ELECTRIC AUXILIARIES ON MERCHANT SHIPS. 179 



should develop so many horse-power and be assisted by some sort of ventilation to do it 

 as it is that it should work continuously for long periods without repair. Further, we believe 

 that ball bearings are a very essential feature for continuous operation. Realizing certain 

 limitations for enclosed motors, we believe, motors for below decks and engine rooms should 

 be enclosed except where the size prohibits, and then they should be open with protection 

 against drip and condensation from pipes and other apparatus, and this practice has been 

 followed on foreign-built ships with success. 



Relative to the location of starters, I desire to emphasize the author's opinion that they 

 should be as close to the motors as possible. 



Relative to the most suitable electric power for cargo ships, this has been answered 

 by a failure for almost every installation of A. C. current. For tankers the same troubles 

 would be experienced with the delicate A. C. regulators as on cargo ships, and with most 

 of the ships burning oil today the dangers in the engine room of a tanker would not be in- 

 creased, and with A. C. current there will be the operation of the switchboard switches and 

 the exciter must have a commutator. 



With regard to the wiring and installation, it may be of interest to the author and 

 those present to know that the A. I. E. E. have recently issued a set of marine rules which 

 amply cover all phases of the question and for power wiring are the only ones in existence. 

 I do not believe the author's insinuation relative to the wireman's discretion should pass by 

 unnoticed. From personal observation, covering a period of twenty-eight years, I have seen 

 more failures of generating sets than bus wires, more failures of motors, controllers and 

 starting panels than feeder wires, and I do not believe the author's contentions can be proven 

 except in isolated cases and those during the war period. 



Relative to operation, this is most difficult to discuss, as the author has assumed cer- 

 tain fundamentals which cannot be reconciled and can be in keeping only with ships which 

 are laid up due to their excessive cost of operation. I refer particularly to the figures of 

 12,500 pounds of steam for auxiliaries at sea, which is 30 per cent of the boiler capacity and 

 43 per cent of the main engines. These figures, to say the least, are ridiculous, and any 

 deductions based on them are not only misleading, if used for comparison, but an injustice 

 to the cause of electrical auxiliaries where they can be economically applied. 



Electrical aiaxiliaries have a place in the steamship when the generators are driven by 

 engines or turbines, namely, outside the engine room, for steering gear, windlass and deck 

 winches. Electrical auxiliaries can only show a saving in the engine room when the genera- 

 tors are driven by oil engines. This arrangement would require extracting steam from the 

 main turbine for all heating of feed water, which is extremely bad practice and is not recom- 

 mended for shipboard use in any degree. The adaptability of electric motors has been 

 proven beyond question, and the answer to who shall carry the merchandise of the world 

 is — motor ship with electrical auxiliaries. 



Mr. Charles Rettie (Communicated) : — In reading Mr. Dickinson's paper on "Elec- 

 tric Auxiliaries on Merchant Ships," being an A. M. A. I. E. E., I thought I would like to 

 take part in the discussion before the joint meeting of the Naval Architects and the A. I. E. E. 

 on the 17th instant. Though I cannot attend personally I thought a letter from me would 

 be of interest, especially as I have had a good deal to do with the fitting up of ships with the 

 electric light and also repair work on many of our large liners, which dates back to 1889, 

 with the exception of a few years before the war, and up to the present time. 



