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Bulkhead Doors and Elevators Electrically Controlled the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., and delivered May 20, 1931 to the owners, the Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Co. is equipped with the most modern elec- trical appliances. The FLORIDA was described and illustrated in the June issue of MARINE Review. ‘Two inter- esting features of this modern pas- senger and freight steamship are the watertight door system and the ele- vators for automobiles and cargo. The horizontal and vertical water- tight bulkhead doors below decks are provided with electric operation. The Newport News-Cutler-Hammer mod- ern watertight door control is used. Quick and posititve action of the doors in any crisis is insured. While this system has been in use for the past several years, it is said to incor- porate features of design which are in full accordance with the latest rul- ing of the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea. Finger-tip control of each door is provided by local control at the door itself and remote control in the pilot- house. The local control station, which is of the waterproof type, per- mits operation of the door from either side of the bulkhead either for open- ing or closing the door or for locking it in a closed position. When the door reaches the full open position, the master switch in the pilothouse takes precedence over the local control switch and the door will automatically close. Also at any time that the local control station is not being operated, the master control takes precedence, hence the system is always complete- ly controlled by the master station. The master control station consists of monel metal plate on which is etched the outline of the ship with the location of doors shown in dia- gram. A master switch is provided to close or open all. doors and an indi- vidual switch is furnished for each door for use in case it is not desired to open all doors simultaneously. Red and green indicating lights are pro- vided to show the relative positions of each door, viz., open, during travel, or closed. Electrical operation of the doors does not interfere in any way with the usual manual operation as the sys- tem provides that the manual con- trol be operated at all times when the doors are not being electrically op- erated. This is accomplished by a positive action solenoid, arranged to declutch the hand gear the moment the electric system is operated. The motor unit for the operation of each door is located adjacent to the Te steamship Forma, built by 84 ; door. Of waterproof construction, it employs a high starting torque motor of ample capacity. When the switch is closed, the motor comes up to speed before engaging the door mechanism with a sharp impact to free it and start it opening or closing. This mo- tor unit consists of the driving motor, reduction gears operating in oil, limit switch mechanism, and solenoid op- erated pawl. These are mounted in a Single case conveniently arranged for securing to bulkhead. When the door is started the internal gear revolves without load until the stop is brought up against the pawl which arrests the movement of the internal gear and produces a positive unseating blow. It is said that sticky or gummed doors present no obstacle to this unit. When the internal gear stops the slow speed motor driving shaft revolves to close or open the door until the limit of travel is reached. When the door is firmly closed or opened the proper limit switch opens the solenoid cir- cuit permitting the restraining pawl to be quickly withdrawn by spring ac- tion. The slow speed parts and door parts come to a stop immediately without jamming and simultaneously the motor is disconnected from the circuit. When the restraining pawl is withdrawn the internal gear is free to revolve with the planetary gear system, thus absorbing the momentum and bringing it quickly to rest. The limit switches are of the quick break type constructed with husky finger contacts. The switches are op- erated by a train of reduction gears driven by the slow speed shaft and are provided with accurate settings. A waterproof reversing relay panel is provided with each door unit. This reversing panel consists of a sheet steel watertight box containing an as- bestos lumber panel on’ which is mounted two main double pole line contactors with mechanical and elec- trical interlocks. There is also a double pole line fused knife switch. For handling automobiles and freight the Froripa is equipped with electrically operated winding drum type elevators supplied by M. L. Bay- ard Co. The main elevators are Op- erated by 45 horsepower, 115 volt di- rect current marine type motors each fitted with a 14-inch magnetic pedestal mounted shoe brake. The. motors were designed and manufactured by the Diehl Mfg. Co. The control equipment for the operation of the ele- vators consists of a single unit of the Cutler-Hammer magnetic type ar- ranged for dynamic lowering control. Each controller is mounted in a MARINE REVIEw—July, 1931 > rugged sheet steel enclosing case for deck mounting and is provided with a throw-over switch for connecting to either No. 1 or No. 2 motor as the case may be. Operation of the mag- netic controller is provided by means of remote control locked waterproof pushbutton station. Up and down hatchway limit switches are included and also a traveling cam machine type limit switch. The auxiliary elevators are _ op- erated by 25-horsepower, 115 volt, di- rect current motors, each with 10-inch pedestal mounted shoe brakes and separate control. The type of con- trol for the auxiliary elevators is similar to that of the main elevators except that no transfer provision is included. The resistors for all of the elevator equipment are provided for separate mounting and are of the cast grid marine type especially designed to prevent corrosion. The entire con- troller layout includes special features of design for the contactors and re- lays and insuring satisfactory opera- tion even though the vessel may be rolling or pitching. Named American Agent for Foreign Products Selby, Battersby & Co., Thirty- third and Arch streets, Philadelphia, have been appointed sole agents in the United States for Robert Bowran & Co., Ltd. in the sale of Bowranite colored bitumen paints for decora- tive rust prevention and for Kauxeme used for calking the wood decks of ships. Bowranite has been used effec- tively in the British Isles, India, Australia and Egypt as a bitumen paint that is unaffected by climatic changes. It is furnished in a variety of colors and retains all the protec- tive qualities of real bitumen. Kauxeme has been _ successfully used by the larger shipbuilders in the United States and by practically all shipbuilders in the British Isles. It does not boil out of seams in the tropics nor does it become brittle in arctic weather. Kauxeme was used on the Panama Pacific liners CATI- FORNIA, VIRGINIA and PENNSYLVANIA and has been bought for the new Matson liners building by the Beth- lehem Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy, Mass. April Canal Traffic Low Commercial traffic through the Panama canal during the month of April was the lowest April traffic with respect to the number of trans- its and net tonnage since 1926, 453 vessels aggregating 2,292,805 tons passing through the canal, as com- pared with 425 vessels aggregating 2,048,247 tons for April, five years ago.