I Have Always Wondered Why… — Summer 2002
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The Great Lakes… 84% of the continent’s fresh water… a different story in every drop.
By John Burke and Andy Sykora
I have always wondered why …
How does one reverse a steam compound turbine engine as on the Str. William G. Mather? There is no reverse gear apparent on the propeller shaft. In the engine room are two chrome plated hand wheels labeled “forward” and “stern.” They seem to open valves allowing high pressure steam to the blades of the turbine. How is this action reversed?
– Raymond C. Burke, Docent
Str. William G. Mather Museum
We consulted Jim Manthey of Rocky River on this one. Jim is a longtime retired chief engineer from the Pickands Mather and Kinsman fleets. With a marine steam turbine engine, the steam is used twice — first in the high-pressure turbine and then exhausted into the low-pressure turbine. Both shafts are geared to the propeller shaft. At the forward end of the low pressure turbine is a reverse bladed section that steam is fed to when reverse is wanted. The forward throttle is closed with the forward handwheel and the astern handwheel throttle is opened, thus reversing the engine. There is no gear reversing involved in the arrangement. As the reversing section of turbine blades is considerably shorter than the forward section(s), the output power is less than half of the available forward power.
To: Inland Seas
Enclosed is a photograph of the crew of the S.S. Northland, which operated on the Great Lakes in the early 1900s. My uncle tells me it was an excursion boat that took passengers from Buffalo to Chicago. Since it had such a large crew, we are guessing it had cabins and a dining room. Unfortunately, we do not know any of the names of the crew except, of course, for my grandfather. He is the gentleman seated on the right in the first row and his name was Charles Emory Washburn. He was the chief steward. We had thought the man in the middle, wearing the cap, was the captain, but as I look closely at his cap, it appears to say “checker” on it. So maybe he took the tickets. I hope someone seeing this picture might see a long-deceased relative and identify him to the museum.
– P. McAuliffe Anaheim, California
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