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20 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. TURBINE STEAM YACHTS. One of the most attractive features of the international yacht races this year, says the Scientific American, was the presence of several steam yachts equipped with the latest form of motive power for marine propulsion--the steam turbine. Perhaps the most notable of these, because of her high speed, which was ex- hibited at the time, to the great interest of the fleet of sight- seers, was Mr. W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr.'s, rakish-looking craft Tarantula. Originally built for the late Col. McCalmont, who [ Sept. 17; The engine has shown excellent-results. In a report of tests made by Prof. Denton, he says: "The economy found for the turbine is, therefore, probably quite equal at full power to that afforded by average high-speed marine triple-expansion engines and nearly the same for one-tenth of full power." The great advantage of the turbine is, of course, its. small weight for the power developed, and the economy of space. The same authority states that the. weight of each turbine: from .its throttle to the exhaust pipe flange.is "8 2-3 Ibs., and the space occupied one- Tarantula, 26.75 knots, owned by W. K. Vanderbilt, Jr. placed speed before every other quality in the yachts that he owned, she was subsequently purchased, through Tams, Lemoine & Crane, by her present owner, and arrived only a few weeks ago at New- port, after making an uneventful trip across the Atlantic. The Tarantula, which is built upon the conventional lines of the tor- pedo boat, with sharp V-sections forward, changing to flat U- sections in the after body, has a low freeboard and a compara- tive absence of deck-houses, and with her two funnels and two pole masts presents a very rakish appearance. She is built of steel, and measures 152.5 ft. in length, 15.3 ft. beam, and her depth is 8.4 feet. She has greatly exceeded her designed speed, [Photo copyright, 1903, by Samuel E. Rusk, Newport News, Va. tenth of a cubic foot. per indicated horse power--figures which are not approached by the average marine engine." Although the Revolution has not been designed for such high speed as the Tarantula, she is, nevertheless, a much faster boat than the aver- age steam yacht. - Her lines are handsome, and the graceful sheer, which is one of her marked. characteristics, is shown to advan- tage in the picture of the yacht, which we publish. -. The Emerald, which is now the property of Mr. George Gould,.is another. turbine yacht that attracted considerable atten- tion. She is 236 ft. in length "and 28 ft. 8 in. beam, and she has a molded.depth of 18 ft. 6 in., and a speed of 16: knots.. Her The Revolution, First Turbine Yacht Built in this Country. making. 26.75 knots an hour on her trial trip. Her displacement is about 150 tons, As originally constructed, she was designed to carry nine propellers, three on each shaft, but in subsequent trials three of these were removed, with the result that there was a marked increase in her speed. In the impromptu race which takes place at the conclusion of a cup contest between the "steam yachts and excursion boats that witness the finish, it was remarkable to see the Tarantula thread her way through the 'fleet, passing such fast boats asthe Corsair and Kanawah at a speed which made them look to be relatively slow vessels. Another turbine yacht that possessed special interest for Americans at the race was the Revolution, which is the first yacht to be driven by a turbine of American make. She is 178 ft, over all, 140 ft. on the water line, 17 ft. in beam, and 7 ft. in draught. Her turbines are of the well-known Curtis type, which is now being manufactured in large units for electrical power plants. [from the Scientific American. engines, like those of the Tarantula, are of the well-known Par- sons type. Ramage & Ferguson of Leith recently completed a turbine yacht for A. L. Barbour of New York. The new vessel, which is known as the Lorena, is not only one of the latest and most Jux- uriously appointed yachts that have been built in Europe, but 'she is also one of the fastest, her speed on 'trial having 'been just under 19 knots an hour! She does not differ greatly in design or appearance from Mr. G. L. Watson's bigger' boats, the most noticeable difference being that the counter is rounded off in'a way that is strongly suggestive of older models. If she car- ried the square stern of the Watson type, she would. be: dis- tinctly reminiscent of Varuna. Her length over all is 300 ft; her water line 253 ft., her molded beam 33% ft., and her yacht meas- urement close upon 1,400 tons. She carries a raised deck, fot- ward about 60 ft. in length, and there is a promenade deck ex-