



On land, the chief application of the turbine is found in large 

 electrical generating stations, and its adoption in preference to the 

 piston engine, in its most perfect development of compound, triple, 

 or quadruple expansion engine, is becoming general in this field of 

 work. 



At sea, its use is commencing to extend for all the larger and 



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