172 ELECTRIC AUXILIARIES ON MERCHANT SHIPS. 



often run out 10 or 20 feet of chain and "break out" the cargo with a winch at full speed. 

 All this abuse requires extraordinary strength in shafts, keys, couplings, gears, etc., and 

 most careful selection of electrical protecting devices. 



We sailed from Bremerhaven, having loaded ship with her own electric power. At Ant- 

 werp the hydraulic dock equipment was used for loading and unloading. Our electric power 

 was used in Southampton and also for light duty at Genoa and very heavy duty at Naples, 

 where all the winches broke down, and we sailed for the Far East with 4,000 tons of cargo 

 and not a winch working. It was quite evident that this particular equipment was inade- 

 quate, and after having shared the responsibility with the officers of the ship by a letter in 

 which this inadequacy was expressed, I had the most cordial, helpful cooperation from these 

 splendid companions and shipmates. 



The controllers were changed when we returned to Germany, but they were not success- 

 ful and were changed again upon the second return. This time they were found to be entirely 

 successful. I secured my acceptance of the equipment at Port Said and returned home on 

 another ship. 



We left Germany without spare parts of any kind. At every port we made vain efforts 

 to secure electrical supplies ; none of the big shipyards had such supplies, and none of the cities 

 we visited had shops or stores for the sale of this material. When we got to Port Said a 

 friend took me to his storehouse and loaned me a miscellaneous assortment of wire and 

 switches. 



The engines were very bad, and we were unable to obtain proper regulation. On an old 

 English tramp built on the Clyde which came into port, we found some good governors built 

 by a concern called Clark & Chapman. After the purchase and installation of these gover- 

 nors, we had no further trouble with the engines and, as far as we know, they are still in 

 operation. 



The operation of the electrical winches was alleged to be as simple as the operation of 

 steam winches and, while this was true later on, it was by no means so at first. The North 

 German Lloyd had contracts with stevedore gangs in different ports, and as they had been 

 accustomed to the operation of steam winches we had a great deal of difficulty in teaching 

 these stevedores to use the electrical winches. The Chinese operators were the best. All we 

 needed to do was to tell "No. 1" what his men were to do, and they did it without variation 

 hour after hour. 



In 1896 the steamship Bremen was laid down in the yards of Blohm and Voss. She was 

 equipped exclusively with electrical cranes which were very successful. 



The Prinz Heinrich is now the steamship Porto belonging to the Portuguese government 

 and sailing from Lisbon. Information received within a month through confidential sources 

 is to the effect that the electrical cargo winches on this ship are still operating. We had no 

 electrical failures. Our troubles were entirely mechanical, due to improper selection of ma- 

 terial and a lack of knowledge of the sea, and of the service which the winches were to per- 

 form, but the outstanding fact still remains that this electrical equipment put into service in 



January of, 1895 is still in commercial service in November of 1921. 



I 



Mr. G. H. Jett^ Visitor: — In my invitation to present a discussion of the paper on 

 Electric Auxiliaries I was advised that the time allotted for such discussion would be ten 

 minutes. This, as you will understand, will prevent my going into any phase of the subject 

 in detail, especially the very important subjects of costs of installation, operation and repairs. 



