ELECTRIC PROPULSION OF MERCHANT SHIPS. 283 



Operating I'orcc. — The history of the electrical industry has repeatedly shown 

 that persons who have not used electrical apparatus assume that its operation re- 

 quires a high order of skill and expert knowledge, and of this assumption we have 

 already heard much in connection with electric drive for ships. A vast amount of 

 experience has repeatedly shown that this assumption is the direct reverse of the 

 truth, and a little thought as to the conditions in electrical apparatus should make 

 the reason obvious. Conductor circuits are much simpler mechanically than pipes 

 and mechanical motions, and electrical machinery is simply a combination of elec- 

 trict circuits with motion of rotation. The connections are easily shown by dia- 

 grams, and little mechanical skill is required to make them. The work of insula- 

 tion can be so done that, under such conditions as exist in ship installations, troubles 

 which might involve difficulty of repair by unskilled persons are very improbable. 

 In all the extensive uses of electricity in mills, mines, railways, and other indus- 

 tries, it has seldom failed to immediately become popular with the operating forces. 

 In no case has this been more marked than in the ships which have been driven elec- 

 trically. Large electrical apparatus is generally simpler than small, and the ma- 

 chinery used to propel a ship is in many respects simpler than that which is used 

 to light it. Instead of introducing difficulties in the matter of operating force, the 

 adoption of electric drive will eliminate them and make ships much less dependent 

 upon skill and resourcefulness in their crews. 



DISCUSSION. 



The President : — This paper, "Electric Propulsion of Merchant Ships," is now before 

 you for discussion, gentlemen. 



E. A. Stevens, Jr., Member: — The statement that "in the case of warships the electric 

 drive activities have been uninterrupted" is only true of warships built in this country and 

 of a certain class. 



It might look, from what is said in the second paragraph on, page 277 of this paper, 

 as if shipbuilders have been opposing the electric drive merely for commercial reasons. This, 

 however, is far from the case, a proof of which is that some of these have advocated the 

 geared turbine, and in many instances these outfits have been built by outside concerns. 



Reference is made regarding "the great efforts of skill, organization and capital which 

 have been, given to the introduction of the gear dinve tO' vessels of this class," that is, freight 

 ships of about 9,000 tons deadweight. There has been a great amoimt of talk and work 

 done in favor of the geared turbine, but this has been no greater than that carried on by 

 those who favor electric propulsion. 



Regarding the arrangement as shown on Plate 116, the following comments, I believe, 

 would be in, order. In the first place it is very questionable whether there is very much 



